Rubio/Alston
Harden/Daniels
Gay
Griffin
Kaman/Speights
Still looking to trade Kaman, and I'd like to pick up a floor-running big in the process - Nene and Frye both come to mind, although I'm not sure if either is really attainable.
Still, what do people think of the setup thus far?
Well it's certainly a far more tempting destination for Rubio. Clippers grant both his wish to land in a major media market and his wish for a warm weather city. He's also installed as the franchise's starting point guard from day one, rather than find himself in a training camp battle with high potential for embarrassment. And, Griffin and Gay should be ideal running mates with the three making Sportscenter regularly.
As for the Caveman, I agree with Who and wouldn't be so quick to move him. Speights should certainly be seeing more minutes for the 76ers, but, as IP pointed out, he's more a 4/5 and what's more also a lousy decision maker, particularly on the defensive end. I'm not confident he'd find success as a 35-38 mpg starting center, yet anyway.
Gogo gadget walloftext!
The rationale for moving Kaman is that I'm wary of how he'll produce in a very up-tempo system. I've watched Brand struggle mightily in getting acclimated to the Philly game, and I'm not convinced that injuries are the main problem. I see Kaman as a similar case - post-up big who is likely to struggle in a fast-paced game. In other words, I'm not really looking for an upgrade over Kaman, so much as a move that would give me what I perceive to be a better fit for my team. I agree that he’s a very valuable commodity – that’s why I’ve yet to accept an offer for him. Of the maybe half-dozen GM’s who have kicked the tires on him to this point, there has only really been one offer that really interested me.
You’ve got it right: Rubio, Gay and Griffin is meant to be the core of this team. The entertaining style of play will put butts in seats for me; and if Rubio and Griffin turn out to be anywhere near as good as advertised, then I believe I have a contender on my hands. Not to mention Rudy Gay, who in my opinion could become much better even than he is now (mostly by crashing the glass and playing consistently tough defense.)
Your concerns about Speights are legitimate, and ideally he wouldn’t start on my team. At this point, though, I’ll have to settle with what I’ve got. A trade to bring in a solid starting PF would likely cost me assets that I’d rather not lose – particularly since such a PF would likely be a Band-Aid rather than a long-term solution. There's also the small chance that the Trial-by-Fire approach results in an emergence for Speights.
Continuing on that line of thought, I acknowledge that I’m fielding a lottery-bound team this year, and I actually view that as a positive in the long-term. Lots of suck now = great chance for a high pick, and I’d love to have some of the guys coming out in this draft. DeMarcus Cousins and Evan Turner would both be fantastic fits on this team, and John Wall would make me a contender up to two years early if I get lucky enough to land him – he would immediately supplant Rubio as my PG of the future.
I have two concerns with this team. The first, you alluded to – Alston and Daniels are tough to pair up because neither can shoot, and the starting lineup isn’t really any better – I really only have two starters who can hit jumpshots (Harden and Gay.) To remedy that, I plan to spend the remaining rounds surrounding my team with shooters and possibly trading for a marksman or two where beneficial. The other is simply that the team doesn’t come together. I think this team is summarily the ultimate high-risk, high-reward project. In general, though, I love the collection of young talent that I’ve amassed on this team.
Topic: Is Your Pick Two Team Better than When it Started? (Read 200357 times)