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?
Do you think Alec, a 6th man making $10mil, or Gordo, who'll be lucky to make more than one all star team (if that), have more trade value now or in the two seasons before they signed their deals? Why would a team trade a young star for Gordo at the max and some 2nds, late 1sts and overpaid complementary players?
If the plan is to tank, and pray for a franchise player in the draft, what's with the half measures? The only player DL has traded is Randy Foye.
I don't disagree with everything, but I think you're making a lot of assumptions that may or may not end up being true. Any team with Bogut and Curry as the key players could easily have injury problems. I'd say odds are better than good that at least Bogut will miss a significant amount of games. Also, Utah could trade both of their OWN picks in 16 & 17, protected or unprotected, since they have the GS pick. I doubt that happens outside of some blockbuster, but saying we only have a late 1st isn't accurate.
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As for the value of players, I have some of the same concerns you do, but I don't think we know one way or another just yet, and I'm willing to give the benefit of the doubt for now. Honestly, I see two things as the biggest factors in why our rebuild is where it is. First, the missed golden opportunity of the lockout, and secondly, our success with making the right picks. Believe me when I say I am bitter as hell we didn't go full rebuild during the lockout, but I'm trying to forget what we can't change.
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As for draft picks, I'm probably more forgiving than most. I don't expect a GM to get every pick right, since it's just not realistic. I see trey as a likely failure because of the fact we blew two picks on him, but in all honesty, we never should have been in that situation if we hadn't screwed the pooch on chasing the 8th seed the year before. Therefore, I am less critical of that decision that some. Honestly, even though it didn't work out the way we hoped, I don't mind a move like that because I like the better odds.
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Just my opinion, but I wonder how much KOC and DL were handcuffed by the Millers in trying to make the playoffs instead of rebuilding in those last two years with AlSap. Making the playoffs honestly ****ing killed us because it planted the thought of building on our 4 asskickings from the year before. Absolute fool's gold, and I never doubted that for a minute. Worst 4 games of awesome playoff experience ever when you look at the way the chips have fallen.
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Lastly, I want to do some reading of the new CBA before I get too far into this, but I believe some of the changes in the CBA are inhibiting our rebuild right now. Shorter contracts, unguaranteed contracts, and more teams with caps space have kind of hurt the Jazz in their ability to take advantage of other team's desperation like they have in the past, IMO. I'll admit that I'm not as up to speed with the new CBA as I was with the last one, so I need to do a little studying.