We have everything we need to be a 6 or 7 seed in the East. We are certainly not playing well enough right now for that though. Injuries are really keeping us from putting together a better record. Just because we didn't get the start we hoped for and we are inconsistent right now, it doesn't mean that anyone who feels we're capable of much more are wrong. Our young players are the ones who determine how much we're going to improve and they have improved, but they are not great scorers or shooters who are ready to carry us. If we simply make the playoffs, that is an accomplishment when you look at the past decade.
No shame in losing to the Bucks. They do this to everyone. Actually, they beat most by 20-30 on a nightly basis.
This year is going better than last actually. Hopefully the right move coms along at the deadline and we can pick up a piece to spark another second half run. This season could go either way. If this team is not good enough to improve on last season I'd rather find out this season than next, that way we can make changes sooner than later.
We have to remember that the road to a championship is rarely a straight line or a straight uphill climb. There are going to be ups and downs, and we might have to get worse or change directions before we improve. Even if we know what we need to get better, it takes time to get the pieces we need. This FO is well aware that this team is not a finished product and there are changes on the horizon, even if we finish the season better than last year. If someone expects us to beat the best and be a serious contender now or a year from now they will be disappointed and they shouldn't watch. Improvements from our young guys and ending the season in a better place than last year are the goal of this team. It's not just wins and losses that matter necessarily. Learning how to get better and doing those things to succeed in future seasons is the real key. We are playing the long game unless a star becomes part of the team or one of our guys breaks out.