My only wish is we didnt have Stotts. somehow, he's gonna fuck it up and Dame and company is gonna have to win again in spite of him. If we were to win the championship, it will not be because of Stotts. I will never give him credit for it.
They can....but if it happens, it will only be the 2nd unit. Dame/CJ/Hood/Collins/Whiteside....not exactly a group that wants to get out and run. Ant/Baze/Mario/Layman/Skal.....now that group can run and dunk all day!
One other point not mentioned a lot: Dame is turning 29. CJ 28. The "career arc" that Olshey always talked about is now at its apex. The time to go for it is now, and for the next three years. Happily, it coincides with the Warriors decline, but our stars in their prime is the other real factor in finally making big moves.
Mario Hezonja - #5 pick Damian Lillard - #6 pick CJ McCollum - #10 pick Zach Collins - #10 pick Jusuf Nurkic - #16 pick Rodney Hood - #23 pick Skal Labisierre - #28 pick (ranked #1 or #2 coming out of high school) Ant Simons - #24 pick (#8 ranked high school player) Nassir Little - #25 pick (#2 ranked high school player) Hassan Whiteside - #33 in the 2nd round Jake Layman - 2nd round Gary Trent Jr - 2nd round Kent Bazemore - undrafted A lot of 'blue blood' type talent Olshey has assembled here. Coincidentally, the highest Lottery pick will be getting paid almost the least on the entire team. Some of these guys haven't lived up to expectations or 'fell' in terms of Draft position, but there is no doubt about the talent. It's just a matter of bringing it out and getting it to gel together.
The guys leaving did not exactly set a high bar. . Whiteside / Collins vs Kanter / Meyers Bazemore/Hood vs Harkless /ET Simons/Trent vs Curry Mario/Tolliver vs Aminu I did not mentioned Little or Nurk or Layman or Skal
So far I am liking what I am seeing in trades. I can't wait to see what our final roster for next season will look like.
From a minutes perspective, I see your point. There's a lot of court time to fill. However, that last word is key. Aminu, Harkless, Curry, and Turner were largely filler minutes. Someone had to be on the floor, and you just prayed the lead wouldn't evaporate with them in. The bigs (Kanter and Leonard, once he got going) are the main question mark, as their productivity has to be replaced by guys new to the team and/or role.
Looking at last year they had a full 15 man roster in July, after they guaranteed Wade Baldwin. They have multiple expirings going into next season just like they did last year, so maybe they actually do add someone else without rescinding Layman. The Nurk injury makes it even more likely since were essentially down one already. Buyouts don’t happen until after the trade deadline so if that’s the route they wanna go, they’ll have plenty of time to clear a spot.