The Jazz started their rebuild with Deron Williams, an All-NBA talent they were able to move for a #3 pick (Favors), another #3 (Kanter) and a pick they used to draft Trey Burke in the top 10.
We are pretty far away from having such an option right now.
While that's true, the Celtics' rebuild started with sending our Pierce/KG and we've still got two brooklyn picks (and a sawp) yet to convey. If one of those picks winds up high, we're in business.
Yes, but the Nets have no incentive to be bad and have tons of money (and starting next year, cap space) to make sure they are at least mediocre.
Expect those picks to end up in the 12-20 range and you won't be disappointed.
I'd say that's about fair the way things look right now. Late-lottery seems likely. I've even liked some if the moves Billy King made this off season. The Young for KG trade was ridiculous. Getting RHJ was a good move.
But the thing about them is, there doing this high wire act where they have no incentive to tank because they owe us our picks. But from where they were after the Pierce and KG trade, they had really limited options for staying competitive. So the get the 8th seed this year after Lopez justs busts out. He's the main reason they even sniffed the playoffs. Yet their totally strapped when it comes to cap space, so their only choice to stay competitive was to give Lopez a long huge deal, which he covets based on his injury history. Lopez has bad feet, which can absolutely tank a big guys career. Johnson and Williams are on the decline. But they're still your second and fourth best players. How much value are you gonna get for them? What's the chances the pieces you get in return are better immediate contributors. Literally all you have going forward next summer is cap space.
It's quite a tight-rope they're walking on and it's awesome having such a vested interest. If Lopez goes down for a significant period again, which is almost probable and certainly possible at this point, they're easily one of the worst teams in the east. That pick would probably be top-6. Even if Thad Young went down, they're probably a top-10 lottery team. But it really comes down to Lopez. He's the only significant player on that team. They've got all their eggs in his basket, and considering how many injuries he's had in his career, I'm not sure I would make that bet. But they didn't really have a choice, because if he left they still didn't have the space to sign anyone, and none of the game changers would go their anyway. They have to do whatever they possibly can to be mediocre. When you force someone's hand, they make bad moves. If Lopez goes down again, they're in serious trouble with very few avenues to turn things around. They literally need to get lucky just to be a run-of-the-mill, stuck in the middle, mediocre treadmill team like some of you guys are so afraid of becoming.
If everything doesn't fall their way, those picks could certainly be top-ten. Its definitely true the East is improving, but if one thinks that pushes us our of the playoff picture, it surely does the Nets too. It's possible Lopez has a monster year, they get the 7th seed, we get the 8th and Dallas makes the playoffs, which would give us like #15, #16 and #19. I bet Ainge could move up a bit with that. But that's a worst case scenario. If this Brooklyn tight-rope act falls on it's face, Lopez gets injured again, they trade Johnson and Williams or they just get passed by improving teams in the East we could be in for a top ten pick easily.
Just imagine if we got #7, #12 and #15. We could do a lot with that. I'm excited for what's ahead. Ainge is smart, one of the best GMs in the league and his goal to keep us flexible enough to stay out of that "also-ran stuck in the middle, mediocre 8th seed" for long. He can go any direction he wants with this team because he's not signing a bunch of third-tier players to long term big money deals. He can easily start a fire sale and sell these guys off if he thinks we can't otherwise compete for a chip. He's been dealt a tough hand here though. He sold off Rondo and Green with the idea that we'd get another top5-10 pick. But the team was actually much better without those guys, but they were still a lottery team. Then the Thomas deal comes along, which you absolutely have to take every day of the week and twice on Sunday. He fits perfectly, we become one of the hottest teams in the league and we get the 7th seed. Stevens is thrilled, and wants to keep building on what they have. We can't tank without a fire-sale, which will just in itself lower the value of our assets. For now, Ainge has decided to add some pieces that could fit well with this group yet stay very flexible with a size able trove of assets and an improving young team.
I think we could win the Atlantic this year right now, and I feel pretty confident there is more moves to come. But I also think we could be in the lottery as a .500 team. When you consider the cards we've been dealt since the Brooklyn trade, I think This is the right play. Retaining your ability to generate large cap space if needed, keeping your sizeable trove of assets to keep you in play for a major trade if one comes along, and covering deficiencies in your growing young core is a smart move. Our 3 1sts this year aren't likely to be higher than 20, and that Brooklyn pick could easily be gold.
Al Jefferson was picked #15 and he got us KG, Pierce was picked number #10. You don't always need a top 3 pick to make a game-changing move. Patience is the key here.
Topic: All we need is for one player to hit (Read 10292 times)