Most interesting to me: Windhorst gives them an 'A' because he says the price for Paul George is only going to go down. The price will be better in June, and may be great in a year.
I personally dislike this opinion, that I've heard from a few other people as well.
Of course the price will go down, but the C's also get less. Missing out on a year of playoffs from one of those guys is a huge cost.
Look at the Garnett/Pierce/Allen team. They won a championship that first year, then never again.
Same thing with the 2004 Pistons when they brought in Sheed. They won a title that first year together, then never again.
What if one of those teams said, "Let's wait a year, the price will be lower?" Maybe the price would be lower, but they also might not have won a championship.
Missing a year of playoff performance from one of those guys is a huge cost (especially considering I'm one of those guys who don't think Cleveland and Golden State are unbeatable, though no doubt the C's would still be the underdog).
Of course, that's me not knowing what the actual cost is, and from the rumors I hear, it probably was way too high. But it's one thing to say the cost is too high, it's another thing to say you should wait because the cost will go down. The team just cut a first rounder after 1 year while also stashing 2 other first rounders overseas because they don't have enough roster spots. It takes injuries for Jaylen Brown to get any minutes, and they want to bring in another Top 4 pick next year too? And bring in the guys from overseas?
And just like the price of George/Butler will go down, so too will the price of Avery Bradley. The value of the Nets picks can drop (if it ends up #4 and/or they improve next year) too.
So all that rant just to say I really disagree with "wait, the price will go down" train of thought. I don't want to sell the farm for George/Butler, but I also don't want to wait for rock bottom prices and miss opportunities in '17 and '18.