Sustained success vs Championship in next 1-3 years

[PhoSita]

and then moved Crowder, Smart, and Fultz for George

Good Lord.

Sometimes I really think you hate the Celtics and want to see them fail ....

[Boston Garden Leprechaun]

and then moved Crowder, Smart, and Fultz for George

Good Lord.

Sometimes I really think you hate the Celtics and want to see them fail ....

crazy isn't it?? lol

[C3LTSF4N]

and then moved Crowder, Smart, and Fultz for George

Good Lord.

Sometimes I really think you hate the Celtics and want to see them fail ....

crazy isn't it?? lol

I cringed when I read that.

[Moranis]

If there was a set of trades that made us favorites for the title the next 1 to 3 years, I'd 100% prefer that, future or no future.

But, those trades don't exist as far as I can tell. There are two teams that are historically great right now, and we're not going to be able to match up with them in the short term.

Now, if there's a way to add Anthony Davis, Kawhi Leonard, and PG13, I'll adjust my opinion.

I think if Boston added Griffin in free agency and then moved Crowder, Smart, and Fultz for George, Boston would have a real shot at a title in the next 3 years and would still have Brown and next year's BKN pick for the future.

Maybe, or maybe that team struggles like the Clippers.

My guess would be that Cleveland and Golden State still crushes us.

I don't think so. Outside of Leonard and Durant, George is James' toughest matchup on both ends of the floor.  Griffin and Horford are a terrible matchup collectively for the Cavs to guard.  Thomas defensively will always be a problem but with two other premier scorers I think a lot of the pressure will be off and you still have Bradley defensively. You still have Brown, Zizic, Yabusele, Rozier, Mickey, Nader, and Jackson for youth on the bench and I'm sure you could add some quality vets for the bench with that team's starting 5.

Remember the Cavs are terrible without James on the floor and I'm not sure they really can fix that.  As for the Warriors, I think the Horford/Griffin front court would be a real problem because they can't use Durant or one of the guards to double team and can't go with the small ball death lineup nearly as much or they will get killed down low as Durant can't effectively guard Horford or Griffin.

Would that team be favored, maybe not but I would certainly like its chances to win both of those series and it isn't like it would be all that old as most of the starters would be in their mid 20's so should have more than a 3 year window anyway

[Moranis]

and then moved Crowder, Smart, and Fultz for George

Good Lord.

Sometimes I really think you hate the Celtics and want to see them fail ....

two role players and the top pick in the draft is absolutely a fair trade for Paul George especially after adding Griffin in free agency.

I'd rather see Boston have a real contender than just float along and hope and pray a young guy someday is a franchise player.

[PhoSita]

Well thank goodness you're not the GM.

Ainge would be run out of town if he traded the top pick in a decent to strong draft for an expiring contract.

Paul George is not LeBron. Simply having him on the team doesn't guarantee a trip to the Finals.

The Cavs traded Wiggins for Love but they already had LeBron at that point, and they had every reason to believe they could resign him.

Also, Wiggins was a significantly worse prospect than Fultz given his flaws, many of which he still has not overcome.

[Boston Garden Leprechaun]

Well thank goodness you're not the GM.

Ainge would be run out of town if he traded the top pick in a decent to strong draft for an expiring contract.

Paul George is not LeBron. Simply having him on the team doesn't guarantee a trip to the Finals.

The Cavs traded Wiggins for Love but they already had LeBron at that point, and they had every reason to believe they could resign him.

Also, Wiggins was a significantly worse prospect than Fultz given his flaws, many of which he still has not overcome.

[Moranis]

Well thank goodness you're not the GM.

Ainge would be run out of town if he traded the top pick in a decent to strong draft for an expiring contract.

Paul George is not LeBron. Simply having him on the team doesn't guarantee a trip to the Finals.

The Cavs traded Wiggins for Love but they already had LeBron at that point, and they had every reason to believe they could resign him.

Also, Wiggins was a significantly worse prospect than Fultz given his flaws, many of which he still has not overcome.

1. Again did you miss the part about adding Griffin in free agency.  You make the trade for George after you sign a free agent. 

2. And Wiggins was a far better prospect than Fultz at the time of the draft and was in what was considered an even better draft at the time of the draft. 

3. Why do you assume George wouldn't sign in Boston long term in that scenario?

4. George is better than Love.

5. Do you think Fultz will ever be as good as George and if so how long does it take?

6. who are you trading and for what to get Fultz playing time? All the guards can't stay. There aren't enough spots available.

[Ed Hollison]

Think about it this way: Golden State will re-sign both Curry and Durant in the offeason to long-term deals. At that point they'll still have their four core players -- Curry, Durant, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson -- all aged 27-29. Thompson is signed through the next two seasons and Green is signed through the next three, at manageable money. In other words, they won't have to break apart that core for years.

Do you really want to "go for it" knowing they will likely dominate the West? Even if you're confident you can get by the Cavs into the finals, it still makes much more sense to set your franchise up for the long-term.

[OldSchoolDude]

For me it's the long term.

Our situation has become so unique with those Brooklyn picks.  We drafted Brown last year, who should develop into a very solid two way player.

#1 pick this year and the consensus seems to be that Fultz is a can't miss prospect.

Who knows what will happen next year, but if we hold on to that Brooklyn pick we could have a chance at drafting a legit big man as that draft has a lot of bigs in it.

The current NBA landscape is the Cavs and Warriors, with everyone else fighting for scraps until one of those two teams goes down, so I am more inclined to look at our future.

We could be forming a solid big three of our own through these Nets picks.  Fultz as a dominant scoring guard, Brown as a two way wing, and maybe a strong Big in next years draft.

This upcoming offseason is once again huge for us.  If we can add a player like Hayward using cap space, allowing us to hold on to our best young assets than we could stand a chance of smoothly bridging the gap between the short term and the long term.

Ultimately I prefer the long term and I do not want to trade pieces like Jaylen, this years number one, and next years Nets pick for short term upgrades when the Cavs and Warriors are so dominant.

best post seen in a while


The Brooklyn picks are their own big 3. Pretty funny how it was the result of trading the old big 2.5 lol( kg pierce and terry)

Exactly!

Brooklyn went all in for the win now and came up short.  Now they are a laughing stock of the NBA and we are in great shape for a long timer.   Keep the picks and enjoy being a legit contender for the next 10-15 years.

[Moranis]

Think about it this way: Golden State will re-sign both Curry and Durant in the offeason to long-term deals. At that point they'll still have their four core players -- Curry, Durant, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson -- all aged 27-29. Thompson is signed through the next two seasons and Green is signed through the next three, at manageable money. In other words, they won't have to break apart that core for years.

Do you really want to "go for it" knowing they will likely dominate the West? Even if you're confident you can get by the Cavs into the finals, it still makes much more sense to set your franchise up for the long-term.

I really don't care what Ainge does as long as he picks a direction this summer.  This trying to build for the future while trying to win now needs to stop because all it does is harm either option and will ensure Boston doesn't win a title.  As for the Warriors I think a stating 5 of Thomas, Bradley, George, Griffin, and Horford with Brown, Rozier, Zizic, BKN 18, and some solid vet minimum type players would pose the Warriors some real problems especially down low as that team would ensure the GS small ball death lineup would get killed down low.

I've never suggested you just go out and trade 1 for George without first signing a max quality free agent first but I do think of Ainge signs Griffin or Hayward he will be looking at making a major trade because signing that free agent clearly indicates the desire to try and win now.

[PhoSita]

1. Again did you miss the part about adding Griffin in free agency.  You make the trade for George after you sign a free agent. 

2. And Wiggins was a far better prospect than Fultz at the time of the draft and was in what was considered an even better draft at the time of the draft. 

3. Why do you assume George wouldn't sign in Boston long term in that scenario?

4. George is better than Love.

5. Do you think Fultz will ever be as good as George and if so how long does it take?

6. who are you trading and for what to get Fultz playing time? All the guards can't stay. There aren't enough spots available.

Having Griffin on your team doesn't guarantee you'll even have him for the playoffs, let alone title contention.  I don't think that's a reasonable pre-condition to giving the go-ahead for trading a #1 overall pick for an expiring contract player who isn't even All-NBA and who has made clear he will explore his options in FA.


I can't assume George wouldn't re-sign in Boston, but my sense of him and my reading of what has been put out there in the media by his team / agents etc is that he will absolutely consider his options and will probably want to get to a major media market.

To me, the risk there is just too great to justify trading the #1 overall pick in a strong draft with a really good consensus top pick, let alone throwing in two quality cost-controlled role players on top of that.


As for Wiggins, his outside jumper was a big question mark.  Still is.  His ability to create plays for others was a big question mark.  Still is.  His ability to defend at a high level was a big question mark.  Still is.  His ability to make an impact on the boards was a big question mark.  Still is.

Wiggins has developed into a nice individual scorer, but he has yet to progress to the point where he elevates his team.


Markelle Fultz is considered a very good shooter who can also make plays for other and serve as the primary ball-handler.  Defense is a question mark for him, and he doesn't have the same size or physical tools as Wiggins, but I like him much better as a prospect for today's NBA.  Wiggins seems most comparable to Demar Derozan in terms of his overall skillset and impact.

[Moranis]

1. Again did you miss the part about adding Griffin in free agency.  You make the trade for George after you sign a free agent. 

2. And Wiggins was a far better prospect than Fultz at the time of the draft and was in what was considered an even better draft at the time of the draft. 

3. Why do you assume George wouldn't sign in Boston long term in that scenario?

4. George is better than Love.

5. Do you think Fultz will ever be as good as George and if so how long does it take?

6. who are you trading and for what to get Fultz playing time? All the guards can't stay. There aren't enough spots available.

Having Griffin on your team doesn't guarantee you'll even have him for the playoffs, let alone title contention.  I don't think that's a reasonable pre-condition to giving the go-ahead for trading a #1 overall pick for an expiring contract player who isn't even All-NBA and who has made clear he will explore his options in FA.


I can't assume George wouldn't re-sign in Boston, but my sense of him and my reading of what has been put out there in the media by his team / agents etc is that he will absolutely consider his options and will probably want to get to a major media market.

To me, the risk there is just too great to justify trading the #1 overall pick in a strong draft with a really good consensus top pick, let alone throwing in two quality cost-controlled role players on top of that.


As for Wiggins, his outside jumper was a big question mark.  Still is.  His ability to create plays for others was a big question mark.  Still is.  His ability to defend at a high level was a big question mark.  Still is.  His ability to make an impact on the boards was a big question mark.  Still is.

Wiggins has developed into a nice individual scorer, but he has yet to progress to the point where he elevates his team.


Markelle Fultz is considered a very good shooter who can also make plays for other and serve as the primary ball-handler.  Defense is a question mark for him, and he doesn't have the same size or physical tools as Wiggins, but I like him much better as a prospect for today's NBA.  Wiggins seems most comparable to Demar Derozan in terms of his overall skillset and impact.

Of course George will explore free agency because he will make more money in free agency even if he re-signs with Indiana (now that the super max extension is off the table).  Plus, he is playing in Indiana which isn't exactly a winner (not a loser, but clearly a couple of big time players away from being a contender).  George has made it clear he wants to play for a winner, Boston in that scenario is winner. 

I think you are misremembering Wiggins scouting reports at the time of the draft.  Here is the draftexpress scouting report.  http://www.draftexpress.com/article/Andrew-Wiggins-Scouting-Report-and-Video-Breakdown-4414/  Of note this what they said about him on the defensive end of the court, "Defensively, Wiggins is already extremely effective. His combination of size, length, lateral quickness and solid intensity gives him the potential to develop into a multi-positional lockdown perimeter defender in the NBA, particularly as he matures and gets stronger."  Now obviously, this hasn't exactly been borne out in reality, but Wiggins was thought more of as a potential two-way player with unrefined yet extraordinary potential offensively that would be a very strong defender and would be that almost immediately.  He obviously didn't pan out like that defensively, but has certainly shown tremendous offensive potential. 

Fultz certainly has the potential to be a great player, but even if he hits it all 100%, he is probably a Westbrook type player, which is great, but not a guy that is going to lead a team to the promised land (I mean can you see a Westbrook led team getting to the conference finals if they even can make it out of the first round - and look at the Clippers with Chris Paul, no conference finals for him either).  Now sure, maybe Fultz, Brown, and BKN 18 all find that perfect mix and are a title contender for years, but how far away is that from happening and how likely is it that all 3 hit their potential (SEA/OKC striking gold with Durant, Westbrook, and Harden in consecutive drafts is extremely rare and they added in guys like Ibaka because they sold off players for draft picks)?  And if that is what you are relying on, then what is the point in hanging onto Horford, Thomas, etc. since those guys won't be your title contending core?