How did they do it?

[D13]

I guess I already know the answer to this but... How did most of the top teams in the league get their franchise players... usually through the draft wasn't it? (fewer were bought).

Spurs, Miami, Phoenix, Dallas, Houston, etc.. had to suck for a season at sometime, right? Maybe what we're going through isn't so different..., when was the last time the Kings had a top ten pick in a good draft year (with a good GM)?

 

[KingsInBrazil]

Humm I think Houston shouldnt be in your list, they got a lot better with Yao... but I still think their franchise player is Tracy and they got him via trade... besides, one of main reason Houston is doing well this season is they found a good role player in Shane Battier... they were doing OK when Ming was out with only Tracy and Battier...

 

[DaMan]

Humm I think Houston shouldnt be in your list, they got a lot better with Yao... but I still think their franchise player is Tracy and they got him via trade... besides, one of main reason Houston is doing well this season is they found a good role player in Shane Battier... they were doing OK when Ming was out with only Tracy and Battier...

Pretty much agree, that team lives and dies by T-mac it has been proven this year and last year. When yao plays with out T-mac the rockets are 2-6 this year and 12-36 last year, if i remember correctly. And when T-Mac plays with out Yao the numbers are reverse, I can't remember off the top my head but I think it is something like 23-10. But without either of them they suck, with Yao their decent at best, With T-mac they are a playoff team but with both they are Championship contenders.

And I seriously think that T-mac should be the MVP of this leauge for keeping that team together while Yao was gone.

And to get back on topic, really you could draft a superstar player but it has alot to do with trades, F/a's, and so on also. You could draft, trade, or sign a superstar player but if you can't put anything around them it is pretty much a pointless move to get one, Look at KG.

 

[CaminoChaos]

Spurs = Draft
Heat = Trade (They were no better than a 2nd round team without Shaq)
Pheonix = Free Agent ( Nash)
Dallas = I believe Dirk was aquired in a trade.
Houston = I agree with KingsinBrazil T-Mac has made them a contender.

 

[Bricklayer]

Spurs = Draft
Heat = Trade (They were no better than a 2nd round team without Shaq)
Pheonix = Free Agent ( Nash)
Dallas = I believe Dirk was aquired in a trade.
Houston = I agree with KingsinBrazil T-Mac has made them a contender.

Err...?

Spurs = Draft
Heat = Draft
Dallas = Draft (draft day swap of picks)

And if Phoenix and Hoston have question marks about whether it is Nash and TMac or Amare/Marion and Yao, there is no question that they are going nowhere without the great young bigs either.

The key point would be that NONE of them would have any shot at the title without their respective dives into the lottery. Neither would Cleveland or Utah for that matter. Detroit remains the lone exception out there amongst the contenders. Have been oddballs from the start. But where they have built their contention is by scooping up former high lottery picks that everybody else gave up on (Billups#3, Wallace#4, Webber#1, Hamilton#7, McDyess #2). Really remarkable -- they might have the greatest collection of top picks in the elague in their rotation (only Prince is a scummy little mid rounder), and yet they drafted none of them (except Prince obivously).

 

[bigbadred00]

Err...?

Spurs = Draft
Heat = Draft
Dallas = Draft (draft day swap of picks)

And if Phoenix and Hoston have question marks about whether it is Nash and TMac or Amare/Marion and Yao, there is no question that they are going nowhere without the great young bigs either.

The key point would be that NONE of them would have any shot at the title without their respective dives into the lottery. Neither would Cleveland or Utah for that matter. Detroit remains the lone exception out there amongst the contenders. Have been oddballs from the start. But where they have built their contention is by scooping up former high lottery picks that everybody else gave up on (Billups#3, Wallace#4, Webber#1, Hamilton#7, McDyess #2). Really remarkable -- they might have the greatest collection of top picks in the elague in their rotation (only Prince is a scummy little mid rounder), and yet they drafted none of them (except Prince obivously).

Spurs got good through the Draft (Duncan, Manu (late 2nd round), Parker (late 1st round) on top of good FA pickups every year with players dying to go there and taking pay cuts.

Dallas best picks were Josh Howard (so lucky) and Dirk (draft day trade). They have made good FA work with Dampier and Diop. And have had good trades lately with Terry, Stack, etc. Their coach is also a million times better in my opinion then their previous coach.

PHX got good due to the draft. Amare, Marion, Barbosa were drafted. They also made an awesome FA signing in Nash and a great trade for Diaw.

All the things the top teams have in common are great GMs. They have done good jobs lately. Petrie hasn't since the Webber trade. The only one I've liked is the Artest trade and that's arguable