Yeah, I agree. If you get greedy you could theoretically keep your team in last place four years in a row and virtually assure yourself a chance to select a new franchise player. But then the question is, would you still have a fan base at the end of those four years?
I'm fine rooting for a better lottery pick when the team has no coach, half the players are veterans who are going to be traded or retire before the team gets getter, and the rest of the Western conference would pummel us even if we made it to the playoffs. But now that most of the vets are gone, I think it would be crazy to plan this off-season with another high lottery pick in mind. And this applies to the entire decision-making process. The sooner we get our coach of the future in here working with our players the better. One way or another we need a new PG for next season. And maybe we should take a look at some of the younger free agents this year -- Charlie Villanueva or Marvin Williams.
I was watching the Atlanta game yesterday trying to talk myself into Marvin Williams as a free agent signing (he could slide into our hole at SF). It didn't really work though -- I just kept wishing it was Josh Smith who was available. But anyway, I would even be in favor of spending some money this off-season if the right young player is available -- someone who fills a need and looks to be getting better. Anything we can do to bring hope for next season and a reason to tune in and watch. I don't think we need to go crazy and kill our cap-space on a bunch of desperation signings. But standing pat and trying for another 17 win season shouldn't be an option. I think we needed this kindof a season four years ago. Cut everyone loose, keep the kids, take your draft pick, and start building a new team. We're at the point now where the team should be actively trying to get better.
The fans will come back when the team is fun to watch again. They got a lot younger, which is a start. The right draft picks and free agent signings combined with a good coach choice would take this team a long ways toward being respectable again. Portland is a good model. They went from laughing stock to bright future in a relatively short amount of time. They did get lucky with the #1 overall pick, but most of their work was done in acquiring later draft picks and selecting the right talent to fill out their roster.
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