As bad as Kanter has handled everything, he was right about not wanting to play here. He wasn't going to get the playing time, and he knew it. We probably shouldn't have even drafted him. We didn't need another big man, and it led to the departure of Millsap. We probably should have traded out of the spot tbh. He made it clear he didn't want to be here. I'm not saying don't draft a player if they don't want to be here. Their value might be too high, and you just can't pass on it. But Kanter wasn't like a can't miss type of player. It was very risky. His athleticism was well below average and he was a big question mark. I think KOC probably felt a lot of pressure to draft someone because he sold off Dwill and we just won the lottery with the pick. But in hindsight it wasn't the right decision, and it could have been seen even back then. It didn't make sense at all to take him. Or if it did, then we should have been on the phones trying to trade Jefferson to clear up some room right away. But we didnt.
I think the lesson that needs to be learned here is that you have to be careful when building a team that you aren't treating it like video game where you can just load up on talent all the way down the bench. And expect it to work. Because eventually someone is going to be unhappy if they feel they deserve to play more. You'll just end up wasting assets. Which is what Kanter was, a waste of a high lottery pick. I bet we could have gotten more for the 3rd pick back then, than what we got for Kanter from OKC even after people knew he could play.
In this upcoming draft we face sorta the same dilemma. Adding a good wing player would be nice, but are we risking the same situation by having Burks, Hood, Hayward, Millsap, Ingles, and possibly another free agent clogging up the wing position.
It's possible. I just hope it's managed right. If we draft a wing, then we should be considering trading Burks or something in the near future. And/or don't even plan on signing Millsap and/or Ingles.
This year's situation is a little different though because the 12th pick comes with different expectations than the 3rd pick, so there's that aspect of it. But nevertheless, the 12th pick will be hoping/expecting to get some run.
To be fair to Kanter, the draft sucks for the players and in some ways screws them over. Imagine graduating college, and instead of you picking the job you want, you are told, "hey, congrats, you are off to North Dakota for the next 4-8 or 9 years!"
That would suck, and I'd probably try to get out too. I don't blame Kobe for forcing his way to LA. I don't blame Eli for forcing his way to NY. Or Elway to Denver. If you can do it, do it. Kanter got his way. Let's see what he does with it.
Also, doesn't mean I don't hope Durrant and Westbrook leave and OKC ends up at the bottom of the West with Kanter leading them there.
Good post hackAs bad as Kanter has handled everything, he was right about not wanting to play here. He wasn't going to get the playing time, and he knew it. We probably shouldn't have even drafted him. We didn't need another big man, and it led to the departure of Millsap. We probably should have traded out of the spot tbh. He made it clear he didn't want to be here. I'm not saying don't draft a player if they don't want to be here. Their value might be too high, and you just can't pass on it. But Kanter wasn't like a can't miss type of player. It was very risky. His athleticism was well below average and he was a big question mark. I think KOC probably felt a lot of pressure to draft someone because he sold off Dwill and we just won the lottery with the pick. But in hindsight it wasn't the right decision, and it could have been seen even back then. It didn't make sense at all to take him. Or if it did, then we should have been on the phones trying to trade Jefferson to clear up some room right away. But we didnt.
I think the lesson that needs to be learned here is that you have to be careful when building a team that you aren't treating it like video game where you can just load up on talent all the way down the bench. And expect it to work. Because eventually someone is going to be unhappy if they feel they deserve to play more. You'll just end up wasting assets. Which is what Kanter was, a waste of a high lottery pick. I bet we could have gotten more for the 3rd pick back then, than what we got for Kanter from OKC even after people knew he could play.
In this upcoming draft we face sorta the same dilemma. Adding a good wing player would be nice, but are we risking the same situation by having Burks, Hood, Hayward, Millsap, Ingles, and possibly another free agent clogging up the wing position.
It's possible. I just hope it's managed right. If we draft a wing, then we should be considering trading Burks or something in the near future. And/or don't even plan on signing Millsap and/or Ingles.
This year's situation is a little different though because the 12th pick comes with different expectations than the 3rd pick, so there's that aspect of it. But nevertheless, the 12th pick will be hoping/expecting to get some run.
To be fair to Kanter, the draft sucks for the players and in some ways screws them over. Imagine graduating college, and instead of you picking the job you want, you are told, "hey, congrats, you are off to North Dakota for the next 4-8 or 9 years!"
That would suck, and I'd probably try to get out too. I don't blame Kobe for forcing his way to LA. I don't blame Eli for forcing his way to NY. Or Elway to Denver. If you can do it, do it. Kanter got his way. Let's see what he does with it.
Also, doesn't mean I don't hope Durrant and Westbrook leave and OKC ends up at the bottom of the West with Kanter leading them there.
Where you will make 20 to 60 million dollars. Sign me up.Imagine graduating college, and instead of you picking the job you want, you are told, "hey, congrats, you are off to North Dakota for the next 4-8 or 9 years!".