So just one last word on this because I think you're actually engaging in good faith discussion. I'd agree that Hardy's decisions aren't black and white. But I would say the driving factor in his decision to play prospects less is more related to the W than for player development. At the very least, he's given more care for the W that I would want. For me the right amount to care about the W is 0% or negative given the draft situation. I have a good feeling that there will be some point down the line where we had less wins than more.
I think Svi's ability is pretty central to the discussion. The whole argument is that his better play creates a better environment for others, so you have to weigh his level vs the level of prospect you're taking minutes away from. A replacement level player like Svi is going to affect the environment less than an all star like Lauri. It's more about where everyone falls in the priority order for those minutes. You're not gonna put Tonje in front of Lauri, but you're also not gonna put Anderson in front of Ace. Currently, Svi is far ahead of Ace, Hendricks, Walt, and Flip in minutes.
We'll see how tonight goes. If Collier is available and truly ready to play, whose minutes does he get? Could be Svi, Harkless, or a little bit of both. For me, Svi would be below all of the prospects. I'd play Brice, Cody, Collier, Harkless, and give the guys already playing more minutes before I gave Svi minutes. I did not think for one moment that we missed out on player development last season when Svi did not play, nor did I feel like we got more when he did.
