I just started a thread about the future MVPs and who people on here think they would give it to. Got me to thinking….. RIGHT HERE RIGHT NOW……you are starting a new franchise. WHO DO YOU BUILD IT AROUND? My choice is right here…..and it ain’t even close! Some may choose older vets to win immediately, but I gotta’ go with Vic.
If you want to win a title in the next 5 years I'm picking Jokic Can't really go wrong with Wemby but I'm not picking him because of injury concern. I'd probably take Cade or Edwards if you want youth. SGA/Luka are also good options - which shows how insane that Luka trade was. Flagg might be in there even a few months into the season but until we see him in NBA games at this moment I'd rank the others higher. Really can't go wrong with building around any of these guys - ultimately it more comes down to who else is on the roster.
He's 4 years older than Edwards/Cade and 9 years older than Flagg, and even older than Luka so there are plenty of reasons to go in a different direction.
Wemby, Jokic, Giannis... In that order, for me. I feel like you could compete without building an elite group around them. So for just starting a brand new franchise they would give you the best chance to win quickly and might give you an edge in free agency. Once you've built that then as those guys age out you might be able to trade them for draft picks that will help you speed up a "tank type" rebuild. *Edit* Wendy? Wtf?
Giannis is far below the other two and I'd probably put a half dozen younger guys above him. We've just seen far too often how guys without a jump shot rapidly decline in their 30's.
I also think it's SGA. Wemby's frame scares me, I hope he doesn't have any injury issues going forward but the injuries he's already had have me worried. I think SGA is better than Ant. I think Flagg is interesting but I'd still go with SGA.
Age is the thing I think people overlook. SGA's current age of 27 isn't old - but its not young for an MVP. It's slightly above average for age. Since the 1976 merger the only ages with more than two NBA MVPs are all age 24-30 24 - 3 winners 25 - 7 winners 26 - 8 winners 27 - 8 winners 28 - 6 winners 30 - 3 winners So SGA is in his final 3 years of "peak" NBA MVP type of form. He's still a great player to build a franchise around on a max contract so don't get me wrong, but when there is a 23 year old Anthony Edwards who made the WCF twice as well as many other great younger options I think you have to take one of those younger players.
I couldn’t take SGA first. There’s other guards out there who can put up nearly as good numbers, but barely anybody if there is anybody who can do what Wemby does. My second pick would be Caitlyn Clark obviously.
Actually that could be our first thread in the Portland Fire forum….. who is the one wnba player you’d want to build around?
Flagg hasn't played a game yet so might wait on that one. SGA obviously just won but he has an incredible group around him so not sure he would be the best. Jokic is obviously a perennial MVP and will be one for probably 3-4 more years. Wemby probably gets the vote but he hasn't shown it yet. Lets see if he can make a run in the next year or two. It's a tough question but If i'm building today for the next 5-10 years yeas it's Wemby.
Thinking about this more I'm picking Edwards. I expect that changes to Flagg after a few weeks of the season. If Wemby is healthy all year I might consider him. I'd think he's the most likely of these 3 to have an MVP season.