I don't want to see them tank, but it's about time that they see exactly what they have with their young core 5. They might not win much, but that's not a bad thing if they're looking at a top pick in 2014. If they prove to be more competitive than I expect, then they know where to upgrade and who to pay moving forward.
To be perfectly honest, they should have started this process after the lockout. As soon as Deron Williams was traded, they should have gone young and seen where it got them. I have no doubt that they would have struggled, but they would be in a better place than they are right now. They would have probably ended up with a top 5 pick in the 2012 draft (Lillard) and another pick in the 8-10 range from a tanking Golden State team (Barnes/Drummond) and two unhappy big men/assets that they could move to get additional picks and more young depth.
Then they would have been out of the higher tax bracket and give themselves some financial flexibility, plus a solid young core with tons of experience. But they didn't do that. They started this process two years too late. I want them to go as cheap as possible to build around the core guys. The only free agent I'd really like to see brought back is Carroll. Everyone else can go. Keep the financial ability to take on 2014 or 2015 picks to bail out high tax teams. Even if they aren't lottery picks, they are valuable assets to build with. With any luck, they strike gold and end up with a top 5 pick. That has the potential to really jump start things if Favors, Kanter, Hayward and Burke turn into the types of players that I think they can.
I'd also make a HUGE push to get Ante Tomic state-side. It's about time to cash in on that investment. Use the buyout and pay him better than what he's making in Europe. A front court rotation of Favors, Kanter, Tomic and Gobert sounds like it could be amazing in 2-3 years. But they need to start getting them together now to see how they fit together.
Stop bringing in expensive role players to takes minutes away from the young, developing guys. Give the core guys quality minutes and the young bench real game experience. Then add a few pieces next year, hope one or two guys are they real deal and make a move to add an all-star in 2014 or 2015. That's probably the best way for this team to really become a truly competitive team for the future.
