Why a long range plan matters

[Nikolokolus]

Taken from Abbott's truehoop column about winners and losers:
http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/32302/the-winners-and-losers-of-a-new-cba

WINNERS: The Denver Nuggets

Remember when the Heat had all that cap room to sign free agents? The Nuggets are basically like that, only now all kinds of teams will be on a course to shed payroll. There’s not a system in the world in which you can’t parlay tiny roster commitments into potential.

And the flipside:

LOSERS: The Portland Trail Blazers

The Blazers carry high salaries with a mediocre team, and we know for certain the GM has not spent the summer executing a new master plan. We know this because there is no GM. But common sense would suggest this team has to win a lot or change a lot, and one of its favorite tools of the past -- outspending rivals -- has grown trickier.

It's Daniel Snyder's (Redskins) approach versus Ted Thompson's (Packers). I know who I'd put my money on.

 

[RoyToy]

Lol at comparing the Redskins to the Blazers

Roy will be cut

Aldridge is now underpaid

Gerald only has two years left on his contract

After that it's Wesley making $6.1M this year.

Lazy analysis.

 

[RR7]

How is denver like GB in that analogy exactly?

 

[Nikolokolus]

How is denver like GB in that analogy exactly?

Managing their cap, getting cheap young players and giving themselves flexibility.

 

[julius]

Long term...fuck, I'd settle for short term.

 

[Nikolokolus]

Lol at comparing the Redskins to the Blazers

Roy will be cut

Aldridge is now underpaid

Gerald only has two years left on his contract

After that it's Wesley making $6.1M this year.

Lazy analysis.

You think there's much difference between Paul Allen and Daniel Snyder?
Meddlesome? Check.
Impatient? Check.
Would rather outspend an opponent than out-maneuver them? Check.
Overrules his personnel department when it comes to trades and acquisitions? Check.
Swaps out front office people like underwear? Check.
Paranoid and secretive? Check.

Tell me how the two are different?

 

[RR7]

I agree with you on the PA-Snyder comparisons. the ONLY reason Denver is in the situation they are in is because their star player told them he was going to leave, so they traded him away for some young pieces. Long term plan? You think trading away Carmelo last year was part of their long term plan?

 

[RoyToy]

Denver is all depth with no stars. Decent start, but nothing to get really excited about, and they could very well lose Nene.

The Blazers have a star in Aldridge and young players either in or entering their prime with him. Camby doesn't fit that, but Oden is still the wildcard.

I'd easily rather have the Blazers' roster. Just look at them lmao.

 

[Nikolokolus]

I agree with you on the PA-Snyder comparisons. the ONLY reason Denver is in the situation they are in is because their star player told them he was going to leave, so they traded him away for some young pieces. Long term plan? You think trading away Carmelo last year was part of their long term plan?

Nope, but when they realized the situation they squeezed the Knicks for all they were worth, extracting the maximum amount of value they could from the situation ... they adapted and formulated a new plan in short.

 

[RoyToy]

You think there's much difference between Paul Allen and Daniel Snyder?
Meddlesome? Check. True
Impatient? Check. Different opinions. Not wanting to blow it up is not being "impatient"
Would rather outspend an opponent than out-maneuver them? Check. Do you have facts to support this statement? High payroll =/= rather outspend then out-maneuver. Gerald trade is a great example. Got great value out of an expiring contract. That's great maneuvering, sorry.
Overrules his personnel department when it comes to trades and acquisitions? Check. Not very often, and he just didn't agree with Cho's philosophy(which I didn't as well). blowing it up would have been absurdly stupid
Swaps out front office people like underwear? Check. We'll never know the whole KP situation, and Cho needed to go if his plan was to blow it up
Paranoid and secretive? Check. So?

Tell me how the two are different?

Above all, Snyder outspends on high-priced free agents in the off-season on guys like Haynesworth, who everyone said from day 1 was not worth that contract. That's the old Paul Allen. The PA now, not so much,

 

[RR7]

So then...a long range plan doesn't matter? Because you can just shift quickly on the fly to a new one. They had a long range plan of building around carmelo. Didn't work out.
We had a long range plan of building around roy, oden and LMA. Didn't work out. And now, with a potential amnesty clause, we have a chance to create a new plan of building around LMA. I mean, I agree with you on the comparison between Allen and Snyder, but the thread as a whole.....not so much. Denver is nothing like GB. They had one of the highest payrolls the last few years, I mean shit, just last season they gave their full MLE to Al Harrington. And are likely to pay Nene to be their top player when he's AT BEST a #2. I don't see how they are anything at all like GB. I mean, Utah, I can see as a comparison, and I think they got abetter return for Deron. Landing Gallinari as the centerpiece of a carmelo deal, while also landing a RFA in Chandler, a PG on last year of his contract in Felton, not getting Anthony Randolph in the deal, and not getting to also dump Harrington...not so much.

 

[RoyToy]

Look at the Nuggets roster this year with no Kenyon(who's about done anyways) and Chandler(one-dimensional player)

Lawson
Afflalo
Gallinari
Harrington
Anderson

Nene is a FA

Yeah they don't have a huge payroll. They also have crappy team.

Sure they have cap space, but it won't help much as they need a true difference maker and the only way they're going to get one of those is draft one. They could trade for one, but that most likely won't happen.

Having a bunch of decent players and no star player and low payroll does not mean you have a great long term plan. For the most part it means you're fucked and you better hope you get lucky in the draft.

 

[julius]

The teams that have extra cap space that they have to create, will be trading anchor contracts to Denver, not superstars.

 

[Drttimmy]

You think there's much difference between Paul Allen and Daniel Snyder?
Meddlesome? Check.
Impatient? Check.
Would rather outspend an opponent than out-maneuver them? Check.
Overrules his personnel department when it comes to trades and acquisitions? Check.
Swaps out front office people like underwear? Check.
Paranoid and secretive? Check.

Tell me how the two are different?

Snyder finally hired a strong football/personnel guy to run his team who apparently has complete autocracy with a vision and philosophy. They're still a work in progress, but I think they're headed in the right direction (non-sexy draft picks and free agents but effective ones). But your otherwise right if comparing to pre-Shanahan Snyder.

 

[Pinwheel1]

the ONLY reason Denver is in the situation they are in is because their star player told them he was going to leave, so they traded him away for some young pieces. Long term plan? You think trading away Carmelo last year was part of their long term plan?

Exactly. Denver played hard ball and got a lot in return. But that plan was about 6 months old.

I find it interesting that PA is being criticized for trying to buy a championship, and at the same time being accused as being the villain who wanted to prevent teams (himself included) in the future from being able to to just that. When was the last time the Blazers were way over the cap? 3-4 seasons?