Re: Sacramento Kings ROAD-TO-THE-PLAYOFFS watch!
Agreed and playoff experience is important as well for young players. The playoffs are a different speed. Grant can only handcuff a talented team so much as well. If we do get two nice rookies next year and the young players on the team this year continue to develop there isn't much Grant can do to prevent them from winning other then not signing or trading for anyone. Plus the team will have an abundance of cap space if they amnesty Davis and let Antawn expire or at least not take on a big contract in a trade next summer.
Also the 9th worst team and up have a 6.1% chance of moving up into the top 3. Would it really be that upsetting to draft 14th and see this team get some playoff experience over drafting 10th in 2013?
The team is going to be pretty bad this year, so these are some big hypotheticals, but if we have a top 5 pick in 2013 I think it means we messed up somewhere with one or two of our picks; or just got super lucky with the ping pong balls.
I'm hoping that we pick in the top 5 up through 2013 because of being super lucky. Look at the Thunder. They went from 2007 to 2009 with a top 4 pick all three years, and now they're a contender for an NBA title. As long as we take in some serious ass talent in the 2012 offseason between the draft, trades, and free agent signings, I would be ok with moving forward with trying to make the playoffs. Otherwise, I think we need to manage to suck until the 2013 draft, at which point we have no excuse not to start progressing.
For example, if we acquired something like Davis and Beal in the 2012 draft, then we acquired some more key players through trades and signings, I'd be ok with making a playoff run. However, even if we nailed something like Davis and Beal in the 2012 draft, we could still contemplate on going for ultimate suck for one more year and keep on accumulating draft picks in order to land one more big piece while maintaining flexibility in the 2013 offseason so we can land some free agents on top of that.
Basically, I'd like to suck up until the 2013 offseason as a result of factors outside of a lack of talent such as having an entire roster of players with three or less years of NBA experience. Such a roster wouldn't necessarily lack talent, but merely not have realized that potential talent yet due to inexperience, ergo the Thunder model.
I look at this rebuilding process like a giant sling shot. The further we back up, the more potential energy we have.
So I'm thinking Richard Hamilton.
...long shot I know
