Devin Carter Reaction Round-up

Sam Presti was apparently so heartbroken after trading Giddy, he had to try to replace him with Nikola Topic. Thanks a lot, dummy.

I would not be happy if I was an OKC fan. They could have had Devin Carter, the superior prospect, instead they get a guy who will miss the next year rehabbing an ACL. 

As much as I like Dalton Knecht, I dislike more the idea of adding another porous defender to our backcourt after bringing back Malik. It would be untenable to play Malik and Dalton together, just like any combination of Dalton, D-Lo and Reaves is going to get lit up like a Christmas tree at the point of attack.

I can fix our glut of guards in two steps (1) Huerter is now a SF. For the rest of his tenure, hopefully about to end in the next few days, you are no longer a SG. (2) Davion must go.

Davion was on the outs after re-signing Malik. Yesterday was the final nail in the coffin of his career as a King. It will be better for him too. If he is to reach his potential it won’t be here. I do not like him and Malik sharing backup minutes because neither one can check bigger guards.  

Malik and Devin Carter by contrast could be an incredible duo! With his 6’9 wingspan and dawg mentality, Keon-like harrassment, Carter can check both guard spots, helping mask a weakness of Malik. 

So, our guard rotation could or should like this:

Starters: Fox / Keon

Backups: Devin / Malik

Our fifth guard is Colby Jones. Davion must be traded. It is not a “must” that Huerter be traded, though preferable. Huerter is moved to SF or traded.

To those fretting we did not land Caruso or Kuzma or another frontcourt player yesterday, and though free agency and trade season has barely started, I say three things:

1.Tell me you don’t know how to (armchair) GM without telling me.
2.Tell me you don’t know the basic principles of negotiation without telling me.
3.Tell me you lack any semblance of impulse control without telling me.

I am about to teach something to the fans who baselessly hate on our Front Office. Listen closely.  Sit down and shut up class is in session. 

There is one instance where it is arguably okay to overpay, and even then it is not the greatest idea, and that is, when you are acquiring what you perceive to be the final piece to your puzzle, the last component to a title contender. This is what the Knicks did when they targeted and acquired Bridges. They surrendered five first rounders because they perceive Bridges as missing piece to beat the Celtics and anyone in their way. I kind of love what they did.

We are not one piece away. If Keegan was a 20 PPG scorer, a go-to force, and if we had advanced out of the 1st round once in the last two years, or preferably 2nd round, then you could more accurately contend we are one move away instead of self-delusion.  Then, and only then, do you maybe sweeten the pot to excess.

We are objectively pretenders, not contenders, until we win a few rounds in the playoffs. 

Simultaneously there is more of a sense of urgency to make something happen because we are in the window of prime Domas and Fox.  It is incumbent on the GM to give his best players the best chance for ultimate team glory before this window closes. At the same time emptying the cupboard, so to speak, to try to obtain the final piece when you falsely perceive you are closer than you think, undermines your obligation, subverts the process and probably gets you fired. 

This is too nuanced of a concept for those who want it all and want it now. Sad!

Before the ink was dry on the contract, the new PHX owner shipped out Cam Johnson, Mikael Bridges and a boatload of picks for KD, the surgically repaired superstar three years past his prime. This decision was a disservice to Devin Booker. The Suns were not one move away from ultimate team glory, since adding KD required the Suns to gut their depth. This is not hindsight analysis. It was obvious at the time. Compare this to what the Knicks just did. They are stacked at every position, esp. if they can retain Hartenstein.

Moreover the same critics who express their disapproval over not getting anything done would be the first to crow if the price was too steep. This is their hypocrisy beneath the surface:

Breath 1: “How come you did not acquire Caruso, all it cost OKC was a player unplayable in their playoffs, a guy who cannot shoot or defend with off court issues”

Breath 2: “How come you paid #13 pick, Davion and a future first for Caruso, our cupboard is bare, and we are still unlikely to get out the 1st round!”

Breath 1: “How come we did not acquire Deni Avdija for the #13 and Huerter, a deal comparable to what the Blazers just did, we need a talented young wing!”

Breath 2: “How come we traded for Keegan-lite, a duplicative player who does not address our front court toughness, now our cupboard is bare!”

For those who claim, this is a false dichotomy, that “you don’t know exactly what we would have had to give up for Caruso or Avdija”. Yeah, and neither do you. However, what I do know is that our GM has shown prudence and cunning in optimizing talent exchange as relates to Buddy (dead money), Marvin (dead money), getting more talent than you might expect, namely Lyles and Donte D. 

I have evidence and relevant history on my side. You have impatience. Let our GM cook.

There was speculation at one point that Chef McNair had Cam Johnson and Kuzma on his radar. That we were pursuing both simultaneously. It was not one or the other, it was both or bust. This is the type of deals our GM is cooking up, that likely would have required the #13, Huerter HB and Davion to pull off.  How much more visionary is this pursuit than this myopic notion to draft Zach Edey, the 7’4’ pylon, which almost everyone on this forum endorsed, like almost everyone endorsed Jaden Ivey two years ago, when it was obvious Keegan was the BPA and best fit?  

Again, to the critics, verklempt and aghast and wheezing over drafting another undersized guard, to you, I say, sit down, shut up, and let our GM cook!

The Zack Edey discussion was moot anyway because the Grizzlies were going to take him if they could not trade up for Clingkan.  He makes more sense there because JJJ can step out on the perimeter more so than Domas to check bigger wings. 

It would be an insult to Fox and his driving lanes and Domas and his natural position to draft a lumbering oaf with the reaction time of a snail.

Here’s my plan, guys, tell me what you think, let’s undermine and alienate our two best players by drafting the slowest most cumbersome doofus available, what do you say? 

Peanut Gallery: Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!

Our GM is not immune from criticism. I am not defending him at every turn, though it may be perceived this way.  He must trade Davion this summer. You cannot go into training camp with him on the team. Maybe he backed himself into a corner where he must move on from him with trade value low. He must bite the bullet on this one. If stubbornness gets the best of him, he deserves criticism.

I would like to see us pursue Simone Fontecchio and Obi Tobin as free agents. Can we sign them as RFAs then peddle HB and Davion in a S&T to discourage them from matching? I would not close the door on Cam Johnson or Kuzma, though not having the #13 as trade chip makes a deal less likely.

There is a time to pounce that we are approaching. This time is when the Plan A B and C of the other teams fail to materialize, disappointment sets in, when asking price invariably falls. Patience is a virtue. So is predatory readiness when the enemy, and you must look at your counterpart this way, becomes vulnerable. This is the game not for the faint of heart or weak of mind.  

We pounced yesterday when Devin fell into our lap. This was a good day. Sam Presti choked when Cody Williams came off the board. Our GM flexed, identifying a prospect with Jrue Holiday like potential. Today we stack good on good when Adem Bona or Bronny James become a King. Even if LeBron does not want to play for us, which he does not, Bronny is an asset, 1st round pick payable to us, from a team who want to entice LeBron over the course of the next three seasons to play for them before he retires.

Regardless, I trust our GM. Let him cook. Class dismissed.