sans the trade, are you convinced that Noel would have been our choice?
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Nope, i think it was already said by MM, they would have targeted a pg (can't even remember the name of the best available...eeehh...he plays for the jazz, but can't remember him)
We now know it would have been Burke. Has been confirmed multiple times to the BSS staff.
Pelicans have officially signed Russ Smith, who has shown some potential so far in Summer League.
— Joe Gerrity (@GerrityJoe) July 15, 2014
I actually liked him too, even if i've forgotten his name ever since
I got more heat for saying that I didn't like him than for any other single player evaluation I made. By a long shot.
That they are idiots for passing up on Noel. It shocked me the night it happened and I haven't changed my mind since. Though I would say 3 of those 4 staffs have been below average at assessing draft talent. We chose Holiday and I already have made my case a million times that my vote will remain out in that trade for a while. So far though we have traded 2 lottery picks for a fringe top ten pg that was injured most of the year.
And why does last year matter when viewing the trade as a whole? And if it does, where was Noel?
This is just repeating my old points.
Our trade signaled a win-now mentality and an adoption of a certain philosophy of building your roster. We gave up 2 assets for a chance to make a run at the playoffs and quicken our rebuilding. Demps, per Benson, wanted to build a playoff team immediately. That required ready made talent. So instead of taking the longer approach of building the franchise through the draft(which is higher risk, higher reward) or through FA we played the trade game by forfeiting long term assets for immediate return. Giving up 2 unknowns for knows. We said we aren't gonna keep Noel, play the tank game again, keep our salary cap and chase a third straight top 5 pick. We are gonna sell off our future assets with the expectation that we will receive a return greater then our costs and rebuild our roster faster but just as effectively as the alternatives.
The trade will ultimately be judged in a few years when we can step back and look at how both players have developed and how players around our likely pick this year are doing. And to a larger extent the trade will be a part of judging whether our approach was a successful rebuilding model or not. Because ultimately the Jrue trade can't be discussed without discussing the rebuilding philosophy behind it. Though one failing - the trade itself or the philosophy - doesn't invalidate the other on it's own.
If the pieces we have added around Davis last season, this and next net us a championship caliber squad we will know the effectiveness of this philosophy.
Seedings out:
http://www.nba.com/2014/news/07/15/s...f:nba:specials
Thursday July 17
COX Pavilion
1 PM -- #8 Sacramento vs. Winner of Game 37 (Game 45)
3 PM -- #6 Portland vs. Winner of Game 39 (Game 47)
5 PM -- #4 Washington vs. Winner of Game 41 (Game 49)
7 PM -- #2 New York vs. Winner of Game 43 (Game 51)
Thomas & Mack
1:30 PM -- #7 New Orleans vs. Winner of Game 38(Game 46)
3:30 PM -- #5 Utah vs. Winner of Game 40 (Game 48)
5:30 PM -- #3 Cleveland vs. Winner of Game 42 (Game 50)
7:30 PM -- #1 Chicago vs. Winner of Game 44 (Game 52)
There is nothing that can excuse 6.5 ppg on 22% shooting. Literally nothing, apart from a nuke dropped on your head. Heck, that's rivers 1st season bad.
I remember dreading that draft because of the probability of having to pick up Burke and essentially getting similar results to our current pg which I think was Vasquez at the time (possibly worse).
So getting Jrue was like music to my ears.
Got a query as well though, on podcasts at the end of the season you and Schwan were talking about Darius Miller, and that he didn't really bring much to the table in terms of rebounds, steals etc, and was a fringe NBA player at best. Why are you now a relative advocate of having him come back if he doesn't add much value except for knowledge of the system?