would look alot like that thunder team that makes the finals. Lillard a scoring pg but willing passer in place of westbrook, mccollum could come off the bench like harden did. Crabbe is better offensively than selfelosha and aminu is just as good defensively. Vonleh can be almost be has good as ibaka, on offense anyway, in 2 years. Davis/plumlee/leonard are alot better than perkins/muhammad/collison. The only guards off the bench i remember on that team are fisher and maynor, and if we resign henderson to a reasonable contract, he's better than both. Maybe even resign roberts to a vet min. Resign Harkless to a reasonable contract. Lillard/McCollum/Roberts Crabbe/McCollum/Henderson Durant/Aminu/Harkless Vonleh/Harkless Davis/Plumlee/Leonard Fill in acouple more pieces and it's a really good team. Imo, would be better than the 2011-12 thunder team after a year of playing together.
I was just thinking of having Crabbe in to start with a better defensive sg who can run off picks and shoot while Durant and Lillard did most of the scoring. Harden wouldn't have averaged 17ish points in the starting lineup with westbrook and durant. Looking back at that team, outside of durant, harden, and westbrook, that team was a team of scrubs. Ibaka and sefelosha were nice defensive players that could play alittle offensive but no one else on that team worth remembering. This team would have a much better supporting cast.
The biggest difference KD will see is not so much in team as it is March 2016, but how it could be in March 2017. We have an extremely competent GM and ownership who have proven they can add quality pieces and mostly retain good players. (Yes, we lost Aldridge, but that was pretty understandable given circumstances.) KD has watched Harden and now Reggie Jackson blow up on other teams while the pieces received in exchange have been extremely disappointing. Meanwhile we liquidated at just the right time it seems, avoided the Matthews disaster, drafted well in general, and picked up a lot of very serviceable youngsters off the bargain bin. Olshey may look pretty attractive in comparison.
Well since were homering, first we trade Leonard, Plumlee, Aminu, and 3 Future 1sts for Cousins. The Heat started the trend of "Big 3"s, we'll start the trend of the "Big 4" We'll sign a backup PG and call it good Lillard / BUPG McCollum / Crabbe Durant / Harkless Davis / Vonleh / Smallball 4 Cousins / Vonleh
If we have ANY shot at KD, Neil will not go into a meeting with Davis/Plums/Leonard at C. You have to think he's gonna have contingency plans to land a top rim protector.
That's a good rotation, but I'd probably go with a starting lineup, something like: Lillard Lillard Durant Durant Davis
