05-28-2025, 09:52 AM
(05-28-2025, 09:42 AM)michaeltex Wrote: General question about team direction...
As it stands today, it appears that the team is (still) in win NOW mode despite the addition of a (potentially) new face-of-the-franchise. At least they are trying to run parallel timelines. Win now to justify the expense of AD/Klay/Kyrie and "young guns" with Flagg/Lively/Christie/maybe Williams or a draftee. Most theories say to pick a lane and make commitments accordingly. So I'm trying understand if we can actually have our cake and eat it too and I wonder what some of the deeper thinkers on the board feel about the two pronged approach.
I just think back to Luka's draft and how the team looked so different when he joined. But instead of developing organically, the MBT mortgaged future draft capital on bringing in established talent like KP. Granted the initial talent cupboard around Luka was so bare it was embarrassing, but after KP didn't work out, it got really difficult to add young talent to complement Luka's timeline. DAL isn't really flush with picks for the next few years, but does sub-optimizing for the older guys now hurt team growth in the future?
I think it is a sound strategy to look to compete now while also keeping an eye on the future. The tricky part is Nico may be so desperate to prove he is right that he takes his eye on the future for the now. This team may not be a contender now nor in the future. We will see. They will need to be really smart with moves and will need some luck.
With the new CBA, it appears outside of a few (OKC in particular) most teams are not looking for a 10 year window. Tough decisions will need to be made. It seems unlikely if Flagg is the real deal that extending AD or Kyrie after three years is the smart decision. That decision may be made for them well in advance anyway.
The real calculus is being a good team now, but having enough young parts or the flexibility to build around Flagg. If they are smart and lucky, they may already have several core pieces on the roster to fit around Flagg. My concern is Nico moves someone for a win now piece who does not have any value in two years.