freak, those were two pretty crappy examples. minnesota eventually became an elite team and reached the conference finals, despite not being able to add players via the draft for several years. and using the knicks as an example of a team who was trying to "win now at all costs"?? what knicks have you been watching for the last decade and a half?
but on to the broader point... no, i'm not saying i would give up four lottery picks to get our guys some playoff experience, but at least now we're asking the right questions. my problem with 90% of the conversation around "should the jazz give up on their season" is that nobody fails to recognize that having a playoff-tested favors, a playoff-tested hayward, a playoff-tested burks, etc. IS IN FACT AN ASSET.
is it more of an asset than a 14th pick? than a 12th pick? than a 7th pick? than a 0.4% chance at the top pick? than multiple lottery picks? i'm not saying i have that calculus all shaped in my head... but i do know that recognizing the value of playoff experience is an asset is central to having a decent discussion about this, and too many posters are slow to recognize that THAT's what we're weighing here.
it's not pick 12-14 vs. no pick. if that were as simple as the decision was, then yeah, it's a no-brainer.
it's pick 12-14 vs. an opportunity to get our future core some experience they'll need the next 5 times they're battling in the postseason. i just think we should frame the argument right.