Absent any other information, the most reasonable baseline assumption for top ten picks in consecutive drafts is that you intend to play them together. Here, there was zero pre-draft leaking that we planned to, or attempted to, trade either guy, and Beilein flat-out stated that he sees zero problem playing them together. Every single leak/hint I've seen suggests that belief is genuine.
What is your objective basis for choosing not to believe him? Seems to me your assumption is a lot less fact-based than is mine.
Fire it up, Q!
This is the Gregg Williams-Freddie Kitchens coaching argument Part Dos. On-field results in front of us versus assumptions of Kitchen’s true impact on the team. And you know it pains me to debate with you.
In this particular situation, it seems you are listening to what we have plainly heard and seeing what we’ve seen. I agree that’s really all we can truly know. I cede that point.
However, I think interpretation of the same information is open.
In the 2nd year of a rebuild, I don’t think we can wholly assume that consecutive Top 10 picks are looked at as ideal court pairings.
Rather, I think the more logical assumption is that in consecutive years, we simply took the player who we believe to be the best long-term basketball player. To that end, Beilein wasn’t even with the contingent last season that drafted Collin Sexton.
Could it not be as simple as “Wow, we like Darius Garland the basketball player. We believe in Darius Garland the person. We believe he’s the best player at #5?”
It also seems to me that they’ve said things similar to this as well since making the selection.
Ultimately, I don’t see how Collin Sexton has to even be involved in that decision.
Koby mentioned that Sexton was informed of the decision pre-draft and it was he who mentioned the Lillard/McCollum comparisons. The fact that they even reached out indicates that they recognize a degree of overlapping skill—otherwise why do prophylactic damage control? Surely, our front office encourages both to be positive about the pairing—but that doesn’t mean they believe an on-court pairing is ideal.
That also doesn’t mean they have to be closed minded to the idea whatsoever. Maybe they both show enough defensive improvement to make it work with the right pieces behind them. I personally doubt it, but we shall see. That doesn’t mean the selections of two consecutive BPA’s were dependent on one another. I believe each to be made in a vacuum.
I'm not arguing that he has a fetish for short guards in particular. I'm saying that he doesn't appear to have any aversion to two short combo guards working just fine inthe NBA.
In this instance, what would you like him to say at the press conference?
“We have doubts they can play together 30 minutes per night successfully.”
Beilein clearly likes both players, but he also has an obligation to get the most out of them until a decision is made on each’s future.
Thus, positivity and having both believe in that “We’re the next Lillard/McCollum” mindset is good for business for both of them.
Again, perhaps they even are successful together. My point is that you’d expect Beilein’s words to be nothing less than positive.
Basing it now on his background, Beilein’s most effective college teams in his two-guard system had a primary ball handler paired with a longer two-guard who can also create offense for himself and others.
I’m not going to hold it against him for having an open mind. It benefits all parties right now to have an open mind. If nothing else, it promotes trade value. Offensively, I do believe they can be successful.
Again, your apparent read on this - that they just took BPA and secretly plan to trade one or other down the road - is more or less a whole-cloth invention on your part. I see no actualevidence supporting that belief.
Why does it have to be black and white?
“They took one to trade one.”
“They believe they are a perfect pairing.”
Can’t the answer fall in between?
They simply took the best player and person on their board and are going to have an open mind with their development. It’s a simple as that.
Again, I don’t understand how having an open mind and having ideas on how they can work together on the floor is an indictment of John Beilein.
You have two players you like. You try to make it work. You promote each’s development. In due time, if a player doesn’t develop and the other does, your problem is solved. If they both develop and they are successful together, your problem is solved. If both develop but they prove to be a poor defensive combination, you then can trade the one of your choosing while maintaining a high value return.
We have the right to be patient. In the interim, there is no benefit to John Beilein expressing doubt about the two players as a tandem.
We know where we are going this year. We know that’s the lottery.
I think he believes it will work just fine, just as he apparently believes that playing Love full-time at the 5 regardless of matchups will work just fine.
In today’s NBA, Kevin Love has become more of a 5 due to the propensity to play small with more wings at the 4.
Love, defensively, is likely better off with a center than guarding a wing. He also has an inability to switch which is very difficult to scheme around as a four.
We know that Love isn’t a good defender. In the modern NBA, playing him minutes at the 5 at least allows him to bring opposing fives out to the perimeter on the other end.
There is a point of diminishing returns. Love is a poor defender wherever you place him on the floor. You may as well put him in a spot that takes advantage of his offense.
I think Beilein wants to use him a lot like he did Kevin Pittsnogle at WVU. A 5 that can space the floor.
Personally, I have no issues with the leaks we are hearing until I see it in action.
There’s still a degree of likelihood that Kevin Love has a trade market this offseason. He may even be moved in the right deal.
I think having two guys like that as your starting backcourt may work just fine during the regular season.
Perhaps it will. In which case, great.
If not, we know the two should complement each other enough offensively that both should have a degree of success.
This team is keeping that draft pick this year anyway. No reason to make a rash decision trading either one until they prove they can’t co-exist.