- Dont over think the draft, take the most talented play with the high pick.

- Use the end of the draft to get prospects you like, short and long term

- manage the cap.

- sign guys that fit your team concept

- develop players internally

- size size size. Be taller and bigger than your opponents

- use the D league to develop player that can compliment your roster

- build a coaching staff that shares your fundamental beliefs on team building and team play

What am I missing? I do not absolve execs of bad moves (Tyson trade) but understand not every trade or pick works out. However the good teams with good GMs that win every year stick to a fundamental plan, and when you do that mistakes arent as costly, they are part of the business. In the past this organization has put all their eggs in one basket time after time. Houston contract, McDyess trade, Amare, Melo... I mean after they made these big moves you got the feeling the FO was like "ok boys... good day at work. See you next year." Then understand why the teams werent that good.

SwishAndDish13 wrote:It's amazing what putting a well constructed roster on the floor does these days. Such poor fundamentals around the league. Even though we are in the process of retooling, we can compete since we have good roster balance and have acquired players that understand the game.

Aflalo and Lopez are solid pick-ups, though Seraphin, Williams and KOQ have been inconsistent up to this point.

I wonder if Phil figured Grant would be further along than KP at this point, or whether he was just preparing us for KP not being ready with all his talk about the years it would take him to develop.

Hard to know what Phil is thinking sometimes, but it just might be possible that he was his greatest "miscalculation" was not understanding how ready KP actually was to compete in this league.

fishmike wrote:

WaltLongmire wrote:Calderon playing like a functional NBA player has been a big change this year- makes Phil's first draft and the failure of Larkin and Dalembert to stick more palatable.

Aflalo and Lopez are solid pick-ups, though Seraphin, Williams and KOQ have been inconsistent up to this point.

I wonder if Phil figured Grant would be further along than KP at this point, or whether he was just preparing us for KP not being ready with all his talk about the years it would take him to develop.

Hard to know what Phil is thinking sometimes, but it just might be possible that he was his greatest "miscalculation" was not understanding how ready KP actually was to compete in this league.

I think they knew, I mean they scouted him in EU playing against grown men. Maybe they didnt think he would adjust this quickly but they had to know he wasnt going to wilt. I also think Grant is getting better all the time. He's got more to learn than KP and he's gettin there. He gets yanked in an out a lot but I see Fisher and the staff doing a lot of talking to him. Seems they are fully vested in Grant's education.

I'm a firm believer in downplaying expectations and not letting folks know how you might really feel about something you're excited about. My gut feeling is that he through threw out the "years to see how good he will be" stuff and brought up Shawn Bradley's name is that anything positive KP gave us early on would be magnified, and we could discount the bad stuff to youth.

I cannot believe anyone thought he would rebound and mix it up as well as he has, even though I feel people who did not watch the available KP highlights, and the full games available on YouTube, underestimated his all-around game.

More of an academic argument, though...pre-draft expectations about KP are somewhat meaningless at this point in time- they just serve as a warning to the folks who think they know for sure how well this or that player is going to perform on the big stage.

nixluva wrote:Phil was the one who said KP would contribute THIS YEAR and that he wanted KP to start. Just because he was actively lowering expectations doesn't mean he wasn't high on KP. People have to understand that after last year Phil has taken a very conservative approach to this season. They just wanted to take some pressure off the players. I think they did the same thing with the entire team. You don't make this much change and then think that it won't have a significant impact.

This kind of roster was something you could see coming a mile away just based on what Phil has said and what he has been about in the past. I knew he wanted to try and replicate having a team with elite size like he had in LA. You knew he wanted high character, high IQ players who were versatile and had high motor and motivation. You don't have to crack the whip just to get decent effort. He wanted guys who woke up ready to GO. When you do that it makes everything else a little easier. This is why I was defending Phil so hard. It was about his stated vision and not the results of last year.

Playing as a spread 4 and hitting some 3s and picking up the occasional rebound is one thing- and can be defined as "contributing," but if you remember around the time KP was having the foul trouble, we suddenly realized that having him on the floor was not a luxury, but a necessity. Not sure if Phil and Fisher were expecting this to be true.

I'm going to stick with the idea that they underestimated how quickly he would adapt and evolve, and that Phil hedging his expectations following the draft was more about his uncertainty toward KP's early value to the team, than Phil being Phil and downplaying his real feelings about what the Latvian could bring to the table.

Interesting to talk about, I suppose, but ultimately, it really does not matter at this point.

Would love to have a talk with Phil about this, though.

fishmike wrote:

StarksEwing1 wrote:His biggest positives has been the draft. Trading hardaway for Grant was a great move that im sure Atlanta regrets. Then of course his best move as a GM was drafting KP. This kid is already our best player and he isn't even close to a finished product. I have been saying for years to VALUE DRAFT PICKS. Thankfully Phil agrees with me

He used it well. What is promising are the guys that havent worked out. Thanasis is just a 2nd rounder, so the yield rate is low there, but you see the vision and the mantra... draft guys, build a pipeline, devlop prospects using the D league. The coaching changes down there tell me getting something from that part of the organization is something they really value and want to get right.

I think Grant becomes a really really good player for us. He defends well and get into the paint at will. When your team is genenrally bigger than the team your facing and your PG can get into the paint at will he's going to get your guys some good looks.

I give him credit for Fisher also. He may be learning the in game adjustments and x's and o's but he's got these guys all on the same page and playing really well.

Also I am seeing guys make adjustments. I was really down on Seraphin (black hole) and Will (because he's got no D) but those guys are passing more, defending more and clearly makding adjustments to fit into what we are doing.

I am very impressed and enjoying every bit of this.

The judgement is still out on Fisher; I won't think Phil just yet::))). It certainly pays to have all around talent on the roster, and it is all thanks to Phil

Knicks1969 wrote:

fishmike wrote:

StarksEwing1 wrote:His biggest positives has been the draft. Trading hardaway for Grant was a great move that im sure Atlanta regrets. Then of course his best move as a GM was drafting KP. This kid is already our best player and he isn't even close to a finished product. I have been saying for years to VALUE DRAFT PICKS. Thankfully Phil agrees with me

He used it well. What is promising are the guys that havent worked out. Thanasis is just a 2nd rounder, so the yield rate is low there, but you see the vision and the mantra... draft guys, build a pipeline, devlop prospects using the D league. The coaching changes down there tell me getting something from that part of the organization is something they really value and want to get right.

I think Grant becomes a really really good player for us. He defends well and get into the paint at will. When your team is genenrally bigger than the team your facing and your PG can get into the paint at will he's going to get your guys some good looks.

I give him credit for Fisher also. He may be learning the in game adjustments and x's and o's but he's got these guys all on the same page and playing really well.

Also I am seeing guys make adjustments. I was really down on Seraphin (black hole) and Will (because he's got no D) but those guys are passing more, defending more and clearly makding adjustments to fit into what we are doing.

I am very impressed and enjoying every bit of this.

The judgement is still out on Fisher; I won't think Phil just yet::))). It certainly pays to have all around talent on the roster, and it is all thanks to Phil