Good thing you aren't a GM or someone who has to evaluate talent.
I really do want to like the guy, but his numbers are absolutely dismal. Do you think that just doesn't matter?
Good thing you aren't a GM or someone who has to evaluate talent.
A team relying on Hayward, Favors and Burks isn't sniffing the playoffs, despite being paid $15mil more per season...
Another team that's rebuilding quickly is Minnesota. Look at the young talent they've picked up---Wiggins, Bennett, Shabazz, Lavine, Dieng.
And, oh look, their record is actually worse than ours. That's what rebuilding looks like.
Rebuilding quickly? The T-Wolves last made the playoffs in 2004. This is what fans are hoping for? Yikes.Another team that's rebuilding quickly is Minnesota. Look at the young talent they've picked up---Wiggins, Bennett, Shabazz, Lavine, Dieng.
And, oh look, their record is actually worse than ours. That's what rebuilding looks like.
Trying to build a competitive team and win games isn't treading water.
Rebuilding quickly? The T-Wolves last made the playoffs in 2004. This is what fans are hoping for? Yikes.
Hardly. A year after letting Al and Sap walk for nothing, the Jazz re-upped Gordo because you can't let players walk for nothing. Again, DL was handed a good situation, with two fringe all-stars and 4 lottery picks on rookie deals playing on a playoff team. He's turned that into overpaid young players who'll be lucky to combine to make 2 all star games on pace to win <30 games in consecutive seasons. He's neither traded nor traded for a decent player. His biggest free agent signing in 3 offseasons is Trevor Booker.Honestly, this is the line of thinking that leads a GM to think Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva would be good FAs to sign. Sometimes no moves are better than just trying to compete right now, future be damned.
How about Houston? They haven't had a single sub-.500 team under Daryl Morey. Morey maximizes his assets, moving players before they leave for nothing or demand big contracts they won't live up to. He's the anti-DL.How about Houston? I remember being ridiculed for suggesting they had a good strategy by stockpiling assets. People thought they were nuts, and yet they pulled off a quick rebuild while we were busy chasing 8 seeds. I was also right about GS when everybody was demanding that a losing culture could not be overcome. On the other hand, you have teams like the Knicks who are always trading away their future because they absolutely have to win now.
How about Houston? They haven't had a single sub-.500 team under Daryl Morey. Morey maximizes his assets, moving players before they leave for nothing or demand big contracts they won't live up to. He's the anti-DL.
The W's haven't had a top 5 pick since 2002. That team was built with mid-lottery picks, trades and in free agency.
DL seems to be emulating the Wolves, recent Kings and 90s Clippers. Should be a fun decade.
Which DL moves/decisions look like winners at this point? Is there really any reason to believe he's an above average GM?Ok, we obviously aren't gonna see eye to eye on this, so time to agree to disagree. I think we are just fine right now and I'm willing to wait it out to who's right.
Which DL moves/decisions look like winners at this point? Is there really any reason to believe he's an above average GM?
I have no issue with patiently building a good team. There are options other than sitting on your hands doing nothing or signing mediocre free agents to bloated deals, however. DL hasn't been particularly proactive to date.As for DL, you may end up being right, but I don't think you can make that call at this point. I still think we could be back in a big way by next year, but if it takes longer, I'm fine with it because sometimes building too quickly just results in a team that never gets past the first round.
I have no issue with patiently building a good team. There are options other than sitting on your hands doing nothing or signing mediocre free agents to bloated deals, however. DL hasn't been particularly proactive to date.
He did nothing with Al and Sap, he was wrong about the market for Gordo, he overpaid Alec. Hell, his two lottery picks are players he didn't even get in for workouts. They also play the same position...poorly. Sure, things could look better by next year, but it just looks to me like the Jazz are in a worse position to rebuild now than they were when DL took over.
Where do I get the Exum Beer Goggles so I can be excited too? He has done nothing, zip, nada all season, pre-season, at the world championships and in summer league.
Exum hasn't scored 20 in the last 8 Jazz games combined, despite averaging nearly 20 minutes per. He's shooting 23% from the field and 15% from 3land. He's averaging about 1 assist and 1 TO per. So exciting...
Honest question: What kind of dumbass expects a 19 year old to come in and have an immediate impact? And Lmao at AKMVP lurking to rep that post. Still rooting for Exum to bust because you're more of a fan of being right than you are of the Jazz. That's just sad.
Ultimately, it comes down to the fact we just don't have the players to compete in any significant way. Maybe mediocrity is good enough for some, but I long for the days when Utah was always at the top of the league. That's not happening without getting a few star players, and you can't just assume all of your draft picks are going to work out. You keep stockpiling picks and young players until you strike gold, at which point you can cash in some of those assets for an established vet or two. I think Utah is closer to this point than some might think.
Anyway, if somebody can come up with a better idea, I'd love to hear it. I'm frustrated that we didn't start our rebuild when we should have, but there's nothing we can do about it now. I, for one, am just grateful that Utah at least started rebuilding the right way, rather than chasing the 8th seed every year.
Ultimately, we are really only in our second season of rebuilding, and rebuilds take time. I think the biggest thing people are missing is that Utah IS in a position to make a significant trade sometime in the next year. Regardless of what we think of young players, they certainly do have trade value, and when you package a pick or two with those young players, opportunities to take the next step will be there. Obviously nothing is guaranteed, but I'd rather be patient and take our best shot at starting something special, rather than giving up and deciding that mediocrity is good enough.
Who said it was fool proof? Still waiting for a better alternative, and signing band-aid contracts to keep us hovering around the 13th pick is as close to a one-way street to mediocrity hell as you can get. No thanks, I'm willing to be patient with a rebuild that really only started last year.Quote Originally Posted by @nsanba View Post
Stockpiling draft picks isn't some sort of fool proof plan either.
I would give my left nut to get back to the second round. I'd love to hear how we get there without adding a star or two. Mediocre talent ain't gonna cut it, and star players aren't coming here in FA. Maybe DL could have made a trade by now, but he could have also ****ed it up by signing/trading for guys like Ben Gordon or Charlie Villanueva. Sometimes no moves are better than desperation moves. Not really interested in being Dumars Pistons or the NY Knicks without the FA draw. That's what impatience gets you.Quote Originally Posted by @nsanba View Post
Sometimes getting ousted in the 2st round isn't the worst thing in the world.
I might have overstated our trade assets, but it's certainly not as bad as some are making it out to be. We have GS's 2017 pick, so that means we could keep our 2015 pick, and then trade 2 consecutive firsts, as well as a million 2nds with a handful of young players. As for our players, I don't consider anyone to be untouchable. If you package picks with young players, we certainly do have assets to pull off a trade. That doesn't mean anything is guaranteed, just like nothing is guaranteed no matter what you do. The closest thing you'll get to a guarantee, is that as long as Utah can't find a star or two, they are going to struggle, and no amount of Band-Aid management is ever going to get us back to being a serious contender.Quote Originally Posted by @nsanba View Post
Jazz aren't in a great position to do a trade. If you consider that G, Gobert and Exum are the guys the Jazz would not trade then what have you? Kanter's trade value going into FA isn't high, if you trade Favors you're all but guaranteing you're going to massively overpay Kanter and you have to take that into consideration, you can't trade Burke cause if not Exum would be on fr a RUDE awakening, Burks is a PPP player this year and very hard to trade. So basically you have your 2015 pick that the team seems intended into keeping..
If getting a true star or two is absolutely necessary to contend, and the late 1st and 2nd round picks you've mentioned repeatedly have actual value, why are the Jazz paying three non-stars $38mil combined?Who said it was fool proof? Still waiting for a better alternative, and signing band-aid contracts to keep us hovering around the 13th pick is as close to a one-way street to mediocrity hell as you can get. No thanks, I'm willing to be patient with a rebuild that really only started last year.