2017 Official Offseason Thread

[Optimist Prime 197]

How are we better then last year? Because Issac might be a slight upgrade over Jeff Green? Do we know for a fact EP, AG and Mario are going to be that much better of players next season? That's no lock at all.

 

Mack is better than Watson/DJ. Isaac is better than Green. That rounds out the bench. Vogel won't spend half the season experimenting a failed position reassignment. The team will have consistency between last and this season to build on. AG and Payton don't need to improve to make this team better, but if they do, that adds to the level of the team. The same goes for Mario. Having Ross and a not overloaded front court rotation will help. AG having consistency at his natural position. There are a lot of reasons to think the team will be better.

[Fultz4thewin 2,464]

How are we better then last year? Because Issac might be a slight upgrade over Jeff Green? Do we know for a fact EP, AG and Mario are going to be that much better of players next season? That's no lock at all.

 

having a coach understand his players now, similar core group of guys. that will equal more wins.

 

Don't take my word for it. on his last podcast Zach Lowe said something along the lines of "29 wins next year would mean something disastrous happened. they should be 6-8 wins better just through continuity".

[JJZFL 619]

Exactly and shouldn't we start progressing? I know we got to see if AG and Payton can take a leap. We have to see if Mario is going to contribute and now we have to develop Isaac but shouldn't we start adding some players that will not only change the culture but will help put those guys in a situation that breeds success? That will help elevate them?

 

You mention Kawhi. Don't you think his success was aided by a group of veterans and coaches who have won before and didn't "wait and see"?

 

I'm starting to think this approach will do more harm than good. We've been doing this for 5 years and we have two of those guys who had big roles at that time still here as starters.

 

Great post, +1 from me.

[Fultz4thewin 2,464]

10 more wins is a lot though. 5 wins seems about right to me. 10 wins would be an impressive jump. Again, I don't see a jump like that unless EP/AG and Mario make big jumps.

 

10 is too much. Isaac would need to be a game changer defensively at least for us to reach that mark.

[Optimist Prime 197]

having a coach understand his players now, similar core group of guys. that will equal more wins.

 

Don't take my word for it. on his last podcast Zach Lowe said something along the lines of "29 wins next year would mean something disastrous happened. they should be 6-8 wins better just through continuity".

 

6-8 is reasonable. I mean, it's Zach Lowe, so of course it's reasonable.

[JJZFL 619]

I wouldn't be mad. But I still maintain I don't see 7 worse teams then us in the NBA.

 

I agree with you. I wouldn't be surprised at all to see the team quit about halfway through the season, and we wind up with about 30 wins again. Goes to Magicman28's recent point about bringing in a vet or two to provide some leadership and mental toughness to "change the culture" and "breed success", which I totally agree with.

 

The worst part for us fans will be watching the same half-hearted and vile play that we had to endure last season.

[Tank Vogel 191]

We benched Aaron Gordon for Jeff Green last year. The first half of the season was a disaster outside of a lucky roadtrip.

[Fultz4thewin 2,464]

I agree with you. I wouldn't be surprised at all to see the team quit about halfway through the season, and we wind up with about 30 wins again. Goes to Magicman28's recent point about bringing in a vet or two to provide some leadership and mental toughness.

 

The worst part for us fans will be watching the same half-hearted and vile play that we had to endure last season.

 

the problem the last couple years has been the vets though. Watson, Green, Augustin, Rudez, Ben Gordon, Willie Green, Luke Ridnour.

 

Think you need to get guys who are hungry. not guys who are on their way out of the league.

[HeHateMe 697]

6-8 is reasonable. I mean, it's Zach Lowe, so of course it's reasonable.

 

Yea 6-8 is reasonable and I don't object to that. 10 would be a huge jump to me. I'll say 5-6 more now but I don't trust Vogel's lineups and rotations regardless.

[Optimist Prime 197]

Yea 6-8 is reasonable and I don't object to that. 10 would be a huge jump to me. I'll say 5-6 more now but I don't trust Vogel's lineups and rotations regardless.

 

That's fair. I think he's trying to adjust to the modern NBA and just hasn't gotten a hang of it yet. Hopefully he does this year. He's been a good coach and I think think the fact that he's trying to adjust is good, or at least he seems to be. He just took way to long the first go around.

[Magicman28 295]

the problem the last couple years has been the vets though. Watson, Green, Augustin, Rudez, Ben Gordon, Willie Green, Luke Ridnour.

 

Think you need to get guys who are hungry. not guys who are on their way out of the league.

 

 

Agree

 

When you think of guys who are hungry would you put Fournier and Vuch in that category? Do you think we need to replace those two in the lineup to further advance?

[Ibn Battuta 127]

I don't think we're locked for anything. The team is better than last year in a conference that just got a lot worse. If this team was only bad enough to get the sixth pick and just got better, how is it a lock for the top 7?

 

There is no tank going on. The team is past that, unfortunately. The hope now is in the development of Gordon, Payton, Isaac, and Hezonja. This is still a lotto team, so maybe we will finally get some ping pong balls to fall out way and jump into the top 3?

 

I disagree, the team is not better. We basically have the same squad with no Ibaka and two rookies. Shelvin Mack is not a difference maker, and the guys we waived aren't either. Yes the East as a whole got weaker, and we will be contending with the Hawks as the worst team, but the Bulls still have Lopez and Lavine and Wade, maybe Mirotic. The Nets picked up Russell who is more talented than anything we have, and Carroll has played for Atkinson before when he was successful on the Hawks.

 

Gordon and Payton are now entering their 4th years, yea they might take a small step here or there but for the most part they are who they are. Maybe if Hezonja can go from terrible to passable it might make a difference.