When your team is rebuilding, which route would you prefer it take?Would you prefer the tank the season, get a high draft pick (think Oden, Durant), and completely start over everything?orWould you try to acquire a star player (think Gasol, Iverson) and go from there?Discuss. I personally would have to depend on the draft. Obviously this year with possibly Oden AND Durant at the top you need to go the high draft pick route. But in any other year, as maybe last year, where the was no clear cut player that you could build around and they could come right in and have an impact, you need to go with the star player in my opinion. You can't have a good team without the one guy for everyone else to lean on.
It would have to depend on the draft for me too. If it was this coming draft class, I would probably tank the season. If, for instance, it was last year's draft, then I would go the star player route because there wasn't really any franchise players in the '06 draft.
Well, I know that you are thinking about the Celtics circumstances, and I say that you wait for the draft. When your team is already terrible, acquiring one good player normally halfway through the year normally isnt going to make your team a title contender. Just look at Denver for example. They are a good team, but they dont have a very good chance to even make it to the WCF.If your team is already in a bad situation, and there isnt much chance at all of making the playoffs, I say you go for the good pick. Especially when you have a chance of getting future star players like Oden or Durant. If the Celtics traded for Gasol or somebody like that, and say the Celtics turned their season around and somehow made the playoffs, they would likeley get a #7 seed AT BEST and would have to play a good team in the first round. Basically, they wouldn't be doing much in the playoffs, AND they would have passed up on a big player like Oden or Durant.
<span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS">The Draft pretty much sums it up. If you can get your hands on a great star player, such as Pau Gasol or Allen Iverson, then, obviously, you have to be reasonable and make the trade. If you prefer having younger players to build around, you have to be careful. Some players may be great in college, but end up to be busts in the NBA.</span>
If the draft class was good like this year then tanking the season would be the easy option to do since you would be getting a very good player in the draft and could build the team around him.
I think the obvious choice is draft pick. Trying to acquire a star seems to be going the opposite direction of rebuilding. It's like making a full circle back to where you were when you wanted to rebuild.
To me there are different levels of rebuilding. One is a complete rebuilding phase, you sacrifice the present to better your future. Go with a youth movement avoiding the premature put me over trades (see below) and let those kids get the playing time to better the skills and mature as individuals then when you are bordering that contention line you go out and bring in that all star player. Chicago is a good example of this though it took them twice as long because they screwed up during the process (pre and post Elton Brand). Another is more of a soft rebuilding phase. Using Phoenix as an example you start stocking up on young talented players (Marion, Amare, Johnson, Barbosa) at the same time you keep some core veterans in place to keep you in playoff races to give those young players some playoff/big game experience so they get a feel for the situation so they are more preparred for it when it is there turn to lead the team.Either way IMO rebuilding revolves around some sort of youth movement where as going right into the trade market for the all star for that quick fix (Gasol, AI) is a "reloading" phase rather then a rebuilding phase. Take Denver for example. They have a couple nice young pieces in Melo and Smith and a good PG in his prime Miller but the rest of the roster is a bunch of nobodies and guys who can't stay healthy. Then they go out and bring in Iverson expecting him to be the guy that will push them to the top. What is going to happen to them in the near future? They aren't as good as the big 3 out west and are going to have some serious issues with health (Camby, Martin) and salary problems (Iverson, Martin, Nene) in the next 2+ years.
I think it was stupid trading AI they should have either tryed for KG/Pau/JO or tank wait for Oden?Durant.But when you trade such a great player like AI, KG, JO, Pau you deff tank even if you can win a few extra to be 5th worse tank for more chances at Oden/Durant.
Well, there's no such thing as tanking a season...teams don't just give up and lose games on purpose. You'd be a fool to blow up your team for a chance in the loterry, like this year, Durant and Oden, these two are the big names (although Brandan Wright doesn't get the publicity, he's the Chris Bosh of this draft to Oden/Durant being the Bron/Carmelo in my opinion)...As a GM you don't make moves to lose to make it deeper in the lottery considering both players could go back to school...it's a lottery not a lock to get one of the top picks. As a GM, you can't afford to lose games and hope for a good pick in the draft.
It really depends on a lot of factors. Obviously you're not going to have the opportunity to get franchise-changing players in every draft (such as Durant and Oden). This year, however, you do, and you would be better off getting a high draft pick than going any other route. Now, if you did not have those types of players in the upcoming draft, then you'd have a few other options to choose from:Try to acquire a star player to build around or acquire as many draft picks and expiring contracts as possible.As much as I love AI as a player, there is no way I'm trading for him if I'm rebuilding or any player similar to him... which I will explain. There is no sense in acquiring a 31-year old star player with a pretty hefty contract that is going to do nothing but tie up your salary-cap. There is only one situation where I would acquire that type of player when rebuilding, and that is if the majority of my current players' contracts expire at the same time as his (meaning more cap room that year to go out and try to sign a big name in FA) and if I needed to put fans in the seats. However if you can acquire a young, up-and-coming star player (or a combination of pretty good young players) then I'd go this way in a heartbeat.The draft picks and expiring contracts is basically a combination of the previous two methods. You try to position yourself to free up a huge chunk of cap space to use in FA and you stock pile as many draft picks as possible.It really depends on the team and their specific situation. Philadelphia, for example, is basically going for the last option although they are playing themselves out of the Oden/Durant sweepstakes.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (BrewCityBuck @ Jan 31 2007, 10:17 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Well, there's no such thing as tanking a season...teams don't just give up and lose games on purpose. You'd be a fool to blow up your team for a chance in the loterry, like this year, Durant and Oden, these two are the big names (although Brandan Wright doesn't get the publicity, he's the Chris Bosh of this draft to Oden/Durant being the Bron/Carmelo in my opinion)...As a GM you don't make moves to lose to make it deeper in the lottery considering both players could go back to school...it's a lottery not a lock to get one of the top picks. As a GM, you can't afford to lose games and hope for a good pick in the draft.</div>I see what you are saying, but it's VERY unlikely that both Oden and Durant stay in school. The Celtics are 12-32 and currently on a 12 game losing streak, with an extremely tough schedule for the rest of the season.. and no word on a Paul Pierce return.You have to do one or the other if you are the Celtics, and I say that because I know when this topic was made, the Celtics were in yankshaters mind. We have been swimming in the pool of mediocrity for too long, we either need veterans to win or we need to get a high draft pick and build with an actual young star. This team has constantly gotten mid-first round draft picks, and you can't really build on that. Only one year did we end up getting a high pick, and it was last year when we had #7, but unfortunately it was one of the weakest draft classes in current remembrance.If Danny were to go out and make a deal for Pau Gasol right now, that would just PROVE that he has no friggen direction, and no plan. That would be an absolute desperation move by Danny to go out and get Pau Gasol. What would that do? That would force us to give up Al Jefferson and/or our pick, which would be STUPID, and we would make some noise but not quite get the ring.My point is that you shouldn't throw away the only promising young assets you have to get a good player, to do nothing but make some noise. I'd rather wait 5 months and take my chances with a possible FRANCHISE PLAYER in this draft. We are 2 games back from the worst record in the league right now, and with a horribly tough schedule for the rest of the year. Take your chances in the draft.
I would rather get a high draft pick instead of going with a veteran because in a couple of years, they will be good. I would rather start off with a fresh new rookie.
Good teams have a mix of players, old, young...etc...The Celtics just have too many young 'B' talent guys. They don't have a go-to young star on that team with a tough-winning mindset (I'm excluding PP and talking about their young guys).
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (BrewCityBuck @ Jan 31 2007, 01:11 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Good teams have a mix of players, old, young...etc...The Celtics just have too many young 'B' talent guys. They don't have a go-to young star on that team with a tough-winning mindset (I'm excluding PP and talking about their young guys).</div>Make fun of his nose all you want, BCB, but Al Jefferson is most definitely rapidly developing into a valid low post option. Gerald Green, in time, could be a go-to perimeter option. I know he's nowhere near "there" yet, but Big Al seriously is right there.I do agree that every team needs veteran leadership, no question, and I have most certainly been a guy that has always said "Make a decision, Ainge, build young and gets vets later or help Pierce win while he's still a star." HOWEVER, getting a guy like Greg Oden is a once in a decade opportunity, and getting a guy like Durant isn't something that happens in every draft class either. Those guys are going to be franchise players.Getting Gasol would be awesome for now, but what about in 3 years when Pierce is 33 and Gasol is 30? Wouldn't you rather have a 33 year old Pierce mixed with a 25 year old Al Jefferson and a 22 year old Oden or Durant?
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (CelticBalla32 @ Jan 31 2007, 02:17 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Getting Gasol would be awesome for now, but what about in 3 years when Pierce is 33 and Gasol is 30? Wouldn't you rather have a 33 year old Pierce mixed with a 25 year old Al Jefferson and a 22 year old Oden or Durant?</div> It's that kind of thinking that would keep your team stuck in averageness. You have to go for it, if you want to wait around for these guys to develope and maybe get a good player in this draft...thats fine...In my opinion your group of young players just don't have 'it'...
Well first off, NBA General Managers never go into the mind-set of 'tanking a season.' Bad teams will lose, you can't make your players "tank" games. If I was a General manager, give me the superstar. In today's NBA, and sports world for that matter. Its what have you done for me lately, not what you have done in the past, nor will they let you stay for the future.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (BrewCityBuck @ Jan 31 2007, 08:17 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Well, there's no such thing as tanking a season...teams don't just give up and lose games on purpose.</div>It may not have been a typical tank job but the clippers without a doubt were losing on purpose towards the end of last season to avoid playing Dallas in the first round
^Also, I remember the Wolves tanking a game and actually being called out for it I believe last year or the year before. Where they had Madsen shoot 6 threes in the 4th quarter, leading them to lose the game and getting a higher seed in the playoffs. It was something of that nature, so teams do tank games.
