This season is HUGE

[Ilikesports17]

Danny's MO this rebuild has been pretty clear.
1. Win every deal in terms of future talent
2. maximize flexibility
3. add future assets at every turn
4. wait until you can add a star.

Each year there are 4 times to get a star. Trade deadline, draft, FA, off-season trade. Im glad Danny hasnt wasted cash/assets on a nonstar but every time one of those opportunities passes by I get more anxious.

Now for my point. This season is huge for our team.

for our assets:
Right now Marcus Smart, James Young, Sully, KO and the rooks have some decent value, but all have question marks.

can Smart be an offensive threat? Is James Young an NBA player? can he play d? is his head right? will he always be an inconsistent shooter? Can KO toughen up and learn to attack?

I think all these guys have the potential to massively inflate their trade value by the deadline. I am hoping for Sully and AB to have monster 1st halfs.

The real reason this season is important is for our cap space. If we tread water or take a step back this year we enter Charlotte Bobcats land. No one wants to play for the Bobcats. However, if we step forward we could enter Washington Wizards/Milwakee Bucks territory. This would be huge for us as a FA destination, and why I thought it was key that we add a biggish FA. Now that we didnt do that we need the rest of the gang to step up so that we can reach that "1 man away level"

I personally am very excited for this season as we will learn a lot about our rebuild.

If we are sitting at the all star break under .500 and the Nets and Mavs are in playoff positions and Smart and Young have hardly improved, Sully is still fat, the rooks are in the D-league and Kelly is still Charmin Ultrasoft, and Amir's ankles are still super fragile then we will know we are a looooooong way away.

However, if we head into the allstar break in playoff position at the head of the Atlantic, with Smart driving to the hoop like hes in College and James Young showing star potential and Sully playing in the best shape of his life with Rozier showing shades of Oladipo and Westbrook and the Nets in the basement of the East, then we will have tremendous cause for optimism.
 
This year may look like another bridge year, but the development shown during this year is incredibly important to our long-term success.

[mahcus smaht]

Im excited too.

At the very least we will have a fun team to watch.

With IT4, Smart, Crowder and Johnson we have tons of grit and hustle and Im really intrigued to see if Sully KO Young or the rookies can make a big step.

[D Dub]

I'd say Danny's MO is more along the lines of, 'don't give up value for non-impact players'.

I expect we'll see a competitive but middle-of-the-pack team that patiently awaits a Carmelo or Demarcus trade to slingshot us into contention.  Outside of those two events, I think Danny's priority remains developing our head coach by giving him ideal suited role players and establishing a winning culture. 

The combined heart of IT, Smart & Crowder alone keep this team above 500. 

I also wouldn't be so quick to pass judgment on Marcus.  Stevens held him back last year, intentionally to an extent to make Marcus earn his salt.  Whelp guess what -- he did just that when he helped lead our star-less roster to the playoffs.  Kid just knows how to win and has tireless work ethic.  Sky is the limit, and I'm sure he can taste the opportunity.   

[PhoSita]

This year is all about waiting to see if a deal for a star or potential star becomes available.  Meanwhile, try to develop the players on the team to the extent they still have room to develop.

Looks like that could be the gameplan for the next few years.

See: Houston Rockets 2009-2012

[Greenbean]

While I completely understand and even appreciate the merits of tanking in the NBA, I dont agree with the idea to tank every year just to get better odds on lucking into a star in the draft.

The biggest drawback that doesnt get quantified is the mixed message to players when you tank. By clearly not trying to prioritize wins above all as an organization, it becomes increasingly difficult to develop your roster talent from within. How can you teach winning basketball while concurently not try too hard to win?

In my opinion, you just cant string these tank seasons together and expect players to develop at the same rate as they would if they were on a winning team. Tanking usually means throwing young players into the fire and letting them "play through" their errors and lack of experience. While some respond, there is a lack of accountability when the top down approach is to lose.

Thats why I am glad to root for the team to get better and play winning basketball, while also being patient enough to wait for the next star to come aboard somehow. Especially in the NBA where bad contracts can set teams so far behind.