No, they are not at all. We had shut down most of who was left on that team. We had starters most games at that point that aren't in the NBA. We started winning after the trade and had to try real hard to lose at that point.
What’s the point of this season?
- Thread starter The Midnight
- Start date
I would vomit continuously until I died if the Jazz brought in Trae.
I’m not totally sure about that. There’s some potential for a dumpster fire in Memphis. Did y’all read that in-depth ESPN piece recently on Ja?
I can't imagine anyone watching him and thinking they wanted him after last season and the beginnings of this one.
The instability on Ja is why they need Smart even more. Maybe Ja is the one they trade, but I doubt they blow it up with JJJ and Bane still locked in. If Ja was banned from the NBA forever, they'd still want to move forward with those two and all the other young talent they have.
If the veteran core of our team is Dunn, Clarkson, Lauri, Collins and Olynyk, then I think Vegas is probably pretty accurate projecting the Jazz to finish at 11 or 12 in the West.
One of my better calls in the last decade was when I said Atlanta needed to sell high after that first playoff run they had. That was Trae’s ceiling, I think.
It’s certainly why they think they need Marcus. That’s not the end of the matter, though.
Tremendous Upside
Well-Known Member
One thing was set in stone at last season's trade deadline:
Ainge is never going to "build around" Lauri. He sees him as a Robin. The decision not to go for the playoffs was, among other things, a giant vote of no confidence. In essence, DA was telling Lauri, "My guy, you're not gonna be good enough to carry a team as a top dog in the long run, so let's not even start pretending."
Now, that doesn't mean Danny won't gladly hand LM an absolutely huge extension. Of course he will. But as the face of the franchise, Lauri's a placeholder. That's just how it is, and Ainge may turn out to be right in the end. Personally, I think tanking the rest of the season did a huge amount of damage on several fronts and we accomplished little.
The trade deadline, coupled with Lauri's emergence, was a chance to accelerate the rebuild in a way that's incredibly rare without hitting big in the draft. It was a chance to streamline and improve the team and give it more respectability/gravity, all in one fell swoop. Most likely we would have been starting this season without a stupid guard logjam, and perhaps with an actual young co-star for Lauri on the roster.
But Danny didn't see it that way.
Ainge is never going to "build around" Lauri. He sees him as a Robin. The decision not to go for the playoffs was, among other things, a giant vote of no confidence. In essence, DA was telling Lauri, "My guy, you're not gonna be good enough to carry a team as a top dog in the long run, so let's not even start pretending."
Now, that doesn't mean Danny won't gladly hand LM an absolutely huge extension. Of course he will. But as the face of the franchise, Lauri's a placeholder. That's just how it is, and Ainge may turn out to be right in the end. Personally, I think tanking the rest of the season did a huge amount of damage on several fronts and we accomplished little.
The trade deadline, coupled with Lauri's emergence, was a chance to accelerate the rebuild in a way that's incredibly rare without hitting big in the draft. It was a chance to streamline and improve the team and give it more respectability/gravity, all in one fell swoop. Most likely we would have been starting this season without a stupid guard logjam, and perhaps with an actual young co-star for Lauri on the roster.
But Danny didn't see it that way.
Handlogten's Heros
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I prefer taking a chance on guys in that mold as well. Like this guy would cost one pick (and a decent sized extension) but might already be a borderline AS type in the right situation. Then with 1st round picks hope to find a star. Its all low percentage bet type of stuff so anyone can poke holes. When/if Luka becomes available he will have 1-2 years left on his deal and will cost a ton and very likely will not give any assurances on a contract extension. Will DA take that bet (if it even becomes a thing)?
If this season is about patience (which it is), then you’re absolutely turbo-****ed, my man.
If you add in the young players who are seemingly solid like Agbaji and George I disagree. That core team last year took our team from the 11th seed to 8th seed and held on until we shut it down. I think they are right around that same level and if one of the young players really breaks out could be higher. I also dont see Dunn getting that many minutes going forward. Unless Sexton really sucks and George falls apart and/or injuries.