Kings #5 Pick for Pau Gasol?

[Peter_Gibbons]

I live in LA so I'm at the center of the Laker storm whether I like it or not and most of the Lakers fans I know have been grumbling about Pau's up and down effort in big games almost since they acquired him. Certainly the amount of shots that went to Andrew Bynum this year impacted Gasol's overall production, but that's partially why they traded away Lamar Odom. He's not a guy I fully trust to show up when it counts. Three years ago, yes. But look at his stats in the playoffs the last two years and tell me there's not some cause for concern. (link)

Aside from that, I don't know how well he fits alongside Cousins. DMC looks like he could be a 20 point scorer for us as soon as next year. Gasol is a decent defender and his impact is limited if the ball doesn't go through his hands on offense where his passing skills can be put to good use. Again you're talking about adding another player in the starting lineup who's most effective when they get a lot of touches and we're already overloaded with those types of players as it is.

If we let Tyreke go, it's a moot point. I don't know what's going to happen with him, but assuming we're sensible enough to retain one of our top 2 players I don't think Pau Gasol should be looked at as a long-term solution for us. Even with last years hiccup, we're in position to grab someone special in the draft again and push ourselves closer to the playoffs. You have to know what you're doing to find talent in the draft, but trading a top 5 pick this year for someone like Pau Gasol is a Kobe for Divac type of trade. Rip Hamilton for Jerry Stackhouse. Jermaine O'Neal for Dale Davis. Mitch Richmond for Chris Webber. Only we'd be on the wrong end watching someone else compete for a championship after our former All-Star is long since gone. What did all these guys have in common? Solid player, nice career, not a Hall-of-Famer, his best years are probably behind him.

...

And every time Salmons comes up as a reason to make a trade I throw up in my mouth a little bit. We don't need to pawn him off on somebody as part of a larger deal. Just amnesty him! That's the whole point of the amnesty rule -- shed a bothersome contract once without having to take on more dead weight to do it. Only an insufferable penny-pincher would let a few million dollars of already sunk cost prevent them from making a roster move which is beneficial to the future of the team.

Pau get blamed when the team loses. When in reality kobe is the one shooting below 30% in a lot of games while chucking up 25 shots. Its funny that Gasol get the image of not showing up in big games just because the media pushes that idea and therefore, use him as a scapegoat for the laker under achieving.

Kobe is the one that had 3 TOs, an airball 3, with another shot blocked all within the last 2 mins with a 7 pt lead against OKC which they end up losing. kb24 is the one shooting 25% in game 7 against the celtics while Artest & Gasol rescued them in the last 5 mins of the game. If you single out a few games, kobe is a big time choker. Yet he has the image of the ultimate closer. Ironic I know, but thats another thread material.

Also keep in mind that Gasol has been playing with a lot of uncertainty the last 2 years. How would you feel if you go to work everyday knowing your team is trying to trade you? He's actually been very professional and never caused a distraction. Mike Brown actually said that he said Gasol refreshing his laptop checking for trade rumors while on the team plane during a road trip.

 

[rainmaker]

Question, Hrdboild. Since you live in la la land, what happened with Pau, his wife, Kobe's wife and anyone else possibly involved? You bring up the past two post season, but last post season(2011) something significant happened with Pau and his wife, and Vannessa Bryant appears to be a part of it. Seems ever since then Kobe and Pau had beef. Then Pau gets traded a few month later, only to see Stern nix it.

I don't think it's hard to see why the 2011 postseason didn't go well with whatever happened with his wife and teammates, nor this past one given how his coach used him and the fact he was traded in Dec.

 

[Peter_Gibbons]

Unless the lakers can somehow trade for another star player in a separate deal, I think we would end up having the better team for the next 3-4 years. Thats all we can ask for. Is there anyone in the 2-5 draft spots that will be a better player than gasol? Its possible but I doubt it.

Like rainmaker said, Vlade was "old" also when we got him. But players that rely on skills and smarts tend to be productive and make an impact longer. 3-4 years later, it would be Cousins/Tyreke's team and Pau would be the 3 option veteran should he still be around.

A lot of folks don't realize how good Pau really is because he is the easy going quiet one and kobe obviously gets all the credit even though Pau deserves a lot of it. Pau can shoot out to 20 feet, rebound, post out from either side of the block, hook with either hand, turnaround jump shot on either side of the baseline. etc etc. These are the skills Cousins aspire to have.

 

[Peter_Gibbons]

Question, Hrdboild. Since you live in la la land, what happened with Pau, his wife, Kobe's wife and anyone else possibly involved? You bring up the past two post season, but last post season(2011) something significant happened with Pau and his wife, and Vannessa Bryant appears to be a part of it. Seems ever since then Kobe and Pau had beef. Then Pau gets traded a few month later, only to see Stern nix it.

I don't think it's hard to see why the 2011 postseason didn't go well with whatever happened with his wife and teammates, nor this past one given how his coach used him and the fact he was traded in Dec.

There were different versions of the story.

One version was that Vanessa supposedly told Pau's fiance to watch out for Pau cheating because all athletes do etc etc. Pau's fiance confronts him and that led to Pau confronting kobe/vanessa and then the he said she said follows. Supposedly they had to be separated etc.

Another version has it that kobe was hitting on/slept with Pau's fiance and when Pau found out, he confronted kobe. It leads to a big argument and Pau was placed on the trading block shortly after. If you remember, Pau & Kobe did not get along even publicly around that time. Pau tried to be the good teammate and move on but kobe never seemed to be over it.

If you look in the past, there has been a lot of players that got traded because they didn't get along with kobe. kobe is a diva for a reason.

Moral of the story, kobe will hit on and try to sleep with any attractive woman, including his teammates' gf/wife.

 

[rainmaker]

There were different versions of the story.

One version was that Vanessa supposedly told Pau's fiance to watch out for Pau cheating because all athletes do etc etc. Pau's fiance confronts him and that led to Pau confronting kobe/vanessa and then the he said she said follows. Supposedly they had to be separated etc.

Another version has it that kobe was hitting on/slept with Pau's fiance and when Pau found out, he confronted kobe. It leads to a big argument and Pau was placed on the trading block shortly after. If you remember, Pau & Kobe did not get along even publicly around that time. Pau tried to be the good teammate and move on but kobe never seemed to be over it.

If you look in the past, there has been a lot of players that got traded because they didn't get along with kobe. kobe is a diva for a reason.

Both versions are believable. Obviously something happened, and my eyes clearly told me their relationship was different after that Kobe/Pau. My guess is whoever gets Pau next year gets a pretty motivated Pau happy to be out of there. Also don't think Sac would be some wasteland for him as he spend 7 years I think it was in Mem.

 

[captain bill]

$38 million for two years of an all-star power forward who perfected the game Cousins wants to play, is a team-first guy, and would form one of the best frontcourts in the league with Cousins and Thompson (honestly if Cousins improves and becomes more consistent we would have THE best frontcourt in the NBA). He'll be 34 when the contract is up. Pau's last year in the contract is also Cousin's last on his rookie contract, the first year of Tyreke's next contract, and we'd still have two more years with Thornton. There is no way his contract would interfere with our ability to extend Tyreke, Cousins, or JT. Given that adding Pau would leave us $9 million under the cap.

 

[Glenn]

Pau's contract over the next two years is $38 million. Can we fit that in? Probably that's why we are thinking of trading Evans. When his contract comes up we would for once have a huge salary. I am assuming we can sign your own free agents and go over the cap as before but don't know where the hard cap is. I'd be a little surprised if the Maloofs would sign that check without gagging.

 

[Peter_Gibbons]

Both versions are believable. Obviously something happened, and my eyes clearly told me their relationship was different after that Kobe/Pau. My guess is whoever gets Pau next year gets a pretty motivated Pau happy to be out of there. Also don't think Sac would be some wasteland for him as he spend 7 years I think it was in Mem.

Yup, it was very obvious that there is still something wrong between Pau and kobe even this year. There were many times that kobe avoided passing to Pau. How could Pau play to his potential when his own coach caught him refreshing the trade rumor updates during their flight?

Under all that stress, he still put up 17.4 + 10.4 while shooting 50%. Honestly I too think that he would be so glad to be out of there and onto a team that actually wants him there without having to live each day under the rules of kobeland. Another plus for Pau is he seem like someone that would embrace Sac as a city, much like Vlade.


Maybe he is not as charismatic as Vlade, but he is a super nice dude. My friend saw Pau Gasol xmas shopping at Target a couple years ago and asked for a photo. He said yes even though he was apparently busy and put his arm on his shoulder and actually smiled. A lot of athletes will mad dogg the camera like he is only doing it because he don't want to be a bad guy in public.

 

[Glenn]

Old guy on the downward slope of his career who is no longer mobile enough to really defend 4s and some 5s. His defensive numbers are inflated a bit by the fact that he gets to clean up for Bynum. For the cost and the headache, I don't necessarily think its worth it. Especially if the player the Lakers pick with the #5 winds up being a star.

At age 32 Kareem and Parrish had 10 more years of downside. In Kareem's last three years (retired at 42) the Lakers played in the NBA championship so I doubt they were carrying him. The point is that big guys mature later and last longer.

 

[Peter_Gibbons]

$38 million for two years of an all-star power forward who perfected the game Cousins wants to play, is a team-first guy, and would form one of the best frontcourts in the league with Cousins and Thompson (honestly if Cousins improves and becomes more consistent we would have THE best frontcourt in the NBA). He'll be 34 when the contract is up. Pau's last year in the contract is also Cousin's last on his rookie contract, the first year of Tyreke's next contract, and we'd still have two more years with Thornton. There is no way his contract would interfere with our ability to extend Tyreke, Cousins, or JT. Given that adding Pau would leave us $9 million under the cap.

Agreed. Just like rain said, would we rather pay $24 mill to Salmon, Hayes etc for another lottery year at the bottom of the league? Or we roll the dice and make a move and ride into the playoffs? The choice should be obvious.

The only problem is our FO has a history of making small moves recently so I don't know if GP even picked up the phone to talk to the lakers. Its very obvious they want Pau gone before the next training camp. Roll the dice, get the deal done. Someone email GP ASAP!!!!!

 

[captain bill]

Pau's contract over the next two years is $38 million. Can we fit that in? Probably that's why we are thinking of trading Evans. When his contract comes up we would for once have a huge salary. I am assuming we can sign your own free agents and go over the cap as before but don't know where the hard cap is. I'd be a little surprised if the Maloofs would sign that check without gagging.

Cap is at $58 million for the upcoming year, the luxury tax kicks in at $70 million. Kings have $24.5MM committed for 2012-13, the last year of Pau' contract, in which he is owed $19MM, bringing us to $43.5MM. Assuming we extend Tyreke (~$12MM) and JT (~9MM), we'd be at $64MM, which should be low enough to avoid any tax penalties. Bigger issue is whether the we have owners willing to spend another $10MM to make this team competitive.

 

[hrdboild]

Pau get blamed when the team loses. When in reality kobe is the one shooting below 30% in a lot of games while chucking up 25 shots. Its funny that Gasol get the image of not showing up in big games just because the media pushes that idea and therefore, use him as a scapegoat for the laker under achieving.

Kobe is the one that had 3 TOs, an airball 3, with another shot blocked all within the last 2 mins with a 7 pt lead against OKC which they end up losing. kb24 is the one shooting 25% in game 7 against the celtics while Artest & Gasol rescued them in the last 5 mins of the game. If you single out a few games, kobe is a big time choker. Yet he has the image of the ultimate closer. Ironic I know, but thats another thread material.

Also keep in mind that Gasol has been playing with a lot of uncertainty the last 2 years. How would you feel if you go to work everyday knowing your team is trying to trade you? He's actually been very professional and never caused a distraction. Mike Brown actually said that he said Gasol refreshing his laptop checking for trade rumors while on the team plane during a road trip.

Hey I understand the Kobe hate, believe me. I'm a card carrying member of the club. But I'm not talking about media bias influencing people's opinions, I'm talking about fans who watch the games and base their opinions on what they see. Kobe gets a fair share of hate from the hardcore Lakers fans for his ball-hogging ways, but Pau's inconsistency in the playoffs isn't just a media fabrication. He had one of the worst playoff games of his career in game 6 of the Denver series and then followed that up with one of his best in the clincher. That type of thing is maddening in a young player, but in a 31 year old former champion? It makes you question his focus.

Pau is a fine player, I don't mean to magnify his faults. But he's not a superstar anymore, he's a good second banana. And it's questionable how much longer he'll be able to play at that level. I'd give up a lot to get a healthy and motivated Pau Gasol. But top 5 picks are realistically the only shot a small market team like ours has of acquiring a superstar. We've suffered through a whole lot of terrible basketball to get that particular asset and there is a lot of talent in this draft. I'd think long and hard about trading all that potential for 3-4 years in the twilight of a guy's career however good he might make us for that short period of time. Actually, it's really only 2 years we're acquiring. After that we have to convince him to stick around instead of jumping ship to Miami, New York, Brooklyn, OKC, Chicago, or whatever other team can dangle a championship ring in front of him. He has no ties to Sacramento, that is a factor here.

Let me put it this way -- LA can sign any free agent they want and they still want to give up a well-respected player for a chance at drafting MKG. What does that tell you? Guys like that don't grow on trees. Highly productive players on rookie deals who are developing and getting better every year are the closest thing to a priceless commodity in the NBA and it's the one market that isn't dominated by the big boys, they have to earn those picks just like everyone else.

...

Sorry rainmaker, I don't know what the story was between Kobe, Pau, and the wives. I remember Kobe's impending divorce being all over the news and then quietly going away. But for the most part, the celeb gossip stuff I go out of my way to avoid.

 

[Mass]

After reading all the posts, I have to agree with Rainmaker. I don't care if Pau is a Laker, I don't want to have any emotion involved in this. Just look at the facts. I believe rainmaker really explained well why this could be a good move for us, and the comparison between Pau and Vlade is pretty accurate. I'd make another one: Garnett. When he was traded to Boston, he was 31. They gave a lot of young talent away to get a veteran all star to pair with Pierce. Do you think it was a bad trade?

Gasol has a horrible contract, I know, but I really don't care because I'm pretty sure we are not going to spend that money somewhere else. If I was Petrie, I would call the Lakers FO and see if they really want to trade Pau. If they do, we take him and their first round pick, and we send them Salmons and Hayes, along with our 5th pick. The pick has a lot of value, and I think they'd take Salmons and hayes because even if they have bad contracts, they are still better than Pau's and are easier to move. We would receive a $38 million contract, and give them 2 contracts worth around $32 million. In another thread I read people are willing to get Scola and his 3yrs $30 million contract. I'd rather have Pau than Scola...

Last thing: I really don't understands who says that we are giving away our future in this trade. Which future? It's time to make something big happen, or we will be a perennial lottery team. We have to do something right now to start winning and fight for the playoffs. In a couple of years DMC will be a FA, so if we fail to build a team that can show some progress, he could decide to leave this team. With Pau and a solid SF (we could grab Taylor with the Lakers pick), I'm sure we could fight for a playoff spot. I don't think we could, with Barnes or Drummond.

 

[hrdboild]

Last thing: I really don't understands who says that we are giving away our future in this trade. Which future? It's time to make something big happen, or we will be a perennial lottery team. We have to do something right now to start winning and fight for the playoffs. In a couple of years DMC will be a FA, so if we fail to build a team that can show some progress, he could decide to leave this team. With Pau and a solid SF (we could grab Taylor with the Lakers pick), I'm sure we could fight for a playoff spot. I don't think we could, with Barnes or Drummond.

I'm down with that. We need to think big, we need to take a step forward and most likely that means at least one high quality veteran. I don't agree that the guy has to be Pau Gasol. You suggested we add Gasol/Taylor. Okay, what about Barnes/Ibaka? Isn't that a better fit with the players we already have? OKC would have to over-extend themselves to offer Ibaka an extension at this point so he could be a free agent next summer. What about Drummond/Batum? As long as we're throwing around $19 million dollar per year contracts here, let's open up the field a bit. We can get a lot better and still have youth and upside working in our favor.

 

[Mass]

I'm down with that. We need to think big, we need to take a step forward and most likely that means at least one high quality veteran. I don't agree that the guy has to be Pau Gasol. You suggested we add Gasol/Taylor. Okay, what about Barnes/Ibaka? Isn't that a better fit with the players we already have? OKC would have to over-extend themselves to offer Ibaka an extension at this point so he could be a free agent next summer. What about Drummond/Batum? As long as we're throwing around $19 million dollar per year contracts here, let's open up the field a bit. We can get a lot better and still have youth and upside working in our favor.

I know what you mean but, realistically, do you think this team will ever be able to get Batum or Ibaka through free agency? I don't. The only way I think we can add talent is via trade. That's why I'd really consider that trade for Pau. We would never be able to grab a free agent of that level, that's for sure.

 

[ParniValjak]

No thanks to Pau!

I like him as a player but he is too old for this team. I would like us to get a vet in the 25-26 age bracket because we will get a few prime years out of that player but Gasol is just too old for us for the price we would have to pay and on top of that, I am not sure how he would fit in here. The last thing we need is another guy that needs his shots. We have too many of those as is.

 

[WALTtheWIZ]

If we can get gasol, id do it. #5 + IT would prob be the cost. At some point, we need to figure out what we have. I'd make the trade, put the ball in rekes hands (whatever pos you want to call it) and find out who we are. Establish a legit team with an established "star" and see which one of our young guys we want to keep moving forward whether it's jimmer tyreke or MT. I understand the disagreement, but to me, if we get gasol we put an end to the "7/8th seed or young player" debate that we will continue to have for quite some time if we keep the pick. Make yourself a playoff team, find our how much reke is worth, change the culture of the franchise. Winning solves a lot, IMHO it would help our young players considerably. The short term success will have long term implications for the players and the team. If not, we will have bother high pick next year with the same debate, before long our own players could want to jump ship

 

[Nighthawk1]

No thanks to Pau!

I like him as a player but he is too old for this team. I would like us to get a vet in the 25-26 age bracket because we will get a few prime years out of that player but Gasol is just too old for us for the price we would have to pay and on top of that, I am not sure how he would fit in here. The last thing we need is another guy that needs his shots. We have too many of those as is.

+1 and text you don't need to read to meet criteria of hitting the post button

 

[Dime Dropper]

Yeah, Gasol is 32 now. That's a little too old to give up a number 5 pick for. We'd certainly be better but it would be somewhat pointless. We wouldn't be competing before Gasol hits a serious decline.

 

[LWP777]

When the Celtics gave up a high draft pick for Ray Allen years ago everybody thought they were crazy because he was old. Well, they ended up winning a title and getting close a couple other times. Sure, now they are in a tough spot and will have to rebuild, but IMO it was all worth it because they won the ultimate prize. Tim Duncan is still a very effective big man even at age 36. Pau is only 32 and relies on his skills and fundamentals, not his athleticism. I can see him being a very good player all the way to 37-38. That's a huge amount of time for us to build the team and try to win a ring.

We really can't afford to wait another 2+ years for some 19 year old rookie to develop. The franchise is in turmoil. Fans are abandoning ship by the droves. The arena will most likely be empty next year unless we pull off a trade like this and get an All Star in here. If they pulled this off and signed a solid SF, I think they could win 50 games next year.

 

[Dime Dropper]

When the Celtics gave up a high draft pick for Ray Allen years ago everybody thought they were crazy because he was old. Well, they ended up winning a title and getting close a couple other times. Sure, now they are in a tough spot and will have to rebuild, but IMO it was all worth it because they won the ultimate prize. Tim Duncan is still a very effective big man even at age 36. Pau is only 32 and relies on his skills and fundamentals, not his athleticism. I can see him being a very good player all the way to 37-38. That's a huge amount of time for us to build the team and try to win a ring.

We really can't afford to wait another 2+ years for some 19 year old rookie to develop. The franchise is in turmoil. Fans are abandoning ship by the droves. The arena will most likely be empty next year unless we pull off a trade like this and get an All Star in here. If they pulled this off and signed a solid SF, I think they could win 50 games next year.

To go along with Allen they had KG, Pierce and Rondo. If we get Gasol we are still nowhere near that. And the pieces don't compliment eachother like they did in Boston. Now is not the time to panic. It's the time to make smart moves, not just trading with solely short-term improvement in mind.

 

[Glenn]

To go along with Allen they had KG, Pierce and Rondo. If we get Gasol we are still nowhere near that. And the pieces don't compliment eachother like they did in Boston. Now is not the time to panic. It's the time to make smart moves, not just trading with solely short-term improvement in mind.

Simply addressing the idea about panic, at some point the franchise needs to try to get credibility back with the NBA, the NBA players, and its own fans. If we don't start to win, attendance will plummet and we already have seen what the people available for draft think of a team that very well may draft them. They don't want to be here. FAs don't want to be here. One advantage LA, Boston, Miami, etc. have over us is desireability and now we have moved from being what to many might seem a boring town to a team that could be toxic to your career. That doesn't mean we go after Pau but I'd rather have Pau than another mid level vet who contributes almost nothing.

 

[Peter_Gibbons]

To go along with Allen they had KG, Pierce and Rondo. If we get Gasol we are still nowhere near that. And the pieces don't compliment eachother like they did in Boston. Now is not the time to panic. It's the time to make smart moves, not just trading with solely short-term improvement in mind.

How good have we become since rebuilding through the draft for the last 6-7 years? A lot of the moves were 1 step forward and 2 steps back. There are teams thats been trying to rebuild the way we have and has been in the crapper for the last decade.

Pau is 31 but in 3 years, we are not looking for him to be the man anymore. In 3 years, he would be the 3rd option behind Cousins and Tyreke. The steady veteran that is still 7 feet tall and can still hit the J with skills around the post.

If there is a player that can get you to contention right away, you take him. As mentioned above, Ray Allen and KG were "old" when Celtics got them. But if you can get 1 championship out of it, you do it.

 

[Peter_Gibbons]

Simply addressing the idea about panic, at some point the franchise needs to try to get credibility back with the NBA, the NBA players, and its own fans. If we don't start to win, attendance will plummet and we already have seen what the people available for draft think of a team that very well may draft them. They don't want to be here. FAs don't want to be here. One advantage LA, Boston, Miami, etc. have over us is desireability and now we have moved from being what to many might seem a boring town to a team that could be toxic to your career. That doesn't mean we go after Pau but I'd rather have Pau than another mid level vet who contributes almost nothing.

Yup, how many more Salmons and Hayes do we need that really adds up to big money and very little payoff?

Aren't everyone else tired of threads like "I Know Its Early, But Who Should We Draft" showing up on this forum in Feb?

At that time of the year, we should be discussing the playoff positioning, making a trade before that deadline to help us with the playoff run.

 

[Glenn]

How good have we become since rebuilding through the draft for the last 6-7 years? A lot of the moves were 1 step forward and 2 steps back. There are teams thats been trying to rebuild the way we have and has been in the crapper for the last decade.

Pau is 31 but in 3 years, we are not looking for him to be the man anymore. In 3 years, he would be the 3rd option behind Cousins and Tyreke. The steady veteran that is still 7 feet tall and can still hit the J with skills around the post.

If there is a player that can get you to contention right away, you take him. As mentioned above, Ray Allen and KG were "old" when Celtics got them. But if you can get 1 championship out of it, you do it.

Talented athletes, especially when they are very, very tall tend to get "old" much later than the rest.

 

[VF21]

I know what you mean but, realistically, do you think this team will ever be able to get Batum or Ibaka through free agency? I don't. The only way I think we can add talent is via trade. That's why I'd really consider that trade for Pau. We would never be able to grab a free agent of that level, that's for sure.

Good point. If the rumors about the Maloof's financial situation are at least partially true, there's no way the Kings spend $$$ for a quality free agent. Just ain't gonna happen, I'm afraid.

 

[MassachusettsKingsFan]

I'm not sure I'd do #5 for Gasol. If we could send them back a few bad deals (which we would have to.. maloofs couldn't take on that salary). I'd have to think about it a bit more.

However, I'm willing to bet a lot more fans would be on board if Gasol was never a Laker. It doesn't matter to me, but it matters for some. He's a good player. I don't care what team he's played for in the past.

 

[Hoovtrain]

Since we are talking about going for it now, do the #5 for Pau, a deal around Cousins for Howard, a deal around Tyreke for Gay/Smith/Iggy etc, then convince Nash to come play for that elusive ring with the new super team.
Boom!

 

[Dime Dropper]

How good have we become since rebuilding through the draft for the last 6-7 years? A lot of the moves were 1 step forward and 2 steps back. There are teams thats been trying to rebuild the way we have and has been in the crapper for the last decade.

Pau is 31 but in 3 years, we are not looking for him to be the man anymore. In 3 years, he would be the 3rd option behind Cousins and Tyreke. The steady veteran that is still 7 feet tall and can still hit the J with skills around the post.

If there is a player that can get you to contention right away, you take him. As mentioned above, Ray Allen and KG were "old" when Celtics got them. But if you can get 1 championship out of it, you do it.

We haven't been rebuilding through the draft for 6-7 years. It's been three prior to this one (thanks to the FO's reluctance to pull off the band aid - this prolonging of the inevitable was also supported by many fans who wanted their 8th seed and early exit more than what was necessary - a rebuild), and last year did very little for us. The two prior netted us Evans and Cousins, the two sole reasons that we have to be optimistic about the future. The draft is how teams like us come back to relevance. If we had started the rebuild 6-7 years ago when some of us were advocating, we'd probably be much better now than we are.

Now I agree that by now we need to be making much bigger strides than we have been, and we shouldn't be this high in the lottery again. But it still doesn't call for panic. We've been taking two steps back because of silly FA signings and trades which don't address needs or put us in a position to succeed. Likewise with the coaching situation. It's difficult to know how much blame lies firmly with GP and how much with the Maloofs, but the whole FO/Ownership thing has been sub-par the last few years. Rewind three years, give us Presti as GM and owners with deep pockets and I guarantee that we are in a much better position than we are now.

Which is why I'm not convinced that Petrie will make the right trades. I'm also very nervous given the rumblings about who he supposedly likes in the draft (ie. Waiters, Lillard etc.). Maybe it's just a smokescreen, but I'm preparing for another disappointing night tonight.

By the way, you're dreaming if you believe IT/Evans/Salmons/Gasol/Cousins is contending seriously for a title against teams like the Thunder and Heat.

 

[LWP777]

Since we are talking about going for it now, do the #5 for Pau, a deal around Cousins for Howard, a deal around Tyreke for Gay/Smith/Iggy etc, then convince Nash to come play for that elusive ring with the new super team.
Boom!

Not a bad idea at all!!

SF: Gay
PF: Gasol
C: Howard
SG: Thornton
PG: Nash

Bench: JT, Jimmer, TWill, IT, Garcia, Whiteside, Honeycut

Contender???? I think so.