Building a contender on a knife's edge?

[Demographic Shift]

Oh no faulting at all. My point is merely how people's opinion would be entirely different if they had Wiggins instead of Embiid's medical bills.

Yet in the big bad world of the business of professional sports choices are made that render outcomes. You live with those outcomes. Hinkies outcomes over a substantial period of time (3 years) showed that he was not the least bit qualified to run a major sports franchise. He richly deserves his dismisal. An inability to talk the media (you'd have to give a nod that the medial in pro sports is important) , suspect talent evaluation, the absence of any people skills with both his players and their agents make this guy an epic failure. Salmon Sam.

[Axel]

Yet in the big bad world of the business of professional sports choices are made that render outcomes. You live with those outcomes. Hinkies outcomes over a substantial period of time (3 years) showed that he was not the least bit qualified to run a major sports franchise. He richly deserves his dismisal. An inability to talk the media (you'd have to give a nod that the medial in pro sports is important) , suspect talent evaluation, the absence of any people skills with both his players and their agents make this guy an epic failure. Salmon Sam.

I pretty much agree with everything you said but still support the theory in which he tried to execute.

Failure of the man is not a failure of the plan.

I think missing on Wiggins was a catalyst in many ways. If he lands Wiggins, I really believe that things are different. A Wiggins-Noel pair would have been a pretty damn good starting point.

Ultimately his treatment of agents, media and the like are perhaps his biggest fault. The draft staff is impacted by luck as much as anything and Embiid could play next year, win RoY and be a defensive anchor and everyone changes their tune.

[mcHAPPY]

I pretty much agree with everything you said but still support the theory in which he tried to execute.

Failure of the man is not a failure of the plan.

I think missing on Wiggins was a catalyst in many ways. If he lands Wiggins, I really believe that things are different. A Wiggins-Noel pair would have been a pretty damn good starting point.

Ultimately his treatment of agents, media and the like are perhaps his biggest fault. The draft staff is impacted by luck as much as anything and Embiid could play next year, win RoY and be a defensive anchor and everyone changes their tune.

I had no idea you were a poet.
I just didn't know it.

[Axel]

I had no idea you were a poet.
I just didn't know it.

It's a trick to rock a rhyme; to rock a rhyme that's right on time.

Tricky. Much like the draft.

[OldSkoolCool]

I don't think that OSC suggestion is a tank move, and I don't think that team ends up below .500 (maybe a bit below if there are no additions made at all but clearly at least the bench would be filled out a little). Certainly a big step back from where we are now (mostly due to losing Lowry), but with much more room for growth. I think it should only be considered if this core fails once again to show any growth as posited in that mcHAPPY thread, which would demonstrate that even a step back is acceptable if you can raise the ceiling that the team clearly had (given that context).

Key to that retooling would be what assets you can extract from a Lowry trade.

Agreed, just add:

I think it should be considered now. I think MU has to go into the off season with a set plan depending on the outcome of the playoffs (with some flexibility obviously)

I wanted to see what people though of the roster today without Lowry and DD to see what kind of position we could be in without them. General consensus is terrible although I disagree.

Anything short of a dominant first round win and advancing to the Eastern conference finals and I think we walk down that road.

Realistically if this Lowry/DD duo don't make significant noise in the playoffs for three seasons in a row, honestly why would we keep it going? Analgous to the ATL Josh Smith/Joe Johnson situation

Take a step back to take two steps forward.

This team without Lowry/DD looks really good financially and ceiling wise in three years...especially if we get some serious returns for Lowry (an elite PG in the league)

No way in hell, unless you're banking on JV becoming a 22 & 12 player real soon

Rr: Pelicans. Yes they had Davis, and no JV is not on his level. But Joseph-Ross-Carroll-Patterson would be much better than whatever Davis had around him so it is definitely possible

[JWash]

Agreed, just add:

I think it should be considered now. I think MU has to go into the off season with a set plan depending on the outcome of the playoffs (with some flexibility obviously)

I wanted to see what people though of the roster today without Lowry and DD to see what kind of position we could be in without them. General consensus is terrible although I disagree.

Anything short of a dominant first round win and advancing to the Eastern conference finals and I think we walk down that road.

Realistically if this Lowry/DD duo don't make significant noise in the playoffs for three seasons in a row, honestly why would we keep it going? Analgous to the ATL Josh Smith/Joe Johnson situation

Take a step back to take two steps forward.

This team without Lowry/DD looks really good financially and ceiling wise in three years...especially if we get some serious returns for Lowry (an elite PG in the league)



Rr: Pelicans. Yes they had Davis, and no JV is not on his level. But Joseph-Ross-Carroll-Patterson would be much better than whatever Davis had around him so it is definitely possible

I didn't have a problem with the actual STRATEGY if the Raptors flame out in a the playoffs.

What I had an issue with was the insinuation that a Raptors squad with no Lowry/DD and no other additions (which is what you explicitly stated in your post) would win 50 games in the NBA. There's absolutely no reason to stretch the truth that far to try and get your point across. Just operate within the realm of reality.

[Doc]

I still don't understand what the salmon meant... Anyone wanna PM an explanation to me lol

The infamous RR villain p00ka = salmon = Eliza.

[Demographic Shift]

The infamous RR villain p00ka = salmon = Eliza.

thats a little cryptic even for csis.. what does p00ka = salmon = Eliza mean ?

[Axel]

The infamous RR villain p00ka = salmon = Eliza.

You forgot Chico.

[Axel]

thats a little cryptic even for csis.. what does p00ka = salmon = Eliza mean ?

Work backwards mate.

[Doc]

thats a little cryptic even for csis.. what does p00ka = salmon = Eliza mean ?

[Axel]

Lol I can see this gif getting saved by a few folks

[Axel]

Remember when this thread was about building a contender? Good times

[Demographic Shift]

I still don't understand what the salmon meant... Anyone wanna PM an explanation to me lol

In the interests of transparency...

So somebody posted this pic in response to something... it must be some kind of inside joke .. I have no idea what the hell it is or what it means but insults were hurled and the usual threats made ...

So I posted a really tongue in cheek response to the salmon fillet saying it was linked to Sam Hinkie...

I said that Salmon live a few years in the ocean swimming aimlessly much like Sam Hinkie did in his rather unremarkable tenure in Philly. I said that after those few years salmon need to spawn so they then swim thousands of miles, brave predators, jump over seemingly insurmountable waterfalls and in reward for all this effort they are screwed and left to die.
Just like the tankmiester Sam Hinkie was in Philly ....by his owner and the entire NBA.

It was funny in the sequence as there was some real woofing going on from the saftey of the bench .. Its not as funny now...

[Doc]

It's really not that big of a deal.