Okay you armchair experts, where do we go from here? These past 2 seasons have ended in bitter disappointment. What needs to be done to the coaching staff and roster to give us a chance at another championship before the Giannis window closes?
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Don’t trade 5 second round picks for a guy who can’t get off the bench
I think it boils down to Dame Lillard. If he’s truly “all in” with the Bucks I say run it back for next season. If he’s not, Lillard still has a ton of value in terms of a trade.
I’d look to see what you could get for a package of Lopez and Beauchamp or Pat C.
Lopez is on an expiring contract next season. If he plays it out, you get nothing in return for him. He's going to be 37. Trade him and get something so you don't lose that salary cap slot for nothing next year at this time. Maybe someone in the West who has to play Jokic multiple times a year will give you something for him.
Connaughton should be moved for even a 2nd round pick to clear that 10 million.
@El-Ka-Bong posted:Don’t trade 5 second round picks for a guy who can’t get off the bench
Or DDV for the corpse of Serge Ibaka.
Lopez has clearly lost a step but given how he can shoot and defend the rim I think he could have appeal to a team like the Knicks or Lakers or Miami or Philly.
He might also have value to a team looking to dump salary after this next year when his salary expires.
@RoyalWulff posted:Okay you armchair experts, where do we go from here? These past 2 seasons have ended in bitter disappointment.
First of all ....having Giannis 100% for round 1 would go a long way to winning a series. IDGAF if me or you were coaching the team.
He's been hurt the last 2 seasons when playoffs started. (Game 1 got hurt last year)
Yup, he was hurt the last 2 years at playoff time. He plays hard, 100% most of the time and has been doing that for years. He is a young man chronologically but has a lot of hard miles on his legs.
Not sure if hoping he will be healthy next spring is the right strategy. I would guess they will run this back again, it’s going to be an interesting off season.
Waiting to hear if Horst really does, in fact, leave for the Pistons. A lot going forward might hinge on how that rumor turns out.
Latest rumor is Philly will be going after Paul George.
Have to wonder what Miami does with Jimmy Buckets.
Then there’s NYK and Boston and a young and and coming Orlando team.
The East won’t get any easier next year and the Bucks won’t get any younger. So think it’s possible they might not run it back.
@DurangoDoug posted:Horst
Hworst
@Tschmack posted:Latest rumor is Philly will be going after Paul George.
Have to wonder what Miami does with Jimmy Buckets.
Then there’s NYK and Boston and a young and and coming Orlando team.
The East won’t get any easier next year and the Bucks won’t get any younger. So think it’s possible they might not run it back.
If Boston doesn't win it all this year, they'll probably blow things up even more than they did last year. I would guess Jaylen Brown would be moved for a package if they lose. They have no excuses this year with the Knicks being the only team left in the East with a chance of beating them in a series, but the Knicks are going to miss Julius Randle if they get to a series with the Celtics.
The Sixers and Bucks are still the best two other teams in the conference when healthy, but neither Giannis nor Embiid can stay healthy long enough to make a run and neither is getting any younger. Until this year there was a big difference between Embiid's injuries and Giannis' reasons for missing games.
Embiid has been in the league 10 years and has played 433 regular season games and 59 playoff games. His injuries are all just the result of his body not being able to support his frame (and maybe his lack of commitment to working out).
Giannis' previous injuries were all mostly freak things and not overuse injuries. He turned his ankle during the 2020 bubble playoffs. In 2021, Capela fell into his knee and most other players would have torn some knee ligaments. In 2023, he fell on his back. A lot of bad luck and guys trying to draw charges on him were the cause.
This year was different. It was a non-contact injury to his calf. That's more of an Embiid type injury and that's more of a concern long-term that he's breaking down.
@ShamsCharania: Milwaukee Bucks forward Thanasis Antetokounmpo has sustained a torn Achilles tendon and will undergo surgery, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.
Cheerleading injury?
Took one for his brother.
