The Janitor
07-01-2022, 06:37 AM
I’ve been really impressed with the way they have rebuilt the team without ever actively tanking. The orthodoxy today when rebuilding is there’s really only one way to do it – through tanking for high draft picks. But it's been proven incorrect time and again. Look at all the franchises that have done it only to end up mired in sludge at the bottom of the league.
On the flipside, let's look at how last year's champion was built, or this year's conference finalists. Giannis, #15. Jrue #17. Khris 2nd rd. Steph, #7. Dray 2nd round. Wiggins #1 but TRADED for. Tatum/Brown #3 (but they didn't tank for those picks) . Bam #14. JimmyB, 2nd rd. AND SO ON. Tanking for picks does not guarantee success, there’s not even a very productive lineage for it if you look back decades, Duncan aside (and the Spurs were lucky – they had the 3rd worst record that year iirc).
OTOH, what the Spurs have done over the past 6 years – turning a bunch of middling and lower picks into good NBA players with upside left – has built an excellent foundation for the team to take the next step. They made a huge leap last season, and are now a primary scorer like LaVine away from winning mid to high 40s. They lost a lot of games in the final minutes last season because Dejounte not a #1 finisher and scorer who can carry a team in the 4th. He’d be a fine #2-3, but he’s not a primary guy with the game on the line.
Now, because of the great development of all the youth, the team has assets to spare in trades for the player they need to make the jump to the next level (low seed playoff team). After that, only Nostradamus knows how it plays out. But they were ready to make that jump with one good trade, and then they sent out Dejounte. Now they’re tanking for the Scoot/Wembanyama chook raffle. I personally found the change of direction and philosophy jarring and despised the trade to start with, but now I understand it.
After reading and listening to cleverer people than myself regarding the Dejounte trade, I get it now. Haven't changed my mind on the philosophy of it – I still believe keeping him another year or two might result in a competitive and interesting Spurs playoff team after a trade or two. But, because of his value contract, and the 120% max raise of post-rookie contract rule, the Spurs could not offer him max in 2024. Dejounte’s agents told them he was not going to extend because of this, so they'd risk losing him for nothing. So yeah, in that instance a smart Front Office takes the picks.
Here's the kicker – what if this is a true CIA Pop 3D chess move? What if when Dejounte hits FA in 2024 the Spurs offer him the max through his prime and he comes back to lead them? Two more years of development in players like Vassell, Sochan, Primo, maybe a clever trade for a primary scorer, and the team could be primed to explode by then, just in time for Dejounte to return and lead them to DuncanLand! That is what's going on here. I get it now. As a corollary, imagine how the Hawks would feel – thoroughly CIA Pop-ed!
On the flipside, let's look at how last year's champion was built, or this year's conference finalists. Giannis, #15. Jrue #17. Khris 2nd rd. Steph, #7. Dray 2nd round. Wiggins #1 but TRADED for. Tatum/Brown #3 (but they didn't tank for those picks) . Bam #14. JimmyB, 2nd rd. AND SO ON. Tanking for picks does not guarantee success, there’s not even a very productive lineage for it if you look back decades, Duncan aside (and the Spurs were lucky – they had the 3rd worst record that year iirc).
OTOH, what the Spurs have done over the past 6 years – turning a bunch of middling and lower picks into good NBA players with upside left – has built an excellent foundation for the team to take the next step. They made a huge leap last season, and are now a primary scorer like LaVine away from winning mid to high 40s. They lost a lot of games in the final minutes last season because Dejounte not a #1 finisher and scorer who can carry a team in the 4th. He’d be a fine #2-3, but he’s not a primary guy with the game on the line.
Now, because of the great development of all the youth, the team has assets to spare in trades for the player they need to make the jump to the next level (low seed playoff team). After that, only Nostradamus knows how it plays out. But they were ready to make that jump with one good trade, and then they sent out Dejounte. Now they’re tanking for the Scoot/Wembanyama chook raffle. I personally found the change of direction and philosophy jarring and despised the trade to start with, but now I understand it.
After reading and listening to cleverer people than myself regarding the Dejounte trade, I get it now. Haven't changed my mind on the philosophy of it – I still believe keeping him another year or two might result in a competitive and interesting Spurs playoff team after a trade or two. But, because of his value contract, and the 120% max raise of post-rookie contract rule, the Spurs could not offer him max in 2024. Dejounte’s agents told them he was not going to extend because of this, so they'd risk losing him for nothing. So yeah, in that instance a smart Front Office takes the picks.
Here's the kicker – what if this is a true CIA Pop 3D chess move? What if when Dejounte hits FA in 2024 the Spurs offer him the max through his prime and he comes back to lead them? Two more years of development in players like Vassell, Sochan, Primo, maybe a clever trade for a primary scorer, and the team could be primed to explode by then, just in time for Dejounte to return and lead them to DuncanLand! That is what's going on here. I get it now. As a corollary, imagine how the Hawks would feel – thoroughly CIA Pop-ed!