05-28-2021, 01:14 PM
(This post was last modified: 05-28-2021, 01:47 PM by KillerLeft.)
One of the reasons Dallas has been successful in this series so far is that they know who their top 8 guys are, and the Clippers are really struggling to figure that out about themselves.
So, it seems to me that anyone you want to bring IN to be a top 8 guy means that someone else has to STOP being a top 8 guy, right? While fan opinions of these guys might vary, I'm confident that none of them will be content getting pushed out of the top 8 while remaining on the team. So, to bring players in, players have to go.
You want Markkanen? Fine, but understand that his role here would replace someone else's. Do you want him more than Kleber? Do you want him more than WCS/Powell? More than Porzingis? Those are the options, and LM probably won't sign on for WCS/Powell minutes. That's not what he means when he says he wants to land here (if that's even true). He's looking at Kleber's job, I promise.
You want Dragic? You should ABSOLUTELY say goodbye to Richardson in that scenario, and honestly, Dragic might be ok with a slightly reduced bench role at this point, given his age, but as others have said, he has a lot of equity built up in the Miami machine, and my guess is that he'd like to stay there if given the opportunity (though I bet Dallas would be high on his list if Miami decides to part ways). Plus, there is no question he has overlap with Brunson, so that could be tricky.
My point is that these things are harder to pre-judge than we think. There really aren't any actual jobs open here next year unless Richardson opts out or THJ leaves in free agency. Sure, all of these guys are upgradable, but we have to consider the logistical and continuity cost of making these moves.
So, it seems to me that anyone you want to bring IN to be a top 8 guy means that someone else has to STOP being a top 8 guy, right? While fan opinions of these guys might vary, I'm confident that none of them will be content getting pushed out of the top 8 while remaining on the team. So, to bring players in, players have to go.
You want Markkanen? Fine, but understand that his role here would replace someone else's. Do you want him more than Kleber? Do you want him more than WCS/Powell? More than Porzingis? Those are the options, and LM probably won't sign on for WCS/Powell minutes. That's not what he means when he says he wants to land here (if that's even true). He's looking at Kleber's job, I promise.
You want Dragic? You should ABSOLUTELY say goodbye to Richardson in that scenario, and honestly, Dragic might be ok with a slightly reduced bench role at this point, given his age, but as others have said, he has a lot of equity built up in the Miami machine, and my guess is that he'd like to stay there if given the opportunity (though I bet Dallas would be high on his list if Miami decides to part ways). Plus, there is no question he has overlap with Brunson, so that could be tricky.
My point is that these things are harder to pre-judge than we think. There really aren't any actual jobs open here next year unless Richardson opts out or THJ leaves in free agency. Sure, all of these guys are upgradable, but we have to consider the logistical and continuity cost of making these moves.