Exactly they are playing out of position, or with the wrong chemistry or system. We need someone that can bring it all together and look for some glue pieces that allow our better players to play within their strengths. It would be nice if we had a breakout star, but we don't so we keep plugging away getting better until we find one, through trade, draft or whatever..... And stop throwing away talent like Cam Whitmore for NOTHING.... DD
If 6 yrs of this rebuild amounts to a reconstituted old broken down KD-Kyrie super team, I will laugh my ass off, then I will start rooting against the rockets.
Kyrie teams only look competent when playing next to another top tier playmaker: Bron, Harden, Luka and we have nothing close to that another 1st round exit, the remix
Stonedoka: "But these other guys play great defense.....but Cam and these dudes don't! Can't you see?" Everyone Else: "The guys you tout as great defenders also make bonehead mistakes and, thanks to the godd**ned 2-3 zone you love, often leave the 3 point line undefended. So we get torched. At least the guys you sh** on can actually score and provide 12-18 decent minutes per game, giving a rest to the others. Can't you see?" Stonedoka: "I don't see that." Stone + Udoka + someone from the scouting department:
League's biggest flake and often injured. No problem! Perfect fit for the Rockets. I don't think even Stone would make this error, not with Dallas' turning chicken sh*t into chicken soup and us vice versa.
I think we can do even better, we can trade some picks and young players for Kawhi too! 2027 playoffs, here we come!
Whilst funny, these kinda jokes really scare me with tempting fate, because they're plausible and just such bad ideas.
Folks, Kyrie Irving has $80 million left on his contract, is coming off an ACL at age 34, and has played 221 games since 2019 averaging about 30 games a season.
Guys…Kyrie is 34 and coming off ACL surgery. He’s also got two more yrs at $40 mil. He’s not gonna be the same player.
Exactly what this team needs - yet another aging player with a high salary, unreliable availability, and yet another prima dona. If this actually happens it proves Stone has no idea how to put together a functioning roster.
Especially a diva that attempts to be a good guy, and involves his wife as an excuse for the delay of his extension.
This is another reason to not trade for Kyrie. I was for trading for him when he was with the Nets, but was told he was the kinda guy you cant depend on, then he made the finals with Luka. I would pass. Alvarado is a guy I would look at bringing in.
I think it's obvious this is Plan B to Plan A's Giannis. I think they will have both options lined up and this will be the successful one. The organization hates Harden and knows that FVV is washed so this is the compromise and the relationship is there. Kyrie is now another discounted star so it works with Mavs clearing it out. Klay and others might be harder to move and probably kept for salary dump in bigger trade. Mavs have no future picks of their own so they have to get younger in other ways. Everyone assumes Kyrie is back to normal without seeing him on the court although we are making the same claims with FVV. FVV+DFS+picks gets us there. Likely slightly less AD package that Wash paid. We have to use our 2027 picks so this means 2028. There is a lot not to like about a lot of our options. I don't know the exact tax implications but with any combo of Amen extension, Tari I would say at or past 2nd apron so no exceptions remaining except vet min run it back crew. This clean up should not have been an offseason exercise.
I'm not disagreeing with you. Compromise as compared to not getting Harden is what I meant. I didn't clarify but I am speaking from Stonedoka's perspective. They want to show management Giannis and when they fail will say look Kyrie. I think they believe they can keep FVV but I think that will change in June.
I would not give up a first round pick for Kyrie either, not on that contract and coming off of major surgery. FVV / DFS (no picks) for Kyrie I can see from a value perspective, in that case he basically costs nothing besides his salary. I still don't want him on this team though. From what I know about him he seems like an egotistical dumbass who's hard to root for, and I'm tired of giving minutes to over-the-hill veterans who aren't going to win us anything anyway. There's a plethora of much younger guards available in this free agent class, sign & trade for one of them instead. (Coby White, Ayo Dosunmu, Keon Ellis, Quentin Grimes, Collin Sexton.)
