What is the optional way forward that has a chance to turn into something truely successful?
There are no clear, controllable, surefire paths from sucking to "true success" in this league. Way too many variables. But it's a good start if you're already winning and playing good basketball. When you're already winning, playing good basketball AND have a treasure trove of assets you can use to improve your roster, it's a
great start. That's an enviable situation that's usually extremely hard to get to.
We were in that very situation last season but threw it all away. People are inventing all kinds of reasons why it was just a mirage and "we weren't going to win a championship anyway". Hey, coping is hard sometimes.
Anyway, I'll never understand the line of thought that says you should stop working and sit on your ***, waiting for a jackpot that may never come. **** that. There's value in winning, there's value in playing good ball, there's value in seeing what kind of noise you can make in the playoffs. You may just need a small stroke of luck to jump a tier and end up as a contender. It's happened to many teams.
Bottoming out is the easy way for a front office. Accountability goes out the window, cushy jobs are saved, nobody expects anything for 3-4 years. Meanwhile, the millions keep rolling in and whatever crap happens, you can always point at the horizon and say "It's for the future!"
The unfortunate thing is... the future won't stay still. It's a moving target.