Team run it back

[MixxAOR]

We're already a championship contender aren't we? We're one of the favorites to make the NBA Finals.

No we're not.

[KeonClark]

No we're not.

Who Is?

[Primer]

No we're not.

We're absolutely one of the favorites to make the NBA Finals. It's us or Boston out of the East.

[A.I]

Team run it back

We're already a championship contender aren't we? We're one of the favorites to make the NBA Finals.

No one other than the Warriors are championship contenders, no one else can compete with them next season.

Raptors will be favourites to win the East though along side Boston. Philly is likely 3rd, but they are unproven.

[TrueTorontoFan]

for all those who are anti run it back... what is the game plan here?


Especially in the east?


We will have a tough time trading Lowry.

Demar is our best option to trade but we won't get anything but pennies on the dollar. The best trade I heard was trading him to dallas for doncic... but I don't think they do that....



In order to trade him you either have to take on a bad salary in return for a player who isn't quite as good. (Parsons or Deng).
The downside in this equates to us losing our cap flexibility in the future. I dont really like that. The one nice thing about this team and its core is we aren't hamstrung for the next 5 years. ITS TWO SEASONS.




Alternatively you could trade him with a bunch of other assets to try to get a star who wants to move like Kawhi. The biggest issue that I see with trading for Kawhi goes beyond the fact that he may not resign here (probably will not). SA really doesn't want to lose him and (even though they should eventually accept that he is gone). This means they are demanding the equivalent of Ingram + Kuzma + multiple picks. Even though I think the lakers should wait, if they decide not to it makes sense because he wants to go there.
So lets say he comes here and leaves or isn't quite the level he was before AND leaves... we would have gutted our roster of assets making it a lot harder to rebuild. The only benefit is it would allow us to have cap flexibility but again not being able to attract free agents even more so now that we would be considered a joke potentially is the fall out which isn't good. Another thing is that by trading draft picks or prospects (OG PROBABLY) means that we are losing are best young assets AND a star and the chance to draft in the future.

Do you all remember the Nets trade? This has the potential to be THAT or worse.


The only way you trade for Kawhi is if its for a very fair price... which we are not getting because they dont even want him to go anyways.

[LJ2]

No one other than the Warriors are championship contenders, no one else can compete with them next season.

Raptors will be favourites to win the East though along side Boston. Philly is likely 3rd, but they are unproven.

Houston? Lakers have more moves to make before the free agency is done I think.

[golden]

We're absolutely one of the favorites to make the NBA Finals. It's us or Boston out of the East.

If you go by Vegas, then the Raps are significantly less favored than Boston (+400) or Philly (+600) to win the championship. Raps are at (+3000).

[MixxAOR]

Who Is?

Championship Contender? GSW,Houston.

Make it out of the East? Boston, Sixers

[LJ2]

Every team has to rebuild eventually. This is like dating a smoking hot model/actress/waitress and thinking to yourself, 'well, sooner or later we'll break up, so may as do it now!", said no man ever.

I would totally understand these conversations if Toronto was Detroit or Charlotte or the Clips. But Toronto is a 59-win team. You don't rebuild a 59-win team, especially one that could be better if it's young players improve.

And again, I am still waiting for an answer to my question from anyone on the pro-tanking/must have a title/superstar side: at what point do you stop tanking if your ceiling isn't a title? 5 years? 10 years? 40 years? When do you stop tanking?

Well, there was that championship Dallas team...

I don't think it's a question of title or bust, but having a team good enough to compete for a title. It's not like this core hasn't had an opportunity to do that, but we're getting to a point where we are expecting some switch to be flicked on and we are now right there with legit contenders. It's like BC holding onto Bargs year after year thinking this is going to be the year he busts out.

We don't have the base to compete for a title, but the opportunity is right in front of us with the East being a cake walk for any good team.

[Mack North]

Philly is injury prone and unproven... let's pump the brakes on them. They just lost 2 of their KEY contributors from their playoff run and they got Wilson Chandler. Sure they have some very good upside, but by no means would I not rank them ahead of the Raps right now.

[Mack North]

If you go by Vegas, then the Raps are significantly less favored than Boston (+400) or Philly (+600) to win the championship. Raps are at (+3000).

Lakers are 5/1(3rd best chance) - Vegas likes taking money from dummies.

[Primer]

Lakers are 5/1(3rd best chance) - Vegas likes taking money from dummies.

I'm not convinced LAL is even a playoff team, let alone a title contender.

[planetmars]

I understand the predicament that Masai will be in once Lowry ends up being more like Raymond Felton and less like a super star. We don't have a plan B once Lowry has regressed.

I get it.. but I'm all in on this window for now. And when that window shuts I assume we'll be going through that natural tank cycle where we ended up getting JV and possibly Giannis (but got Lowry). And I hope Masai is around still to navigate us through that rebuild so that we can get guys that can hopefully replace Lowry's impact.

Speaking of which, I do still feel that Giannis will be Masai's big target in 2021. I think he's going to go all in on him like BC tried to do with Nash. And he's going to "tank" in 2020 when our Window is closed and hope to get the #1 pick to play along with Giannis for the foreseeable future.

I'd still like to see a DeMar move not simply because I think he's become way too much of a liability in the playoffs. But knowing that Lebron is not here that might make things more palatable if he does stick around.

I don't think Philly will be all that great next season. Boston is going to be the tough nut to crack but other than them maybe Indiana will be better? No other teams in the East really look like they would put up a fight. Milwaukee has a new coach so they could be a surprise but they still don't have a center.

[A.I]

I'm not convinced LAL is even a playoff team, let alone a title contender.

It will be interesting to see what Lebron does in the West. He always steamrolled through the East due to weaker competition.

[planetmars]

Championship Contender? GSW,Houston.

Make it out of the East? Boston, Sixers

I don't think the Sixers are going to be that great. Really overrated. If they get Kawhi I'll change my tune.. but right now they are worse than we are. No depth at all. And Simmons is easy to defend since he can't shoot.