Playoff caliber team without AD?

Can we just admit it that without AD this team is a playoff caliber team, and with him lottery caliber one?

Gentry has a team right now that is running his offense and defense, and that team does not include AD, and this team without AD in the lineup is beating teams they shouldn’t be beating.




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See, aside from the tanking thing, this is why I hate getting wins.

After almost every win it seems someone starts a thread about how we're actually a great team without AD, and hey, let's just keep Gentry cause he's fine actually, and yadda yadda yadda.

Nah. We won tonight because the refs were pretty harsh on Jokic and made him play 14 minutes less than his average, and the team shot lights out from deep for a while, well above the season average.

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Originally Posted by Pelicanidae

See, aside from the tanking thing, this is why I hate getting wins.

After almost every win it seems someone starts a thread about how we're actually a great team without AD, and hey, let's just keep Gentry cause he's fine actually, and yadda yadda yadda.

Nah. We won tonight because the refs were pretty harsh on Jokic and made him play 14 minutes less than his average, and the team shot lights out from deep for a while, well above the season average.

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Or something stupid like Randle deserves a 4/90 contract.

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Originally Posted by Pelicanidae

See, aside from the tanking thing, this is why I hate getting wins.

After almost every win it seems someone starts a thread about how we're actually a great team without AD, and hey, let's just keep Gentry cause he's fine actually, and yadda yadda yadda.

Nah. We won tonight because the refs were pretty harsh on Jokic and made him play 14 minutes less than his average, and the team shot lights out from deep for a while, well above the season average.

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I didn’t say the Pels are a great team, but with Drew leading the team I do think they are a quality team, when they sit AD. AND this team is finally playing the offense and defense that the coaches want them to. For most of this year that wasn’t happening.

I do have issues with Gentry, and it is primarily his rotations. He is playing guys right now that he really doesn’t want to IMO, but I think he is being forced to by management; and we are seeing these kids shine. So I my opinion the only way he comes back, I hope, is if the Pels can’t find someone better to replace him.

We had this discussion before, IMO tanking isn’t doing this team much good. Establishing an identity around Drew is by far more important than tanking; and it seems that is what is happening. The young guns on this team are working their rear ends off on both ends of the floor, IMO because of Drew and his work ethic.

This makes the Boston trade, IMO, the preferred trade, because I believe putting Smart and Tatum on this team makes it a playoff team next year.


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We don't even have a player called Drew on the team.

Well it does look like nobody wants the 8 seed in the west. We 7 games out of the 6-8 seed which seems tough but everyone is losing. I’m in for the tank but our remaining schedule isn’t too bad plus 5 games are against teams above us ( 2-jazz, 2-kings, 1-lakers). They also have 5 games against scrubs which we’ll prob win which will kill the tank (2-hawks, 2-suns, 1-Mavericks). I don’t like our position. We’re probably gonna win enough to get to 12-13 in the lottery.

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Originally Posted by tdcreator

Well it does look like nobody wants the 8 seed in the west. We 7 games out of the 6-8 seed which seems tough but everyone is losing. I’m in for the tank but our remaining schedule isn’t too bad plus 5 games are against teams above us ( 2-jazz, 2-kings, 1-lakers). They also have 5 games against scrubs which we’ll prob win which will kill the tank (2-hawks, 2-suns, 1-Mavericks). I don’t like our position. We’re probably gonna win enough to get to 12-13 in the lottery.

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Not entirely sure why you think that.

We play Utah x2, Toronto x2, Milwaukee, Portland, Houston, Sac x2, Golden State. That's 10 games that we should lose and we only have 18 games left. Wouldn't be surprised if we dropped the Mavs game either, and wouldn't be massively shocked if we lost to LA too.

More talking about all the other teams in the playoff chase losing. I’m hoping for the tank but we keep beating some of these playoff teams. We can’t win enough and don’t know how to tank. Lol

I think we just suck at tanking tbh. Better teams don’t take us seriously atm either

I think they realize even if we put on the full tank at this point the best we could probably reach is about 6th. So it's more important to them to develop the players we have and fight hard every night even if it means drafting around 9th.

Once you instill that loser mentality sometimes it's hard to break a young player out of it. But if you keep them hungry and fighting hard that can carry them through their career.

Guys like Hustle, Jackson, Diallo, etc can use this time to grow and we can be better for it later.

I’m not saying this team is making the playoffs; but I do think that in the games they play without AD they are playing as good as a lot of those teams who are in the playoffs.

These players are not looking to tank. They want to win, and in my opinion building a winning culture around Jrue is by far more important than draft position. What I see right now is a team that is building a winning culture, not a tanking team, unless AD is on the floor.


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I think it's pretty clear if we intend to bottom out next year and tank that trading Jrue is a necessity. He's too good. So either we will have a quick rebuild or we will need to deal Jrue for picks. Either way, I have really enjoyed watching the team recently and am proud of the fight they bring every game.

The board of hyperboles are, again, going to hyperbole.

Erose simply said that we are a playoff calibre team.

We are.

You can't argue that. This team without AD and the debacle is easily an 8th seed contender. If you want to argue that, you're wrong.

Now is 8th seed where we want to be? Heck no. So tank. But OP didn't say that. He simply said playoff team with out AD (which is true) and bottom feeder with him (again true).

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Originally Posted by Bee-Fense

I think it's pretty clear if we intend to bottom out next year and tank that trading Jrue is a necessity. He's too good. So either we will have a quick rebuild or we will need to deal Jrue for picks. Either way, I have really enjoyed watching the team recently and am proud of the fight they bring every game.

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This. We have talent and a couple of solid veterans in the squad. The organization needs to decide on a path and see it through. I’m fine either way as long as it’s done right

I’m starting to think that if we can trade with the Celtics and get at least Tatum and Smart, with a bunch of future 1st round picks, this team will make the playoffs next year baring injury, and most probably looking at a fourth to sixth seed at least.




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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Erose

I’m starting to think that if we can trade with the Celtics and get at least Tatum and Smart, with a bunch of future 1st round picks, this team will make the playoffs next year baring injury, and most probably looking at a fourth to sixth seed at least.




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If we resign Payton and Randle, get (for example) the Clipper's pick and our own pick for 2, top fifteen, rookies with potential + Tatum + Smart, then I agree, this team will make the playoffs next year. I think a fourth seed is optimistic though, I would say sixth is much more realistic.