Justin Jaudon

Dear God, I hope so. I see it possible with Vic. I'm not so sure about Vuc. What makes you think he can be that type of scorer?

Oh absolutely! I was hopeful for Justin Harper! (I still am a little bit; I can't help it; and I'd still take him over Nicholson) Do not, under any circumstances, listen to anything I have to say about guys from Richmond. If I'm right, I'll huzzah! all day, and I'll beat my chest like a gorilla. But I know better than to think I'm being objective about U of R guys. It's just a good thing U of R players only get drafted once every 20 years or so. :lol:

His reasoning is that Noel played for Kentucky. It's really that simple. Most - I'll be nice and assume not all - Kentucky fans are like that. Deliriously obsessed with UK players. My brother-in-law still talks about how Antoine Walker was the most talented player he's ever watched. And this is a guy who, when he's being objective, is a terrific basketball mind. I've just learned to ignore anything a Kentucky fan says about UK or their players.

Don't get me wrong. Gordon is not Dennis, as a rebounder, which is a big part of - as you said - closing out defensive possessions. No one in recent memory has been. I think Gordon has the talent to be a very good rebounder, if he learns to box out, but not a Dennis type. My point was simply that reading too much into Gordon's stat line - not getting any steals - is silly. He did get a couple of blocks, and I never saw anything from him that indicated a lack of awareness on the defensive end, especially for an 18-year-old - for reference, Rodman wasn't even in college yet by 18. I don't really have an opinion one way or another on Gordon's NBA team defense, as of yet, because he hasn't really played for a real team in the NBA. Summer League is basically a super-talented version of pickup games at the Y.

But steals and blocks ARE defense. It's all about impact, right? We want Josh Smith or Shawn Marion, cause those guys stats show their prime years' impact to be totally the same. If you're not getting blocks and steals it must mean you're not aware of the court. I mean, we don't want a Dennis Rodman type defender - he sucked on D. Right? Oh . . . damnit. Well, Gordon's offense still sucks, and he'll never get better. Rabble rabble rabble rabble!

I'm going to assume sarcasm, here. :unsure:

I really hope that's the plan. Patterson is a good player. Solid. Better version of Brandon Bass, with more range and versatility. But I think with some work Gordon could be special at 4. At 3, long term, I just honestly don't know. I love the idea of the super athletic, super versatile 1-4 we'd have with him playing the 4. Patterson can work, because he stretches the D a little with his shooting, but let's not start thinking of him as a Rashard type shooter who makes you fear him outside. You run out on Patterson, you don't really guard him out there. If Gordon develops as a PF, he can become something almost totally unique in this league. People compare him to Marion, but he's actually tall enough to be a full-time 4 and a better ball handler and passer.

I agree, to a point. I think Patterson starting until Gordon is ready is a solid idea, as he fits well with Harris, but Gordon as a full time 3 is not ideal for me. If they try it, I'll hope for the best, but to me he projects better as a 4 once he gains 10 lb or so.

Not arguing with most of the stuff people say about Parsons (I agree, he's too expensive now, however much I like his game), but that's the second time I've heard him referred to as a poor defender. Where does that come from? I've watched him since college. He's not as good as he was two years ago when that was basically his only role, but he was downright elite then. He's still a very good SF defender.

Oh my god, I did it! I made it through reading all those shenanigans. Wow! Awe *****! now it's time for bed. Dammit!

I suspected that might have been what you meant. It's a valid point. I think we agree, for the most point, on tanking. Short-term tanking can work wonders, if you're lucky and smart. But it's dangerous to let it go on for too long, under any definitions of the term.

For the most part, DOM, that was a well thought-out post, one that spoke directly to some of the stuff I was saying earlier (it wasn't my intention to create a false dilemma, or pretend I was solving some mysterious puzzle, just to say that those who are terrified of Orlando making the playoffs need to calm down unless they start ruining their cap flexibility to do it; this was not perceived to be any large number of people - most people here are bright enough to see the difference, at least when it's pointed out to them). The above quote was the only mistake I think you made. The Heat were in the playoffs the two years before they got the Big 3. The Lakers did not tank to get Magic. The 1978-79 Lakers won 47 games in the regular season and made the second round of the playoffs. I don't know why you would even think the Lakers tanked, except that you didn't look it up before posting it.

To throw my hat into the "does Orlando try to win now or try to tank another year?" debate: I think the answer depends on what you think is already on the team. If you think the core of the team is mostly built, I don't see any reason to keep losing. There is a difference between those people who occasionally play the lottery and those sad folks who spend large portions of their disposable income on lottery tickets every paycheck because they know they're just "do" this time. I've been saying this since the rebuild started, banking on the lottery long term is a bad idea. That's why it's a lottery. A couple of years without finding a star player to build around in the draft, three at the most, is all any team should find acceptable. After that, I think it's best to build a team that can win games and a culture that a star would want to play for, while keeping cap flexibility and stockpiling as many assets as possible. Other teams have done well at this. Houston was a borderline playoff team in the Western Conference before getting either of their current stars. Orlando did it with the H & H team, and we nearly got to see our own Big 3 in Orlando. The trick is that the only way to do this is to get the team to win every possible game, maximize their talent, even before a superstar gets there. It is a myth that mediocrity is a death sentence in the NBA. Cap mismanagement is a death sentence. With smart cap management, mediocre teams become contending teams. If you think there is next to nothing here, that drafting a superstar is the only way to contend, then you give Rob one more year to get his man, then if he doesn't you fire him, trade most of the young players for more draft picks, and start the whole process again. Whenever you do get a franchise-changing player in Orlando, you hope he likes playing here, that it doesn't take beyond his second contract to win a championship. To ensure those things, you better hope he is so transcendentally good that other stars will want to play with him, or that you don't get too good too quick, and that you are lucky enough to get another franchise-changing player in the lottery. Plenty of teams have tried this. OKC obviously succeeded. What I am pretty sure of is that no superstar will want to come to Orlando without some indication that he can win there. Orlando isn't going after LeBron because they know he won't come to a team that sucks. Why would Durant do that? Or anyone else? Championship caliber players come to teams that are a piece or two away, not a team in the bottom of the lottery. Note that no one is going to Cleveland, despite that they already have a star and they have cap space galore. Why? Not because everyone hates Dan Gilbert. That doesn't help, but if that team were in the playoffs, no one would care that Gilbert is a tool. Love won't go there, LeBron won't go there, Irving wants out, all because the team is being mismanaged and has no sense of moving forward. So if you want Durant, or whoever among the NBA's future free agency stars, hope that this team wins a little now so they can win a lot later. My hope: Gordon becomes Griffin/Rodman hybrid, Oladipo becomes D-Wade Light, Payton becomes Rondo Light. That way all this talk is pointless, and the rebuild is almost over.

I really love Victor Oladipo. The kid's a riot.

Exactly. It's not a matter of "is this player worth this?" It's a matter of "is what this player can do for our team worth this?" If Parsons spreads the floor for our other guys, provides leadership, and MAKES THIS TEAM CONSIDERABLY BETTER, then he's worth 9-10 mil a year easily.

I'm with you. I think Hennigan has clearly either decided that he has his mind set on a specific free future free agent star, or he wants to build a TEAM around what he has now. Understand what the Bad Boy Pistons did, what the newer Pistons did, even how San Antonio won this past year: those were teams that had, for the most part, been together for years. I really am convinced Oladipo is an All-Star, if not this year then the next, so I wouldn't be surprised to see Rob just let this team gel this year and see what he has. We've seen that building a team by getting a superstar fails as often as it succeeds. The Lakers got Dwight Howard, the best center in the league, and got worse. The Knicks got Amare Stoudemire AND Carmelo Anthony, and they suck. The Nets got Deron Williams (certainly a borderline superstar at the time), paired him up with a bunch of talented, playoff-experienced veterans who were getting their own teams into the playoffs already, and they haven't been good enough for a home playoff series. Despite what the stars are trying to convince everyone, this league is not so much about getting stars, but building a TEAM. Why did Miami lose this Finals? They lost because they stopped playing as a team. If Rob sees a perfect free agent, I'm sure he'll do his best to go out and get him. otherwise, I think he will stick to the obvious plan of building a team that plays together with fire and intelligence and athleticism.

That's why I think either he's going home, or he's taking WAY less to stay in Miami and allow them to sign more help. Bosh opting out with him makes me think the latter. Bosh is in the same boat, really. No one's gonna give him Max money, and even if they do, he still left a lot of money on the table.

Nice.

What are the odds Wade goes to Chicago and LeBron stays with Bosh and Melo brought in? They have the money, as far as I know. Cole is the only player left at the moment.

Remind me to tell you guys how I got a Billy D autograph, someday. Funny story.

I agree, I don't think adding Parsons makes for TOO much congestion. Hark ideally is a 3, but he can get minutes at both, as Harris can get minutes at 3 and 4. Plenty of backup minutes to go around between those three positions.

Didn't mean to insult with the "son" moniker. Just a Central Va vernacular thing, I suppose. In all honesty, I was actually rooting for Dwight during the playoffs, if for no other reasons than 1) it felt natural after all those years rooting for him in Orlando, and 2) I was hoping an early-round bounce for Portland might make Aldridge want to force his way out - we have lots of nice pieces for that trade, and Aldridge is a go-to scorer like Orlando needs. The team Orlando is building seems to be made of unselfish guys who want to play together, which is so much fun when it gets going (hopefully this year). I'm willing to bet the Pistons fans got more enjoyment out of their one championship win and one loss, with a few more years of serious contention, than the Heat fans have had combating all the expectations and circus, even though they won 2. It's not even about winning as an underdog being more enjoyable, either. It's that when you have the best player in the league, you're so disappointed when you lose, and you get caught up in all the blame-throwing. I don't think I'll ever be disappointed in this team Orlando is building. The truth is that the Pacers fans feel the last couple of years like they had a shot, just like the OKC fans. But when the Pacers get beat by the Heat, it doesn't suck near as bad as when the Thunder lose to the Spurs. I know because I remember losing with an elite player. People are talking about Durant leaving, and I remember that feeling. It soured everything fun about watching the games. No one is worried about Paul George skipping town. The Pacers can just enjoy the ride. That's what I intend to do with this Orlando team: enjoy the ride (once it really gets started, anyway).

Bring him in!

I'm on board with that. Love Bubbles.

Slow down, son. I'm also entitled to know exactly how I feel. I'm not living in the past at all. I'm very excited about this team, and I am absolutely looking ahead, not back. I honestly could not care less what happens to Dwight now, nor what happened to him then. My entire post was talking about not reliving the past. I said I wouldn't want to go through the later Dwight years again, because that sucked. Franchise said he thought the good years were worth it. I disagreed. That's all cool. My disagreement post was not a statement of current feelings, but a reminder of what they were like when the fiasco was upon us. Again, slow down and understand the full context of the conversation before you jump to semi-insulting comments. Please and thank you. Also, if you'll allow me a moment of unchallenged chippiness for questioning my maturity, the term is "reeks", not "wreaks". To wreak is to bring about; to reek is to smell or give off a sense. Okay, I'm done. We're still cool.