re: No top 20 player - no chance to win a title

Did any of those player’s organizations attempt to hand the keys to the franchise to a different player in year 5? Did any of their teammates give interviews at media day about how they were happy that they were going to have the ball and they were going to be the chief decision maker? Did any of those dudes not get announced last by their own team in the starting lineups?

The Zion situation is unique. He has been injured. A lot. He has had some issues with maturity. But, he also has put up historical statistics since his rookie season. When he came back after missing the entire season with the foot he looked pedestrian by his standards to start the 2022-2023 season. Then BI got injured and Zion took the damn league by storm before his injury.

I have been banging this drum since the preseason but the organization inexplicably handed the keys of being the number one player to BI. This might have been because of planned load management, but I suspect it is because Willie and Griff wanted it to be so. It was a gross miscalculation. Yes, Zion wasn’t in peak shape to begin the season. But over the last two months when he has gotten the minutes and the opportunity he has been absolutely dominant. It’s why I said last night in the game thread that the number one thing I want to see from this team down the stretch is a concerted effort to maximize their best player, Zion.

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2004
2014
2024? Might just be our year

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OH

MY

GOD

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OH

MY

GOD

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I just bet my mortgage payment on the Pels to win a title.

Yes. DETROIT. 02-03. BEAT THE LAKERS. No Top 10-20 players. Best player? Chauncey, Rip, Sheed, Wallace?...

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It would probably take me 10 minutes or so...to come up with the rest of my 8-man rotation.
Do it!

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First...I would need an "agreed to" list of the top 20...so I would know who to NOT waste my time on considering. I assumed neither Mikal or Herb would be in anybody's top 20...which is why those 2 were so easy to pick...for me.

(Edit) By the way...I assume the "5" would be my toughest decision. Once I decide which way (style) I want to go at that position...it should be fairly easy to fill in the rest.

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I have been banging this drum since the preseason but the organization inexplicably handed the keys of being the number one player to BI. This might have been because of planned load management, but I suspect it is because Willie and Griff wanted it to be so. It was a gross miscalculation. Yes, Zion wasn’t in peak shape to begin the season.

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"Wasn't in peak shape"? Seriously? There's no way that Zion could've carried more of the offensive load earlier in the season. He would get winded in just a few minutes, and he had zero energy for defense.

Of course BI had to be the team leader at the beginning of the year.

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Ok title team with no top 20 guys

PG - Maxey
SG - Bridges
SF - Butler
PF - Lauri
C - JJJ

Bench
G - Murray
G - Bane
F - George

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That's where I mentioned I think you gotta factor in salaries.

Just those 8 get you near $200mil, and then if you did the same next season adding the contracts for Maxey and Bane, you're over like $260mil.

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It was a weird crossover year where Duncan wasn't good enough to be considered legit top 10 as he was old but Kawhi also wasn't top 10 as he was younger. Basically, the Spurs weren't supposed to win that year, but they did it any way. But yea, they had 4 future Hall of Famers, so if any team was going to do it without a top 10 player, that team would be on the shortlist.

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They dominated the season and should have won the Finals the year before as well (damn Ray Allen). Their star player was by far Tony Parker both years. He only averaged 17ppg that season. He was all-pro and an all-star, so it's tough to say he wasn't top 20 that season.

I just never see people say that Tony Parker was a superstar who led his team to a title in dominating fashion that killed the Miami dynasty. Which is exactly what happened..

I want a JJJ type of player on this team so bad. I saw someone suggest KAT, don’t like it, he genuinely is a PF. Don’t think he can protect the rim worth a shite and he thinks he’s a perimeter player. That’s why I suggested Okongwu, he’s someone who could develop into a JJJ type player. There just aren’t many JJJ or Myles Turners out there, we don’t just need a stretch big. We need a stretch big who can rim protect, maybe the rarest archetype in the league

Okongwu Highlights vs Celtics from Feb 7
This dude rolling with the ball in Zion’s hand would be a problem. He’s shooting 80% from the FT this season. I think he has a decent chance to develop into a piece that fits perfectly beside Zion

It still pisses me off how Jaxson was the perfect 5 for this team but he never progressed from any year. If that dude had any brain, he’d be starting for us right now