Drafting for championships

[nahnah]

Does it build championship teams?
OKC seem to have been able to do it and could deliver soon, Pacer are largely made of players they drafted or had since their rookie year and of course the spurs have been able to do it very well. The bulls are another team with players such as deny, rose, Noah and Gibson. Obviously some players are traded for or signed as free agents but the centre pieces have been drafted.
IMO teams can be built with the draft the main focal point, which for some reason is against popular opinion. Im not convinced signing a bunch of allstars is the right way to go about it, miami succeeded but lakers and knicks look far from convincing

On a side note:
Is it just me or are the current cavs very similar to OKC back in Durants second year. For the record it was west brooks rookie season and OKC finished with 20 wins. The cars won their 20th game yesterday and much can be linked to the okc team of that year.

You have the 2nd yr superstar in Durant/ Irving and the talented rookie Westbrook/Waiters. Im not entirely sure when Ibaka was acquired but the cavs have a very talented young PF also.
(maybe coz i watched the last qtr of their game against the bulls)

 

[Dirty Bird]

You have the 2nd yr superstar in Durant/ Irving and the talented rookie Westbrook/Waiters. Im not entirely sure when Ibaka was acquired but the cavs have a very talented young PF also.

Ibaka was drafted in the 2008 draft along with Westbrook, but he stayed in Spain for a season; therefore, he came in the same time as Harden.

 

[The_Answer3]

Successful drafting is the cornerstone to championships.

Even the cheating Heat, they drafted Wade and stole Haslem in the 2nd. It's value picks (Haslem) and not missing with your early firsts (Wade) that make good teams.

Spurs - Robinson, Duncan early winning picks. Ginobili and Parker late winning picks.

Then you have the Wolves who try to build through the draft but have Kahn.

Sorry Messenger

 

[peternorth]

its a combination really. draft and acquire players through shrewd and high level negotiations.

every championship team has one of their star players picked through the draft

 

[The_Answer3]

its a combination really. draft and acquire players through shrewd and high level negotiations.

every championship team has one of their star players picked through the draft

Well the Lolkers are the other side of the coin.

Big trades.

But most teams don't have the market power to attract through trade requests and free agency.

 

[nufan]

I don't think the OKC way is actually proven to succeed until they actually win the championship. Go through the last 20 odd years of winners and you can see as peternorth stated it's definitely a combination of Drafting/Free Agency and Trading.

 

[peternorth]

Well the Lolkers are the other side of the coin.

Big trades.

But most teams don't have the market power to attract through trade requests and free agency.

incorrect. lakers have drafted with precision to obtain pieces resulting in team challenging or winning a chip.

kobe - top 1/2 in the title year
fisher - top 4/5 in title year (so many intangibles)

go back to magic, worthy too.

 

[peternorth]

I don't think the OKC way is actually proven to succeed until they actually win the championship. Go through the last 20 odd years of winners and you can see as peternorth stated it's definitely a combination of Drafting/Free Agency and Trading.

well said.

sometimes you gotta be lucky with drafting. Nets got Martin in an arguably weak draft at no 1. servicable.

 

[djrossie16]

Yep value picks are just as important I feel the Warriors for example topped up pretty well in the latest draft. Barnes (potential star) with first pick and Ezili and Green really good role players this season.

 

[The_Answer3]

incorrect. lakers have drafted with precision to obtain pieces resulting in team challenging or winning a chip.

kobe - top 1/2 in the title year
fisher - top 4/5 in title year (so many intangibles)

go back to magic, worthy too.

traded for Kobe (technically)

 

[nufan]

traded for Kobe (technically)

Don't you ever bring that up. EVER

 

[The_Answer3]

Don't you ever bring that up. EVER

Vlad's the problem with ou?

 

[nufan]

Vlad's the problem with ou?

 

[OrdinaryJoel]

You have the 2nd yr superstar in Durant/ Irving and the talented rookie Westbrook/Waiters. Im not entirely sure when Ibaka was acquired but the cavs have a very talented young PF also.
(maybe coz i watched the last qtr of their game against the bulls)

Thy name is Tristan Thompson.

 

[workhorse]

I see it as pretty much when you start high in the lottery, you draft your young stars over a 2-3 year period as well as adding some depth with 2nd rounders (never know what you'll get), once you've got a good young core then you look at high quality/high price free agents for all the while adding assets through trades.

I think you could also look at it as drafting over a few years then trading away the younger players for more experienced 'stars' (ALA Dallas)

I looked at Bostons '08 Championship team - They'd drafted Pierce initially who then became the team's superstar. Tony Allen and Leon Powe (valuable pieces off the bench) were drafted in the coming years, followed by starters Rajon Rondo and Kendrick Perkins.

Then they made two big trades for KG and Allen by trading away Jefferson and Green as the main pieces (whom had been drafted by Boston).

Then, once they had a championship calibre starting 5, they signed Eddie House, James Posey and later PJ Brown who would fill the remaining bench roles.

 

[PP34]

Good drafting sets you up with a foundation or it gives you pieces to make a big deal.

 

[peternorth]

really wonder what the thunder would be like now if they still had hardy

 

[peternorth]

if you think about it, lakers identified great talent in marc gasol. and traded him for pau.

everyone wins

 

[Messenger]

I see it as pretty much when you start high in the lottery, you draft your young stars over a 2-3 year period as well as adding some depth with 2nd rounders (never know what you'll get), once you've got a good young core then you look at high quality/high price free agents for all the while adding assets through trades.

I think you could also look at it as drafting over a few years then trading away the younger players for more experienced 'stars' (ALA Dallas)

I looked at Bostons '08 Championship team - They'd drafted Pierce initially who then became the team's superstar. Tony Allen and Leon Powe (valuable pieces off the bench) were drafted in the coming years, followed by starters Rajon Rondo and Kendrick Perkins.

Then they made two big trades for KG and Allen by trading away Jefferson and Green as the main pieces (whom had been drafted by Boston).

Then, once they had a championship calibre starting 5, they signed Eddie House, James Posey and later PJ Brown who would fill the remaining bench roles.

Boston '08 was the first of a new mould in this era - the "Superfriends" type squad. Boston probably differed somewhat from later iterations (Miami and the Lakers) in that they had a decent bench substantially in place and traded for talent.

The new CBA really means that every NBA team should be using advanced stats to put their team together. More than ever it has become important to pay those that make the difference to your team.

The most valuable contracts are to:

1. Elite players on max or near max deals
2. Rookie scale contracts.

Everyone else requires a value judgement. If they don't contribute the bulk of your win shares or they are relatively cheap, think hard.

Small market teams and/or badly run teams, like the Timberwolves, constantly make a massive mistake. They overpay for depth. John Salmons getting a big contract with Milwaukee, JJ Barea's Wolves deal and any number of deadbeats that have received the MLE over the last decade. The MLE looks good at the start, but by the end you have a 12-15mpg guy making 9-10million a year.

Those overpaid guys are now more likely to cost you a lux tax hit in future and may restrict access to cap exemptions and sign and trades, so it would be dreadful management for a former MLE recipient like Cal Booth or DeSegana Diop to cost you millions while they sit at the end of the bench picking their nose.

 

[Son of Skeletor]

incorrect. lakers have drafted with precision to obtain pieces resulting in team challenging or winning a chip.

kobe - top 1/2 in the title year
fisher - top 4/5 in title year (so many intangibles)

go back to magic, worthy too.

I thought the Lakers late 80s/early 90s drafting was their most impressive - Divac, Campbell, Van Exel, Jones, etc