Big summer for Neil Olshey. Time to make some real moves that makes this team a contender. Failure to do so could result in Aldridge leaving in a year
That same summer we missed out on Hibbert - thought that was clearly implied (come on, you're a bright dude - but maybe I give too much credit). Sorry for not clarifying. I know how you're the stickler. We could have had him for even less then.
A reason for his lack of draft-day trades is that unlike Pritchard, he couldn't bribe $3 million cash to grease each trade. That new CBA rule may also explain his non-creativity (i.e. total absence) in February's Midseason Trade Deadline horse trading. I like lots of year-round action to fiddle with the roster, so I hope he opens up a couple of unfilled spots.
Mo had his moments but otherwise was a dud. Wright came in and was a carbon copy of Luke Babbitt. Lopez was the most consistent Blazer. One of the better trade acquisitions in a long time. McCollum broke his foot (again) and never found a rhythm. Youtube his MN game highlights, that's the player I think he can consistently be when 100% healthy.
What stats would Mo have to have put up so you wouldn't consider him a dud? He averaged 9.7 pts and 4.3 assts per game. What are you expecting from a backup point guard?
How could we have gotten him for less? Hibbert signed the max. We offered the max. Indiana matched. You cant go much higher than a max contract.
Allow me to translate. We went after Hibbert summer on 2012. Didn't get him. Then went after Splitter. Didn't get him. Didn't go after Lopez that summer. Went and traded for him the summer of 2013. BG is (facetiously?) saying that Neil failed in the summer of 2012 by not getting Lopez then after not getting Hibbert or Splitter, thus causing I'd to have to give up additional assets the next year, rather than having signed him outright the year prior.
I have no complaints about Neil. I think he's done an excellent job. The Leonard pick? There wasn't a sure thing by the time we picked at #11. There were a whole ton of projects at that point, and Neil obviously rolled the dice on the one he felt had the best chance of success. Go look at who was left by the time #11 rolled around. http://nbadraft.net/nba_final_draft/2012 I would have probably taken Sullinger or Henson (in hind sight) but both those guys were projects as well. I think I wanted Jeremy Lamb at the time, but he hasn't exactly set the world on fire either.
Sullinger was not a project. Everyone thought he was nba ready. He had a back issue that scared people away, otherwise he would have went top ten
The back injury still qualifies as a risk. My point was that there wasn't a sure thing at that point. There wasn't a clear-cut choice.
Mock drafts agreed on 3 or 4 players to take at that spot. So the choice was as clear as at the spots right above and below #11.
This is sort of where my thinking runs. I feel like Olshey was sent to a gunfight with a knife. Leonard was probably a risk worth taking at 11 (even though I hated the pick when it was announced), last year's draft class was awful, so I'm not sure who he was supposed to take over McCollum. So his ability to make chicken salad out of chicken shit with Rolo and Robinson and getting "passable" veterans for very little money in Williams, Wright and Watson I can't really fault his roster management and talent acquisition. The only thing that I'm not sure about is where does he go from here? I feel like he's still the proverbial guy with a knife at a gunfight, but somehow he managed to pick up a rusty, five-shot, revolver and a handful of bullets along the way. Does he have enough assets to maneuver this roster to championship level from where it is now? Not so sure about that.
Using my 20/20 hindsight, it's obvious that Olshey should have picked either Michael Carter-Williams, Steven Adams, or Mason Plumlee. It was a shit draft, though, so there really is no reason to bemoan taking McCollum, who will most likely struggle to stay in an NBA rotation.
Here is what frosts my cupcakes over Leonard: Olshey clearly stated he was going BPA - and then did the opposite. Leonard was a classic case of reaching for a player at the "right" position. How often does that work out?
Certainly could have. It's not at all liked they reached up to get him. He was slotted to go in there as the draft got closer
This could have been a fantastic draft and his legacy would have been set if he would have taken #11, Elliot Williams, Pieces and moved up high enough to take Drummond. This is where I'm talking about creativity. He hasn't really showed any at draft time.
That would have equaled to what Steve Patterson/Kevin Pritchard did in 06 when their creativity translated into two franchise players.
