While a James-Wiggins-Kyrie Irving Big Three will probably win you a lot of console championships, in the real world of NBA basketball it wasn’t going to work.
The Cavs knew this, which is why they made no secret about willing to part ways with the top pick (Wiggins) for the right player.
That player was Kevin Love
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Boston knows they would be much better served if they can convert that top overall pick into a proven, established All-Star that can move them that much closer to title contention sooner rather than later.
That’s why Cleveland was so eager to trade the pick, knowing it would likely return a proven star for a team that at the time felt they were one piece away from being a true title contender.
Normally, I find Blakely to be a level-headed guy, one who sees the big picture, etc., but I think he’s got the wrong take here, and not by a small margin.
Let’s talk about the big glaring difference between the 2014 Cavs and the 2017 Celtics:
LeBron James
No player the caliber of James is coming to the Celtics this summer.
So, there’s nobody that you’re going to add through free agency that’s going to convert this team into a ‘win-now’ team.
Secondly, who’s available? Back in 2014, you had the perfect James complement in Love–a guy who couldn’t create offense and who could nail threes and draw the other team’s post players out of the lane.
Now you’re talking who? Paul George? Does anyone in their right mind believe that Paul George for Markelle Fultz is a good deal? George is a guy who, if things don’t work out, wants to play in LA.
Let that sink in for a moment. You’ve got a guy who had no issue blaming other players in press conferences after first round games, a guy who expressed sympathy for Ray Rice, and a guy who wants to play for the Lakers, regardless of whether or not they’re any good, just so he can live in California.
And he wasn’t even third team All-NBA this year.
Blakely tosses out a more intriguing idea after suggesting that Paul George might be worth the number one pick.
And while it is a long shot and on paper makes little sense, New Orleans’ Anthony Davis shouldn’t totally be discounted, either.
The Pelicans are a franchise right now that’s not going anywhere with their current allotment of talent, and that’s not likely to change anytime soon.
This makes more sense. But it also doesn’t. The Pelicans traded their first round pick for DeMarcus Cousins. That is not a move that suggests the team is taking a view toward the future. That is a move that suggests the team wants to get better now–it also suggests that the front office has no idea just how bad the team really is and that they are not likely to make a deal that is in their long-term best interests. In short, there are basketball reasons why Fultz for Davis could benefit both teams, but at the same time, it’s not a move the Pelicans are likely to make because their front office isn’t very good.
Ultimately, I’m with John. I’m on ‘Team Fultz’. Celtics have an incredibly young core that will get even younger when Fultz slides into the rotation. The Cavs tax bills are going to get higher and higher, LeBron ain’t getting any younger, and that whole team is full of contracts that Griffin signed because he’s afraid of LeBron, and which no team is going to touch with a ten foot pole.
The Warriors? Well, it’ll be interesting to see what happens when Curry finally gets paid. Don’t forget, they were able to add Durant because Curry is on a contract that is so far below market he should be the guy talking about backing up a Brinks truck.
If you can’t leapfrog the Cavs or Warriors by adding one guy (and I’m pretty sure Paul George is not that guy), then about the only thing that makes sense, at least in my opinion, is to play the long game.
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