06-07-2021, 01:17 AM
(06-06-2021, 08:15 PM)KillerLeft Wrote: He IS the front office.
The national media doesn't even know Donnie Nelson's name, which is just how Cuban likes it.
If YOU were Cuban, things would run well, I'm sure. Sadly, you are not, so you might feel less frustrated if you stop expecting him to do what you would do.
Nailed it. That's the reason that the end of Dirk's career didn't see much done. Cuban was all fired up going after superstars to sign every year. Donnie did try to make some upgrades in the offseason. They tried to get more defense. The moves just haven't worked out. I was never high on KP to begin with due to the injury issues. He's definitely not a max guy at the moment. But, he's unlikely to be going anywhere either due to that contract. I think he can be salvaged as a good starter if he has someone to take some defensive load off of him.
Honestly, Donnie has seemed to be more in control the past 3-4 years along with Rick. They just didn't have many assets leftover from the Cuban as GM era. They have come up with a top 5 generational HOF level talent in Luka and KP and THJ for scraps. Guys like Maxi have been good additions outside of the draft. DFS is another good undrafted and developed player. Brunson was a great pick.
The problem has really just been that Cuban blew assets for so long they didn't have much to work with. Most teams in the league have had way more assets and done less with them. I know everyone wanted to see them take a step forward as did I this season. The moves that didn't work out are really what hampered things. I'm curious to see how the current rookies grow.
You also have to ask yourself though, how many 22 year old players have EVER been a 2 time all star and considered to be a top 5 (arguably best) player in the NBA already? That rush to build a contender so soon is also difficult to do. It's a good problem to have. But, it's a problem nonetheless. I'll probably be called a homer for saying this but Luka is on a path to be a top 3 player of all time. Will he get there? Who knows. But, he's definitely on that path.
Donnie needs to make some good moves this offseason. And I think after seeing 3 years of Luka playing like this and getting exponentially better each year, his job is about to be a lot easier.