Foolishly trading picks for Gerald Wallace was inexcusable. They started to suck and had no picks to make up for it.
This is different. Certain teams like the Knicks, Suns, Cavs and Bulls have their picks. All four teams actually seem to attempt to be building their teams wisely and they have talent. The Knicks drafted three young guys last year who contributed and have others like Smith and Dotson too. Barrett and one (or two) big FA would do wonders there. The Suns have Booker and Ayton and showed some signs of improving the last couple months. Zion would’ve been perfect there. The Bulls have Lauri, Lavine, Carter, and some other youngsters to try to build around. One stud would’ve expedited the process.
These teams are not train wrecks and are running well right now for the most part. Heck even the Kings are too. Most teams have picked up on how to be prudent with available cap money and make smarter moves than they have in the past. And since the NBA is a sport where 1-2 studs ona team means a winning culture for years, it also means ones with no studs could struggle, especially in the West which is brutal. Some teams win a lot, some win and lose fairly equally, some lose a ton. Those who lose a ton lose for the most part because they lack the talent to succeed. The Pels weren’t one of those teams. They aren’t good. But they’re not a bottom dweller and didn’t deserve the pick.
