If Portland had done nothing but re-sign Harkless this offseason, we'd be the worst team in the NBA by far. NO did exactly what he was supposed to do. Each and every move was exactly what a GM should do. Any GM worth his salt. Being under the cap is not such a great position to be in. Maybe you sign a FA, and maybe you get someone like Turner. You're stuck without much ability to use the full $122M to build a roster. The guys you put around your three main guys would be awful talent. The roster isn't a static thing. We're not stuck with anything this summer. We just have a starting point to make whatever moves are available and worthwhile.
Just by asking the question only 30 games in, I can see you're right, you don't get it. It's all good, others don't seem to grasp it either. Asset collection is a LONG term strategy that is supposed to pay off after 2 - 4 years. Like stocks, player values go up and go down. Ultimately, this means that the best time to cash in your assets is precisely when the fans DON'T want a trade. Conversely, the best time to hold onto your assets are when the fans DO want you to make a trade. This is why there are so many knee-jerk Trade Machine wannabes who think the GM is an idiot.
The thing you are not understanding, is the guys we put around our three main guys are awful talent. If you don't get difference makers (NOT Crabbe/Turner/Meyers), it's much better to shop in the bargain bin. As you said, the roster is a static thing. However, you have a whole lot more flexibility when aren't $5 from the luxury tax level.
If you think this talent is awful, the talent that would replace them is even worse. We'd be the Knicks before PJax took over. I said the roster isn't a static thing. We have all the flexibility we need to achieve virtually any deal that comes our way. NO tried to get difference makers to come here, but they all went somewhere else. It wasn't about the money, because he offered as much as was possible. I don't see how you can fault him for that, or for doing everything in his power to make us the best possible team. Crabbe is horrible, right? He and his .400+ 3pt shooting and defense (in place of Dame last game, was evident). And he'd get us Noel if some of the rumors are correct. I think that's a pretty good assessment of "awful" or not.
There were a large group of fans who were angry that the players were resigned at the prices they were to begin with. Asset collection only works when the intrinsic value is worth more than what you paid for the item. A player like Crabbe is NEVER going to be worth $18M+ per year. We spent $80M on a Honda Civic.
There is your flaw. FANS... Because we know sooo much more right? You derailed your argument by trying to validate an argument that fans know more than our GM or other GM's. Don't you think that Harks previous team thought he was awful too? but we picked him up and now he is a starter. Value is not just determined by the numbers a player puts up. Many factors play into this including the scheme of the team. Leonard might be awful here, but fit another coaches scheme much better and thus have a higher value to them than to us, or some other teams. So many things are relative and X factors that I think its silly for large groups of fans to think they know it all and know we just cant trade our guys and that's it.
I bet Thibs would love to have Leonard as a backup C, though he already has Dieng. He was able to turn Asik into a fine defender, and Leonard has more ability both offensively and to play defense. Thibs would yell and scream at Asik all game long, to get him to do the right things, and it paid off for the team and for Asik in the end. Leonard's salary is extremely favorable given how massive the total salaries can now be. Minny wouldn't be the only team where Leonard would be a great fit. I do think he needs to play C.
Only 2-4 years more of being the worst team in the league? And then, what if your estimate is short a few years. In this incarnation of ruination, we didn't even need the Oregonian to force it. You derailed your argument by being wrong. Incredible as it may seem to you and your call to authority, sometimes the GM is wrong.
Really? Lol. I never said GMs are never wrong. I said its foolish to think a group of fans know more. So therefore you are wrong and I am wright!
I think Thibs would eventually have a meltdown seeing Meyers attempting to play D for a full 82-game season.
Denny, you must be Neil Olshey's drinking buddy. We'd be the worst team in the league sans Turner/Leonard/Crabbe? Those guys are not even starters. Leonard has been terrible, Turner has been the king of the MINUS, and Crabbe has been nothing more than a fair backup, giving us 3.5 buckets a game. You say "any gm worth his salt" would have signed those deals. So according to you, Danny Ainge is not worth his salt, since he decided not to match the contract.
Turner was Early Bird. Ainge both wanted to use his $17M of cap space to sign Horford, and the MAX contract he could offer Turner was $6M. Otherwise, Ainge did want him back, as did the fans and coaches and sportswriters. http://www.morningledger.com/boston-celtics-buy-evan-turner-back-turner-accepts-pay-cut/1372821/ The Boston Celtics hold Early Bird rights with Turner and can only offer him a contract that’s around $6 million. They can only offer more if they free up enough cap space to retain him, however if they do decide to go with that, it might cost them what they’ve been looking for: a great player.
Believe it or not, add Festus to the asset list. A team trading for him can get closer to the league minimum and count the full 7.4M towards that but only paying a prorated portion. They then have a cheap option on a center next year since his contract is non-guaranteed.
