I'm in complete agreement on OKC. Often the best talent is that which is a force multiplier - where their value comes not solely from their own stats, but the secondary and tertiary impacts their performance has on others. It's what they enable others to do in addition to their own performance.
Chet Holmgren faded significantly after April and into the postseason. It was reasonably obvious he was worn down from his first NBA season. OKC was rumored to be interested in Zach Edey to help alleviate the burden on him. In the end, they looked to the marketplace to solve that which suggests that they feel their window is now. Caruso and Hartenstein strike me as low risk force multipliers in the OKC lineup.
Beyond that, there are two fundamental ways to look at improving at an admittedly simplistic level. You can either score more points or prevent more points to widen your point differential. Either can work, and we can debate which side of the equation is more stable and sustainable throughout the season, but one thing is reasonably clear - focusing on point prevention is presently cheaper until the market responds further. With the significant financial impacts discussed here by so many now upon us, the movement toward point prevention and freeing up your existing offensive weapons just seems smart.
Life is not about optimal decisions, but about placing smart bets on an endless series of suboptimal choices. The OKC moves strike me as an extremely low risk, high reward decision. I'm less sure about Philadelphia's decision with Paul George that the media seems to just love. Paying a soon to be 35-year-old, with a recent history of injuries, whose performance has sagged in recent postseasons more than $200 MM over four years feel possibly high reward for two seasons, but extremely high risk over four. The last two seasons of that deal could be very ugly for Morey and the Sixers.
Different players of course, but George's signing for me had eerie echoes of a similar media reaction when James Harden signed with the Nets three years ago. Irrational exuberance on the Coasts. Personally, I prefer the low key intellect being exercised in Oklahoma. We'll see how it plays it out.
I'm in complete agreement on OKC. Often the best talent is that which is a force multiplier - where their value comes not solely from their own stats, but the secondary and tertiary impacts their performance has on others. It's what they enable others to do in addition to their own performance.
Chet Holmgren faded significantly after April and into the postseason. It was reasonably obvious he was worn down from his first NBA season. OKC was rumored to be interested in Zach Edey to help alleviate the burden on him. In the end, they looked to the marketplace to solve that which suggests that they feel their window is now. Caruso and Hartenstein strike me as low risk force multipliers in the OKC lineup.
Beyond that, there are two fundamental ways to look at improving at an admittedly simplistic level. You can either score more points or prevent more points to widen your point differential. Either can work, and we can debate which side of the equation is more stable and sustainable throughout the season, but one thing is reasonably clear - focusing on point prevention is presently cheaper until the market responds further. With the significant financial impacts discussed here by so many now upon us, the movement toward point prevention and freeing up your existing offensive weapons just seems smart.
Life is not about optimal decisions, but about placing smart bets on an endless series of suboptimal choices. The OKC moves strike me as an extremely low risk, high reward decision. I'm less sure about Philadelphia's decision with Paul George that the media seems to just love. Paying a soon to be 35-year-old, with a recent history of injuries, whose performance has sagged in recent postseasons more than $200 MM over four years feel possibly high reward for two seasons, but extremely high risk over four. The last two seasons of that deal could be very ugly for Morey and the Sixers.
Different players of course, but George's signing for me had eerie echoes of a similar media reaction when James Harden signed with the Nets three years ago. Irrational exuberance on the Coasts. Personally, I prefer the low key intellect being exercised in Oklahoma. We'll see how it plays it out.
never will i understand the fascination with Paul George.