Some articles today discussing Obi was a "mistake".
It was.
In that draft we drafted IQ and OBI.
In retrospect Maxey and Haliburton should have been taken.
remember, the draft was in October of 2020. Covid shutdown summer and nobody to try out players. No NCAA march maddness completion.
Obi was the national player of the year. He was the "safe pick. Players got drafted and two weeks later camp started.
It was after the bubble. Strange times.
None of this is discussed in those articles. Just that Toppin was a mistake. I agree, he was. Just context is missing.
This was as Randle was just breaking out for us.
Not known was what he'd resign for. Obi was stuck behind him.
The question is "Should was have takent Hali?"
The other question is "Did signing Brunson as a free agent fix it"?
Lets assumem Hali is retained and given his max deal. Lets assume he don't tear his achiles.
Who'd you rather have today? Haliburton or Brunson?
Did signing Brunson "Fix it"?
It's all butterfly effect. Once you "fix" the mistake, dominos keep falling and we have a completely unrecognizable team. Too many variables to project a finished product, and just leaves more questions:
- If you draft Hali, do you still draft IQ? I'd think we don't trade for Rose, who had a significant impact on IQs development, and marked a turning point in the season. Without IQ (at least the version we know today), do we have pieces for OG?
- Does Randle have the same break out season without the motivation of us seemingly drafting his replacement?
- Say we don't have as successful of a season 20-21 - do we get a high enough pick in 2021 that we decide to keep it?
- Can Hali even handle NY (I'm not convinced)
Nalod wrote:Who'd you rather have today? Haliburton or Brunson?
Brunson. 11 times out of 10.
Nalod wrote:Some articles today discussing Obi was a "mistake".
It was.
In that draft we drafted IQ and OBI.
In retrospect Maxey and Haliburton should have been taken.
remember, the draft was in October of 2020. Covid shutdown summer and nobody to try out players. No NCAA march maddness completion.
Obi was the national player of the year. He was the "safe pick. Players got drafted and two weeks later camp started.
It was after the bubble. Strange times.
None of this is discussed in those articles. Just that Toppin was a mistake. I agree, he was. Just context is missing.
This was as Randle was just breaking out for us.
Not known was what he'd resign for. Obi was stuck behind him.
The question is "Should was have takent Hali?"
The other question is "Did signing Brunson as a free agent fix it"?
Lets assumem Hali is retained and given his max deal. Lets assume he don't tear his achiles.
Who'd you rather have today? Haliburton or Brunson?
Did signing Brunson "Fix it"?
Don’t really feel it was a Toppin thing.
Just more of the usual fan “unrealistic expectations” thing.
Which I posted against often.
Every team can look back and wish they could have know the future. We all know it’s a game of draft roulette no matter how many experts chime in.
Obi was best player available. I Was happy with the pick. Only argument was why not pick a PG which we needed. FO must have watched video of Hali’s ugly shooting , like me, and passed.
My biggest disappointment with Obi was his lack of physicality. For me, He has the potential to be Kenyon Martin like. But instead plays like Kevin Martin.
Still feel that he has developed into a solid roster player. Problem as mentioned, is that fans have unrealistic expectations. Which included wanting him to replace a proven NBA PF in his first couple of years in the league. FO moved on because they had bigger plans.
Still wish Obi luck. Just not against us.
All good points and the "what ifs" are many.
Given what happened, the key we signed brunson who solved our PG issue.
If we had gotten more than two 2nd picks say for trading Haliburtin perhaps we win more.
Hindsight is great when you got it. In this scenario Im also using it but with the basis that all teams make mistakes witht he benefit of hindsight and at the same time subsequent moves take on a whole new context.
Hali dropped in that weird draft as did Maxey in part because teams could not work them out as they normally do.
Knicks not the only team affected by that scenario.
Obi would have worked with our reconsituted team off the bench this coming year.
IQ enabled us to get OG and making 32mm is a nice grab, but has yet to prove worthy. He had an awful season and needs to stay healthy and play 30min a game as a young guard makinig that kind of money. The talent is there.
Good point that if we had taken Hali or Maxey then what?
I wanted Maxey, Philly took him before we picked. The way we have wasted lottery picks is criminal. Halley looks like Erkle
Rookie wrote:I wanted Maxey, Philly took him before we picked. The way we have wasted lottery picks is criminal. Halley looks like Erkle
Maxey was taken 21st adn for a while IQ looked like the better player in year 1.
Won't argue Frank, Jordan Hill, or Toppin. Jordan HIll was 2009!
KP was a no brainer as was Barrett. Obvious choices.
But my goodness so many teams making equal and worse picks. Bad luck also plays out. Zion has not fulilled his promise. In the KP draft, Kat was the top pick, then D'andelo Russell then OKAFOR.
What we have not balanced is any success in lottery. I get that. Your not wrong.
But to turn Randle, a free agent who gave us 4 years of great service, and DDV also a free agent signiing into KAT was a stoke of good fortune to counter what we missed. KAT even with his defensive deficiency is a top 5 center. He is elite offensive weapon and rebounder.
Looking at drafts in years past its really not easy to figure these kids out. Miami seems to have stopped years ago!
And yes, Donovan Mitchell still rings in my ears!!!!
