Post by SkRoUsE on Aug 23, 2010 15:09:48 GMT -5
I want to thank you all for reading this tonight. And now with the floor open we will start off with the question most of you are really intersted in finding out the answer to. Jayrish...
1. jayrish - WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU THINKING!? (In reference to the Zo trade I'm assuming)
I will get this question out of the way... Last year with my starting 5 I thought I could make a run at a title. I had a great front court combo, with 3 pretty solid defenders and shooters in my back court. My depth was a little lacking but could get it done. I started the season 9-3 and my defense was dominant, Zo was the reason. Then Randolph got hurt, like 60+ days and my team nose dived. My D was still solid but rebounding and points both took major hits. By the time Randolph came back I was in a pickle, had about 20 days left to make trades and I didn't know what direction to go in, move Zo for youth and/or picks and build around Randolph and Artest, or move pieces other than Zo to add a running mate.
Before Randolph came back, I shopped Zo, got no legit offers, save 1 from the Jazz, I wanted to wait though to see what would happen when he returned. When he came back he wasn't playing well and my team couldn't get back to the huge strides they had early on. So I decided to move Zo, the Jazz trade was no longer available due to the fact one of the key parts of the trade was already traded, Q. Woods. I wanted to move Zo because he wasn't going to be enough for me to win now and I wanted to move him before his ratings and production decreased. The biggest problem teams had when I shopped him was his age, so I looked for a team with a hole in the C position that could win now if they filled it with Zo, Detroit was the best situation. He had a mid to early 04 1st, J Rich, Magloire and Alston.
The initial deal was a lot better than what I ended up with, and the biggest thing I would've changed looking back now is not including my 04 1st. Had I got Magloire, J Rich, Alston and Por 04 1st for just Zo & Pippen, the deal would've been a lot more even and better for myself. But RV did a good job of tweaking a little bit here and there and had I looked at where the deal started and where it ended I would've never done it. Adding Hughes, who I did not like very much and swapping Magloire for Priest were 2 huge changes I shouldn't have agreed too but oh well, too late now. Now I have to just look forward and learn from my mistake.
2. zeropointzero - Do you feel you're limiting Chris Kaman's growth as a player by putting him at the 4, a position that A. is not his natural spot and B. puts him behind 22 year old stud Zach Randolph? I understand that Shawn Kemp is putting up excellent numbers at Center, but with your team floundering around .500, wouldn't it make more sense to prepare for the future with Kaman at Center?
When drafting Kaman he looked like a guy that could do well in my system and contribute as a starter. After training camp, preseason and a few sims I clearly could see he isn't there yet. I never intended on the FA signing of Shawn Kemp to be a comeback for him but his production was so good, and Kaman so poor I couldn't just let my team struggle to let Kaman get PT. I made a few tweaks and I feel Kaman is getting plenty of time. He is the first big man off the bench and plays alongside both Randolph and Kemp as he is the first back up for both. Playing both the C and the PF position I feel is good for his development and I hope he continues to improve. Kemp will only be here for 2 seasons max and Kaman will have plenty of time to grow as post player, whether it is the C or PF position.
3. 20/20/20/20 - Do you think the core you have now can develop into a contender? Honestly, taking a look at your roster and the talent that is available, I don't see it. There are a few talented players but even if they develop well, I don't think that puts you as a top team in the league. Do you think you have the players to become a contender in a few years? I know that the Grizzlies 1st in 2004 should net a good player, but other than that what is your plan to add talent to your club?
Yes I do 20, obviously not anytime soon but Randolph and Artest have shown great improvement over 2 full seasons and training camp and as they both continue to develop, I feel my chances as a title contender will too. I plan to use my early 2004 pick to add another young talented player, and I hope that SG Jason Richardson will start to use his A potential, and begin to blossom. Randolph and Artest are both good in their own ways, Randolph as a scorer, Artest has a hustler and defender, however J Rich is still finding himself as a player. He shows flashes of brilliance scoring big some nights shooting lights out, and struggling other nights. They all still are very young and have quite a bit of raw talent, it's just a matter of time before they fill out their potential.
I am still in need of a few pieces though you are correct, PG was a huge need for us last year but I feel Damon and Rafer have filled the role nicely so far this season. Rafer will continue to develop and perhaps take control of this team as it's starting PG, for now the veteran Jones is carrying the load fine. I am also excited about Chris Kaman, he doesn’t' have much potential but should be a solid player after a few seasons, if another young C in Atlanta should happen to "bounce" our way, perhaps Kaman will remain the our 6th man as our first big off the bench. But that's a little too far for me to worry about that right now.
4. h/t - GM Skrouse right now you sit at 14-19 and the 8 seed in the watered down west. Would you say you’re happy with that, and how are you going to go about improving your team this year to avoid the Fighting Kahns in the first round?
I am not happy with our sub .500 record but my team has shown some flashes of brilliance. We beat a few good teams but have had some embarrassing losses to teams like Memphis who frankly, we should beat every time out. A lot of our young players as I have said are still developing into the players that can help this team win, our coaching staff is working vigorously to find what styles fit our young stars and how to tap into that hidden potential. As for the T-Wolves, we will play whatever team we are told to line up against come June and July and worry about them when that happens. I'm not going to really discuss playoff in December... But if I were, I'd point out that we actually have beat them in our 1st of 4 match ups and I hope we can replicate that the rest of this season. And if we have to play them a few more times in the post season we'll be ready and do our best to win the series.
5. ohhaithur - What do you plan on doing with the Grizzlies likely-top-5 pick? You are really strong at PF. Would you pass on Emeka for one of the guards if the situation arose or go BPA?
The draft is a long ways away and there is a lot of basketball and bouncing of ping pong balls before I have to determine who I'm going to take. If we are fortunate enough to land a top 5 pick will we do our best to evaluate the available players and make the move that puts our team in the best position to move forward. If that means drafting a highly valued player that is at a position we already feel we have under control then we will. Certain players have such a high value it's worth drafting and trading them, over settling for a position of need and leaving great value on the board.
There is only once certainty come draft day... if we have the #1 overall pick, the #12 in Denver will belong to one man and one man only. That's all I'm saying.
Thanks again for the questions guys, I really appreciate the time you took to look at my situation and give me a chance to improve my team. If you have more, please post them I will gladly answer them just for shits and giggles.
1. jayrish - WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU THINKING!? (In reference to the Zo trade I'm assuming)
I will get this question out of the way... Last year with my starting 5 I thought I could make a run at a title. I had a great front court combo, with 3 pretty solid defenders and shooters in my back court. My depth was a little lacking but could get it done. I started the season 9-3 and my defense was dominant, Zo was the reason. Then Randolph got hurt, like 60+ days and my team nose dived. My D was still solid but rebounding and points both took major hits. By the time Randolph came back I was in a pickle, had about 20 days left to make trades and I didn't know what direction to go in, move Zo for youth and/or picks and build around Randolph and Artest, or move pieces other than Zo to add a running mate.
Before Randolph came back, I shopped Zo, got no legit offers, save 1 from the Jazz, I wanted to wait though to see what would happen when he returned. When he came back he wasn't playing well and my team couldn't get back to the huge strides they had early on. So I decided to move Zo, the Jazz trade was no longer available due to the fact one of the key parts of the trade was already traded, Q. Woods. I wanted to move Zo because he wasn't going to be enough for me to win now and I wanted to move him before his ratings and production decreased. The biggest problem teams had when I shopped him was his age, so I looked for a team with a hole in the C position that could win now if they filled it with Zo, Detroit was the best situation. He had a mid to early 04 1st, J Rich, Magloire and Alston.
The initial deal was a lot better than what I ended up with, and the biggest thing I would've changed looking back now is not including my 04 1st. Had I got Magloire, J Rich, Alston and Por 04 1st for just Zo & Pippen, the deal would've been a lot more even and better for myself. But RV did a good job of tweaking a little bit here and there and had I looked at where the deal started and where it ended I would've never done it. Adding Hughes, who I did not like very much and swapping Magloire for Priest were 2 huge changes I shouldn't have agreed too but oh well, too late now. Now I have to just look forward and learn from my mistake.
2. zeropointzero - Do you feel you're limiting Chris Kaman's growth as a player by putting him at the 4, a position that A. is not his natural spot and B. puts him behind 22 year old stud Zach Randolph? I understand that Shawn Kemp is putting up excellent numbers at Center, but with your team floundering around .500, wouldn't it make more sense to prepare for the future with Kaman at Center?
When drafting Kaman he looked like a guy that could do well in my system and contribute as a starter. After training camp, preseason and a few sims I clearly could see he isn't there yet. I never intended on the FA signing of Shawn Kemp to be a comeback for him but his production was so good, and Kaman so poor I couldn't just let my team struggle to let Kaman get PT. I made a few tweaks and I feel Kaman is getting plenty of time. He is the first big man off the bench and plays alongside both Randolph and Kemp as he is the first back up for both. Playing both the C and the PF position I feel is good for his development and I hope he continues to improve. Kemp will only be here for 2 seasons max and Kaman will have plenty of time to grow as post player, whether it is the C or PF position.
3. 20/20/20/20 - Do you think the core you have now can develop into a contender? Honestly, taking a look at your roster and the talent that is available, I don't see it. There are a few talented players but even if they develop well, I don't think that puts you as a top team in the league. Do you think you have the players to become a contender in a few years? I know that the Grizzlies 1st in 2004 should net a good player, but other than that what is your plan to add talent to your club?
Yes I do 20, obviously not anytime soon but Randolph and Artest have shown great improvement over 2 full seasons and training camp and as they both continue to develop, I feel my chances as a title contender will too. I plan to use my early 2004 pick to add another young talented player, and I hope that SG Jason Richardson will start to use his A potential, and begin to blossom. Randolph and Artest are both good in their own ways, Randolph as a scorer, Artest has a hustler and defender, however J Rich is still finding himself as a player. He shows flashes of brilliance scoring big some nights shooting lights out, and struggling other nights. They all still are very young and have quite a bit of raw talent, it's just a matter of time before they fill out their potential.
I am still in need of a few pieces though you are correct, PG was a huge need for us last year but I feel Damon and Rafer have filled the role nicely so far this season. Rafer will continue to develop and perhaps take control of this team as it's starting PG, for now the veteran Jones is carrying the load fine. I am also excited about Chris Kaman, he doesn’t' have much potential but should be a solid player after a few seasons, if another young C in Atlanta should happen to "bounce" our way, perhaps Kaman will remain the our 6th man as our first big off the bench. But that's a little too far for me to worry about that right now.
4. h/t - GM Skrouse right now you sit at 14-19 and the 8 seed in the watered down west. Would you say you’re happy with that, and how are you going to go about improving your team this year to avoid the Fighting Kahns in the first round?
I am not happy with our sub .500 record but my team has shown some flashes of brilliance. We beat a few good teams but have had some embarrassing losses to teams like Memphis who frankly, we should beat every time out. A lot of our young players as I have said are still developing into the players that can help this team win, our coaching staff is working vigorously to find what styles fit our young stars and how to tap into that hidden potential. As for the T-Wolves, we will play whatever team we are told to line up against come June and July and worry about them when that happens. I'm not going to really discuss playoff in December... But if I were, I'd point out that we actually have beat them in our 1st of 4 match ups and I hope we can replicate that the rest of this season. And if we have to play them a few more times in the post season we'll be ready and do our best to win the series.
5. ohhaithur - What do you plan on doing with the Grizzlies likely-top-5 pick? You are really strong at PF. Would you pass on Emeka for one of the guards if the situation arose or go BPA?
The draft is a long ways away and there is a lot of basketball and bouncing of ping pong balls before I have to determine who I'm going to take. If we are fortunate enough to land a top 5 pick will we do our best to evaluate the available players and make the move that puts our team in the best position to move forward. If that means drafting a highly valued player that is at a position we already feel we have under control then we will. Certain players have such a high value it's worth drafting and trading them, over settling for a position of need and leaving great value on the board.
There is only once certainty come draft day... if we have the #1 overall pick, the #12 in Denver will belong to one man and one man only. That's all I'm saying.
Thanks again for the questions guys, I really appreciate the time you took to look at my situation and give me a chance to improve my team. If you have more, please post them I will gladly answer them just for shits and giggles.
