Frank Reynolds
Co-Owner Paddy's Pub
- Joined
- Jan 8, 2010
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Where to start. Nobody is going to trade a borderline all-star for a player that has missed 3 seasons in a row to injuries. Add in the 20th pick in the draft and that suddenly sweetens the crock of shit to make it palatable?
The only way we're fleecing players from another team is because they are financially strapped and are liquidating their assets, like Memphis. I want to maximize our assets, not just throw them in for the hell of it.
If there's a way we can get the absolute best player in the draft, we need to do it. I understand the last drafts have been weak, but you still need to get the cream of the crop and pick off the top, where the cream is. I think Nerlens Noel's basketball sense, particularly on defense will make him have an almost veteran effect on the team. He knows how to play. Now I don't expect him to be directing the defense like KG or Rasheed Wallace, but he will make big time impact plays because of his innate basketball senses, specifically on defense.
All of the other players in this draft are consolation prizes. I'm sure there will be a few very solid, Jeff Green level players, but we need someone on the talent level of a Serge Ibaka or Larry Sanders. I'm not expecting us to find a Kevin Garnett level perennial all star player. I'm expecting us to find an Ibaka, borderline All-Star, all defensive team, main Cog in a championship contender.
I'm sure Porter, Len, Bennett, Zeller, Oladipo, McLemore, I'm sure they will all be solid players, but we need to find the best of the bunch, and I think Noel is a pretty solid bet to be very successful. His foot speed is quicker than Tristan, he's got his weaknesses no doubt, but his quickness is on another level, opposing bigs will have a hard time dealing with his feet, and you don't need to be cocked diesel to block shots, you need anticipation, length and the ability to rise very quickly.
I'd use the Lakers pick(s), all of our seconds, anyone on our team (outside of Kyrie, Dion, Tristan) and I mean ANYONE to move up and grab Noel, and somehow move up to acquire Victor Oladipo. Oladipo has Tristan's "grinder, worker, relentless" mentality. He'd be a shoe in here, he's exactly the type of guy we need to have in our practices. His intensity would force everybody else's to rise on the court.
If AV comes back healthy, Kyrie makes the leap, Dion makes the leap, Tristan makes another leap, Zeller improves...... Now add in a Tony Allen defender (Russell Westbrook level athlete) and a Larry Sanders anchor .......we become very legit. I'm talking 4-6 seed in the East next year..... And that's not even using the cap space to fill out the remainder with proper pieces. We need to somehow, any way make this happen. IF the franchise wants any sniff of LeBron James coming back here we're going to need DISCIPLINED, HARD WORKING, ELITE PROFESSIONAL ATHLETES, TALENTED ballers but most importantly we need to understand the importance of DEFENSE. Offense comes, by virtue of elite talent alone.
Elite (Russell Westbrook) athletes, who specialize in defense, and are freak athletes that can run for days..... Add in a Varejao like soul on defense and you have a BEAR of a player to deal with. Kyrie is so talented offensively, we need a relentless freak athlete on the defensive end to compliment the team. This is my beef with Porter, he's a jack of all trades, master of none. We need someone that is either elite on offense or defense, Porter is just solid, can't miss safe pick.....
We need to start spending now, if we could somehow get both Noel and Oladipo, the premiere defenders in the draft, we change the culture. We make a statement by firing Scott's lazy ass, and set the tone for everybody else on this team. That is how we ascend upward, through expectation and aggression on the court, not just adding more talent for the fuck of it. We need to add a very specific worker type of personality to this team, someone relentless on defense that is also the best of the best athletically, and more than capable offensively.
You add players that deeply give a fuck and try their hearts out every time they take the court.
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