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Super duper strong disagree
I’m not a big Julius Randle fan. In a vacuum he’s a talented player, but he’s a ball stopper who doesn’t seem to fit well with other talented players. I don’t have a problem with Zion the player, but I do have a problem with paying $126 mil over the next 3 seasons for a guy who will likely play a third of the games during that time.
While I’m not a huge fan of Randle, I can’t grok how he’s not a fit for a team that needs a stretch big and secondary facilitator, particularly out of the post but Zion is. Zion has proven most useful as point-Zion. If we have an issue with Julius having the ball in his hands, then that’s exaggerated with Zion. Couple that with his renowned unavailability issues, plus the off court lack of discipline; he’s a downright disaster in the making.
Giving the benefit of the doubt to Charlotte-area front offices is not normally good practice. But until these new guys have proven otherwise, I’m going to assume they are smart and want to win.
With that premise, this season has kinda been a gift. Whereas Mitch was always trying to sell us that we had a playoff roster, and MJ wanted to get to the playoffs at all costs, the new guys did not try to sell us these false hopes and dreams.
The roster is still in a state of transition, a process to find the right players to forge an identity and get a long term core. We do not have the proper depth or sufficiently developed structure to compete at all. A playoff appearance would be nice, but also could keep us in the mediocrity cycle like the Hawks are in.
An organic tank happened due to injuries and/or a voodoo curse. Being able to keep our first round lottery pick is crucial this season, and I don’t think we want to give that up. Dallas tanked the end of a season a couple years ago to get a top 10 pick and Derrick Lively.
I seriously doubt we’d give up a potential top 5 pick in an extremely deep draft class, with all our roster issues, in order to get to the play-in games. Any strategic GM or owner should be able to see this, and not put is in danger of screwing us out of a major, major asset that we’re about to get for free.
The impact of an actual skilled rookie (sorry Salaun, hope you get there someday), would lock in a true core 4. Trading now should only be to help either with roster flexibility or building assets. Zion or Randle, or Levine, or Cam Johnson would make this year more competitive, but at what cost.
Throwing in a Cooper, Ace, Dylan, or some other high impact forward from a season that is basically lost is more worth it than temporary happiness. I don’t mind getting mini win streaks here and there because we have some pretty talented players, and I don’t want a complete loser mindset to set in. But being 18 games below .500 halfway through the season, I don’t see any big threat to making the playoffs this year.
I think this team desperately needs a non guard who wants and needs the ball in his hands and not as a point forward/center. This team desperately needs a non 3 centric downhill front court scorer. All the pressure is on the arc out front. melo needs to have less of a usage rate not more but it doesn’t need to come from a “my turn, your turn guard action”
on top of that randall is tough and intense. this team desperately needs that.
GG Jackson could be nice get from Memphis as a trade with either Okogie, Martin or Green and throw in a 2nd round pick might get it done. Add to that Lonzo in the summer to both add defense/play making and also to help Melo be happy.
Draft wise hopefully we’ll be able to pick in the top 3 in the Flagg, Harper or Jakucionis and maybe Wolf in the 2nd round but doubt he’ll be there.
Melo, Green, Miller, Bridges, Williams
Mann, Lonzo/Martin, GG, Grant, Moussa
Add to that draft picks 1st rd and 2nd rd NSJ, Salaun. Team is pretty deep and with year 2 of coach Lee it becomes promising.
And then i wake up and realise none of it happened lol
I don’t disagree about GG, but would the grizzlies be inclined to trade him?
Like this team never takes big chances. At some point you have to. If Zion is available, while keeping our core, you have to do it. If it works out…. We’d be a problem. If it doesn’t, we tried and lost a pick or two that won’t be as good as Zion anyway.
I don’t think Randle or Johnson get us out of the top of the lottery. I think the latter is a good buy and hold for the future. The former I’d only advocate for it if it nets us more draft capital and helps us move Miles. I have no interest in Zion or Levine and they too wouldn’t move us out of our plot in the lottery.
True, but not necessarily just a playoff repercussion. Like if we finish around 10th or 11th place in the lottery, the chances of any of those picks moving up are very unlikely. If we stumble around and stay in the 5-8 range, there’s a chance to get into a top 3 pick.
I would love Cam Johnson here. Putting him at 3 with Melo and Miller would open the backcourt tremendously, with Mark cleaning up inside. But if there’s a chance to raise the ceiling of our future potential with one of the big 3, is it at least worth the try to stay below the “move-up” threshold?
It is a tricky balance, lose too much and it reinforces bad habits and mindset of the young guys. Win too much, and can cost you a decent chance at getting a foundational piece vs a hopeful bench contributor.
I just can’t see any move that takes us from a bottom 3-7 finish to a bottom 10-12 finish.