Cavs correctly called tight first-round pick market

Do You Want A Cookie, Bros?

This is another sign of the new cba. More teams are looking to pickup and develop draft choices rather than acquire FAs and the large contracts. A good thing for smaller market teams and teams in the process of rebuilding.

QUOTE(#5):

Originally posted 11:52 AM ET  02.24 by jgb

not sure what it has to do with the new cba, rather that there aren't enough good playersyou can have all the picks you want- but unless you draft well, whats the pointif you are a bottom feeder, its cause you don't have the talentunless you mix in FAs with young guys- you aren't going to win

No, disagree, If there weren't enough good players, then picks would flow as freely as they had in the past in trades. Teams (and not just lottery bound teams) are holding onto these draft choices to get the less expensive talent, and showing they are willing to develop the players. And yes, I agree, teams will have to draft better and do a better job scouting the international leagues as well. I think teams are committed to that, and this was brought about with the new cba.

QUOTE(#6):

Originally posted 11:56 AM ET  02.24 by G-B

I remember us saying that this new CBA would be a good thing. the teams that's way over the cap are trying to shave off some salary for the future. Teams are now wiser w/ overpaying players. Players that don't deserve max money will not get max money anymore. The playing field will be leveled soon. Big cities will not be able to take as many superstars as they want.

Yes, exactly. I think players like Josh Smith or Al Jefferson would have easily gotten team's to re-sign them to max contracts in the past. Now, the deadline has past, and they are going into the summer with a chance at being FAs. I'm sure some sign and trade can be worked out, but it's just as you said: big cities will be cutting back.

Mavs vs. Lakers today. Mavs look good and this could be a pivotal game.

QUOTE(#7):

Originally posted 12:12 PM ET  02.24 by jgb

how is it good that memphis had to salary dump rudy?or how OKC had to trade harden away?or your team had to break up a championship team?this is a business- good management makes smart decisions, bad management makes bad ones- its not fair to penalize good management by limiting their ability to succeed

That's just it. Harden was great for the Rockets, they will probably make the playoffs this year. And Raptors have an outside shot to make the playoffs as well with Gay. The new cba forces a better distribution of talent across the league. So it's less about a few teams from large markets dominating the league, and more about how good teams are at scouting, drafting and developing talent. There are still big contracts, but there is also more value on the draft.

QUOTE(#2):

Originally posted 10:43 AM ET  02.24 by Red Mamba

This is another sign of the new cba. More teams are looking to pickup and develop draft choices rather than acquire FAs and the large contracts. A good thing for smaller market teams and teams in the process of rebuilding.

It is funny how right after the New CBA was announce and the Lakers still managed to sign the new "superstar team" everybody (well many at least) was saying the new CBA was a failure in its intended "leveling" goal. Things are sure changing.

QUOTE(#14):

Originally posted 12:50 PM ET  02.24 by jgb

Let me clarify..... not saying it isn't important to develop players, it is....especially for non big market teams. But I don't think that picking high and developing guys works unless management is good. And the teams that do develop guys all were lucky enough to have a franchise guyNo franchise guy means you can't competeNow you get teams like okc who drafted phenomenally having to purge talent.....that's just wrong

I agree with what you said about good management. You can pick as high as you want, but if your FO is bad (Sac for example), the team goes nowhere. And getting a frachnchise player is important to the success of the team.

But there's more to drafting and assembling a team than just the top 5 picks in a draft. The Spurs for example picked up Manu as the 57th pick. Parker and Splitter were late 20 picks, Green was a FA, Neal was picked up in the summer league, etc.. A lot of work to assemble a team without a lot of high picks. Other teams need to follow that example.

And if the Spurs can draft one franchise guy in Duncan, and then build the team around him, there's nothing preventing another team from doing the same. Every team at some point has the opportunity to get one franchise guy through draft or FA.

I see the distribution of talent making a team better as far as players. The FO can still stink though.

QUOTE(#9):

Originally posted 12:33 PM ET  02.24 by jgb

you totally didn't answer my questionthese teams HAD all the players already-harden was a RFA- they had him for 4-5 more years, but because of the new CBA and the penalties for drafting well - they had to move himif the old cba was in- the tax hit wouldn't have been as devastating

He doesn't have an answer (a good one at least) to the question. The new CBA definitely penalizes teams like OKC, Memphis and SA who are smaller markets with great organizational management. The new CBA will do more damage than good. Bad management will still make terrible decisions. Nothing will stop that.

QUOTE(#15):

Originally posted 12:57 PM ET  02.24 by jgb

now wait a minute-the original team might not give these guys max's but some team will.....and again - it goes back to management- a GOOD/SMART gm won't do thisAnd as for the spreading of talent- I look at it 180* differently-- you are making good teams WORSE-memphis is not as good without rudyokc is worse without hardenso instead of having 3-4 elite teams, then a next tier of very good teamsthen a tier of average, then a tier of badyou are now going to have the same top teams, but the good teams fall to mediocre and there still will be bad ones- IMO this makes the league weaker as a whole

Respectfully disagree, jgb. Much as I enjoy watching the Heat, for example, I thing it will be better for the league to have more competitive teams. More teams with more "important" games.
Better for attendance at games and possibly TV as well (though I concede maybe national viewship will suffer and want games between super teams).