The Rest of the Season Plan - Kind Of

[Handlogten's Heros]

So here's the deal. Its clear we don't care much about the play in. I am not sure we absolutely want to keep our pick or definitely want it to convey. I think what we have done is fine and smart.

So here's the plan - either our young guys will fill valuable roles and keep us out of the bottom 10 or we get a top 10 pick to add to this group. If they play well enough we stay above a few teams (there is like 3.5 games between us and where we need to be to keep the pick) then it means our young guys have shown something and their trade value increases. There are scenarios that suck but there are a lot of "win-win" situations we have now. We also get a more complete look at what we have with the young guys.

I expect some load management, but for the most part I think we play it mostly straight. I'd guess we are bad enough that GS and Houston pass us... not sure on Chicago and Atlanta.

At draft time we are armed with a top 10 pick and/or prospects with more value than they have currently. Its a draft many are low on but might have some big opportunities to trade up.

The summer is a whole different scenario but if we are building around Lauri what gives more value... a top 10 pick in 2024 or a guy drafted in 2025 or 2026? its part of why I never bought the narrative that we really want the pick to convey this year. I think we are cool with it but weren't out to force fetch to happen.

We were cool with the pick conveying if our young guys proved to be good, but not on the backs of vets who may not be in the long term plans. I think its fair and reasonable. I do think I would have moved JC but who knows what the offers really were.

 

[David Stern]

I’m a fan of the moves because we’re still playing to win while giving the young guys an opportunity to show what they’ve got. I wouldn’t expect much load management down the stretch. At the very least, we should have an entertaining team that plays hard and gives us some excitement about the future

 

[sip]

The big thing we have to worry about is Hardy playing ball. I'm not sure if Otto Porter is healthy but if you give Hardy a healthy Porter then I'm concerned he plays him. Then of course he may just tighten the rotation with the guys we kept getting more minutes and still only giving Hendricks and Sensabaugh garbage time minutes.

 

[Handlogten's Heros]

I’m a fan of the moves because we’re still playing to win while giving the young guys an opportunity to show what they’ve got. I wouldn’t expect much load management down the stretch. At the very least, we should have an entertaining team that plays hard and gives us some excitement about the future

If we stay where we are in the standings its cuz Collins/Kessler/the young guys pick up some serious slack so its kind of a win win. Maybe Collins/Lauri/kessler actually works.

i think its likely we punted and will retain our pick this year, but its not the end of the world if we didn't. Either way the asset base should get an improvement because of what we did... we also added some long term minor assets so ya never know on those.

 

[Handlogten's Heros]

The big thing we have to worry about is Hardy playing ball. I'm not sure if Otto Porter is healthy but if you give Hardy a healthy Porter then I'm concerned he plays him. Then of course he may just tighten the rotation with the guys we kept getting more minutes and still only giving Hendricks and Sensabaugh garbage time minutes.

The good news is OP Jr. is never healthy for long (apologies to the human OP Jr. not rooting for you to be hurt). DA should pre-emptively waive Knox though and get some 10 day looks at guys... just in case.

 

[Tanktastic]

So here's the deal. Its clear we don't care much about the play in.

Who's the "we"?

I'm thinking the team cares almost exclusively about winning and making the playoffs.

 

[Handlogten's Heros]

Who's the "we"?

I'm thinking the team cares almost exclusively about winning and making the playoffs.

Maybe in a normal year. If we get a top 10 pick this year the front office won't complain.

 

[Handlogten's Heros]

The season actually makes a little more sense to me at this point.

 

[str8line]

The summer is a whole different scenario but if we are building around Lauri what gives more value... a top 10 pick in 2024 or a guy drafted in 2025 or 2026? its part of why I never bought the narrative that we really want the pick to convey this year. I think we are cool with it but weren't out to force Fletch to happen.

We were cool with the pick conveying if our young guys proved to be good, but not on the backs of vets who may not be in the long term plans. I think its fair and reasonable. I do think I would have moved JC but who knows what the offers really were.

But imagine if we could get Fletch though.

 

[Tanktastic]

Maybe in a normal year. If we get a top 10 pick this year the front office won't complain.

You didn't answer my question. Who? Not a single player on the roster, obviously.

 

[Handlogten's Heros]

But imagine if we could get Fletch though.

LOL... meant fetch... not sure if autocorrect got me.

 

[Handlogten's Heros]

You didn't answer my question. Who? Not a single player on the roster, obviously.

Yeah no ****. The front office and organization. The coaches and players are always out there trying to win.

 

[nateboz]

The big thing we have to worry about is Hardy playing ball. I'm not sure if Otto Porter is healthy but if you give Hardy a healthy Porter then I'm concerned he plays him. Then of course he may just tighten the rotation with the guys we kept getting more minutes and still only giving Hendricks and Sensabaugh garbage time minutes.

Porter isn't good anymore. Like at all. Rudy Gay is better. Seriously.

Sent from my SM-S918U using Tapatalk

 

[Tanktastic]

Yeah no ****. The front office and organization. The coaches and players are always out there trying to win.

So, who's going along with "the plan"?

 

[Handlogten's Heros]

So, who's going along with "the plan"?

The front office and ownership made the plan... the players and coach try to win every night. The "plan" doesn't have just one defined outcome that determines success. If Taylor, Key, Kessler, Collins all step up and fill the gaps we have then great. If they fall short and we get a top ten pick then great.

 

[Tremendous Upside]

The front office and ownership made the plan... the players and coach try to win every night. The "plan" doesn't have just one defined outcome that determines success. If Taylor, Key, Kessler, Collins all step up and fill the gaps we have then great. If they fall short and we get a top ten pick then great.

Once again... there's a limit to how many 1st/2nd year players it makes sense to have on a roster. You can't play them all and at some point you have to pay them all.

 

[Handlogten's Heros]

Once again... there's a limit to how many 1st/2nd year players it makes sense to have on a roster. You can't play them all and at some point you have to pay them all.

Yup and if you want to have a good young contributor in 2-3 years better have 3 young prospects on this year's roster. OKC missed on Mann, Poku, and some others... but you are panning for gold. Adding 1-2 players to the pipeline is great... cuz a few will drop off each year too (see Agbaji, Ochai).

 

[Handlogten's Heros]

And if you get to the point where they are all good enough to pay... you have Champagne Problems lol... that's the damn goal not a problem.

 

[Ferguson_Mellochill]

A lineup with Sexton, George/Clarkson, Dunn, Lauri and Kessler can play both ends at a high level and finish games. The question will be what happens when the starters come out and the bench has to try to make up ground. This is where we'll miss Olynyk and Fontecchio, as well as Ochai's defense.

It's our bench production that's about to deflate our win total.

 

[tksavis]

LOL... meant fetch... not sure if autocorrect got me.

Actually I would very much prefer if we could get Fletch F Fletch on our team.