So when I was in high school, it had been a while since I had a crush on anyone, like since middle school. At some point I discovered that I liked this girl from my cooking class, but it was now the last day of the semester that I realized that. Anyway, never had any other classes with her after that. Summer rolled around and she left. I kept thinking I should have asked her out. After some encouragement from others, I decided I'd get her number and ask her out. So I did. I called her, asked her if she'd like to go out sometime, to which she said yes. I now had a new dilemma: I was so focused on being nervous to get up the courage to do this in the first place that I never thought what would transpire after this. It got awkward... and I had nothing in mind, and told her I'd call her back later. I never spoke to her again as she never took my phone call after that.
Why is this relevant? Why hadn't I thought ahead? From the outside, you could say there are a couple reasons. One would be that I was unprepared and really hadn't thought this through and got lost on all the steps leading up to this that I failed to actually bring this thing to completion (this is the actual explanation). Another interpretation could be that I never thought about this or prepared for it because I never really believed she'd say yes.
Well, so what?
I feel like this could be a common approach we could take. We talk about going all the way, but what happens when we get there? You make a deep run and make it to the finals. Who guards Durant? Who guards Siakam? Yeah, "lol nobody can guard Durant lol." If we arrive in these situations unprepared, are we content with deciding one guy guards someone like Durant, that being Royce? Is that the only option? Royce doesn't get in foul trouble? Royce doesn't get hurt? Someone like Durant doesn't get used to having one defender? Favors?
So that's the unprepared interpretation. The other interpretation is, despite lip service that we have the highest of aspirations, do we have any reasonable expectation that we'd get there? If we did have an expectation that we'd get there, would we be more aggressive about bigger wing D?
Yes, I get that a guy like RHJ isn't the largest wing (but bigger than any of our current wings). I get that he isn't a guy playing 30 minutes per game. I get that he isn't going to be locking someone down. But does that mean it's okay, a la Jamaal Murray, to roll into a series and discover you have no options? I mean, how much time did we invest getting excited about the team summer 2019, wait for this all this time, then watch it all go up in flames in just a couple games where having another defensive option could have swung a series that came down to a missed three as time expired?
I'm very glad we recognized our perimeter option weaknesses and took some action with Shaq. But I'm concerned if doing something like that is a rationalization for not continuing to do so with other easily addressable weaknesses.
"Hey, Rudy, it's the last possession of the game, we need you to stop the dribble penetration."
"I just stopped a dribble penetration."
"But the game is on the line. Can we count on you to do everything you can to stop the dribble penetration?"
"I just stopped like 4 dribble penetrations. Don't get greedy. Be grateful."
