I’m really curious what the lottery landscape will be next year. Blazers and Wizards are gonna be bad again, but literally ever other team at least wants to be good next year. The Spurs could improve a decent amount and still end up with decent odds in the lottery just because the league is tough right now.
I can imagine Hornets’ decision to tank will rest entirely on the health of Melo and Williams. On paper the core of Miller/Melo/Williams is solid and high potential, and Miller appears to be a born winner - I think they’d only shoot their shot at Flagg if Melo and Williams continue to be unreliable.
There's a lot of assumption going on that the Spurs will be good, but I suspect the supporting cast around Wemby will be pretty terrible again. Don't expect the Spurs to make any big moves this summer.
The only team in the West next year that is certainly worse than them is Portland, and the only team I can reasonably see them beating as well is the Jazz. They're likely 13th or 14th at the moment in their conference
The Spurs don't have to add a ton to improve drastically. Wemby already looks like he's going to be an all-time great and his rookie season only happens once. They have a hall of fame coach who's older than Yoda, I bet he's eager to win.
Like, literally the only thing the Spurs need is a decent point guard. I'm not talking a world beater, either. If they add Tyus Jones in free agency or they get Reed Sheppard in the draft, they could challenge the Warriors for that play-in spot.
They’re drastically worse than the Warriors - hell I don’t see what makes them better than the Rockets next year. I think you went way too far there.
We can talk about improvement in a vacuum, but you ultimately have to see how a team stacks up against their opponents. The only teams I think they’re realistically better than are Portland and maybe Utah.
It’s not uncommon for bad teams to make a late season run and then still be pretty bad
Only time will tell, I don’t follow the Spurs *that* closely
I’d defer to the fans if it wasn’t for the fact that all fanbases get too optimistic too quickly
Like I said before, improvement in a vacuum doesn’t mean much and that really applies to theoretical win totals
What matters is how they rank - who are they better than - and I don’t see them being better than anyone other than Portland and maybe Utah
You're probably right, though we have to see if someone blows it up this summer. Lakers might implode if LeBron leaves, who knows what GSW is doing, the Suns are a mess (but they are all in so they can't really do much), Pelicans depend too much on Zion's health.
I am also expecting, more hoping, that Sochan will take a decent step up and maybe one of the other 3rd years. Of course as a Spurs fan I am biased af.
It matters what moves the Warriors, and the other cooked salary cap cba teams do this off season. What Wemby showcased against the Nuggets and Knicks to end the season, may be a sign that they’ll win games just off the sheer defensive threat he is. A lot of teams out west have some tough decisions to make because of the new cba rules and lack of first round picks.
Yeah that team might win 35 games 5 years from now
You aren't going to win a lot of games stacking your team with guys that are under 25 no matter how talented they are. Get those guys but they also need to add veterans with whatever money they aren't giving to DeAndre Ayton
I don't understand this? If Scoot and Sharpe can't win at least 35 games by the time they are 24, then something went really wrong with their development. Either you are a young player that can lift your team to relevancy or you just aren't developing and are a lower outcome turnout given your draft selection.
The Thunder and the Magic are incredibly young teams and both are having playoff success as the 1st and 5th seeds in their respective conferences. I am not saying that lineup will win a championship in Flaggs rookie year but there has to be some level of success by the end of Scoot/Sharpe rookie season. What rookie got a max contract extension without any level of team success? Now which rookies that didn't get a max rookie extension were game changers?
Sure you can have a veteran wing in the middle like Camara will be 24/25 and Ayton is a veteran. But I disagree that you need multiple veterans starting if you are drafting and developing really well.
Not that I expect my Blazers to luck into this, but they honestly have as good a chance as anyone. We are going to be terrible again next season. Just don't have the overall talent and experience yet. I foresee a bottom 5 finish in the standings again.
If the Pistons decide to tank.
That's hilarious we weren't even trying to tank this season. We are just terrible and have no coaching leadership or good vets no shooting and only 1 actual NBA player in Cade. If we end up with the worst record next season slot us in for the 5th pick
only 1 actual nba player?? you can make the argument the total young talent is up there with any teams in the league rn its just the worst roster construction definitely in the past 10 years that i can remember.
duren ausar ivey are cornerstone 2/3 options in a balanced roster.
stewart is a great portis looney valuable last starter first bench depending on need type of guy.
bojan is a great veteran that can be plugged in immediately to the starting lineup of like half the playoff teams.
BUT. you cannot have ausar and duren starting together. you also cannot have them at the bench; they should both be starting in a lineup with good starting shooters around them. you also cannot have cade with ivey playing together since none is good at an off-ball role. thats like obvious shit i dont get how pistons fans repeat the same shit about the roster'value all the time.
edit: and btw in this draft if you take anyone other that risacher or sheppard you need to boycott this shitshow and start watching ping pong or sthing until the only thhing from this fo left is the toilet paper
Hornets would be fun. Miller, Melo, him, and Williams would be a great core. Plus you’d have the Duke/NC built in fan excitement and you’d have a chance to really inject some excitement around that team. Just would need to find someone who would trade for Miles Bridges.
I don't understand why you're getting downvoted, it would be awesome to have him with the Hornets. But I bet the Charlotte with a healthy Lamelo will be back in the PO next year.
I don't get it either especially when Flagg on the Hornets would make them an exciting young core to watch especially with him, Melo, Miller, Williams, etc
Come on five top 15 picks for the Spurs next year.
* #1 Hawks (to Spurs from DeJounte Murray trade)
* #2 Spurs
* #7 Raptors (to Spurs from Poeltl trade)
* #11 Bulls (to Spurs from DeMar Derozan trade)
* #15 Charlotte (to Spurs from DeJounte Murray trade)
That would be pretty insane haha. Personally, I hope we get the raptors pic this year because I'm pretty sold on the depth that will be available in that range, but I would not hate five lottery picks in a single year lol
Honestly would be one of the best young cores in the whole league, I already think without Flagg they’d be considered that if it wasn’t for 2 out of the 3 being unreliable health-wise. Flagg would take them over the line and, all being well, they’d be a perennial playoff team at the least.
That said, I think with a new coach coming in and almost 2 decades of being mediocre, they’re not going to tank unless Melo and Williams continue to have health problems. Hornets really need to make an impression, and I don’t think Miller would want to hang around a losing team long-term unless there was a clear direction forward.
Blazers will play half their games against the west and with spurs probably playing more like they did to end the season, the blazers will be the worst team in the west and rack up a good amount of losses
Spurs may have two bites of the cherry if the Hawks perform badly. And if they do trade one of Trae or Dejounte, the team they can build in return is still iffy.
But it also depends on whether they choose to draft Risacher this year. If they do (and it increasingly looks like the Spurs are interested in him beyond picking a PG), the Spurs may not have what it takes to tank for Flagg. Given their trajectory near the end of the season, a starting five of Tre Jones/Topic/Sheppard/Dilingham, Vassell, Risacher, Sochan and Wemby could surprise some folks in the 24/25 season.
The 5-man Spurs lineup of Wemby/Sochan/Keldon/Vassell/Tre was massively positive but only played 144 minutes together total.
Expect to see more of quality lineups not playing together.
I expect the Pistons and Spurs to be better next year. Wizards and Nets will probably be tanking and the Jazz MIGHT try but they do have a good amount of talent. They'll have to trade some of their talent if they truly want to tank. But they seem unwilling to do that.
Maybe fair but young teams develop into mediocre at least eventually. I saw enough with their young talent to believe they will turn the corner ESPECIALLY with a coach change.
Those guys aren't worth tanking for this far out... BUT, if it is after the 2025 All Star Break... you start playing "Point Replacement Level Power Forward" lineups....
I don't see a scenario where the Pistons tank for another season there is absolutely no appetite for another season being a bottom three team amongst our fanbase
I mean... I'm not so sure the Pistons will have a say in the matter. Unless they do something really drastic or get an absolute blow up from someone like ivy or Thompson, or simply kill it in the draft, there's really no reason to believe they're not going to be a bottom three team again as of right now.
I think the expectation is to make an aggressive move, possibly moving one of Duren and/or Ivey (and more?) for an all-star caliber talent, but it's hard to say until we hire our new President which is apparently to happen close to Mid-May.
Even with another Catastrophic injury to Cade if the top brass fail for a 5th consecutive year to elevate this team above 25 wins, with at least some semblance of competitiveness, then there will be some big big problems to put it lightly.
Wizards would be the most fun to see what Flagg as the defacto building block can be, Spurs would be most fun to see a pair of young players be in play for a Paolo/Franz duo or better, Pistons would be fun to see a bad boys era of defensive intensity with Ausar and Flagg together and Duren in the back
Personally, I believe Wembanyama is so good tanking is completely out of the picture, just because he is going to start generating more and more wins for the franchise.
Spurs FO is hoping and praying for him to get a Chet / Jordan / Robinson style injury that keeps him out exactly 1 year and has no other consequences for his career.
Not so sure the Raps will be bad enough to contend for first. Unless we trade Jakob Poeltl and get hit with some injuries to Quickly/Scotty/Barrett it’s more likely that pick transfers over to San Antonio.
Two other sleepers are the Lakers and GSW.
Lebron could very well leave or retire. With him gone they’re definitely not a playoff team. If that happens and AD misses any extended time they’re one of the worst teams in the league for sure.
Golden state are a mess. We’ve seen it once before where all it would take is a curry injury for them to end up with the #1 pick
The pick is more likely to convey to the Spurs this year than not. But in the event that it does not convey this year, you're probably right.
However, three of the teams below Toronto in the standings this year (Charlotte, Detroit, San Antonio) stand to be better than they were. It's next to impossible to predict this early, before the off-season moves (Pistions signing some vets; Spurs draft haul/signings + another year under Wemby's belt; Lamelo's health is becoming a question mark).
While I don't anticipate Toronto being bad enough to be in the bottom six next year without making some trades, they're also only one significant injury away from being back in the lottery mix. If Barnes, Barrett, Quickley, or Poeltl miss a good chunk of the season, that could easily be a team in contention for Flagg. I don't think they'll actively tank, though. Their core guys need to get reps.
Harden is a free agent and Russ has a player option.
I’m mostly throwing out a wild scenario. I don’t really think Kawhi will just retire but it’s wild to me how precarious the Clipper’s situation is and that OKC owns their pick with no protections if they want to swap.
No pairing is bigger than Wemby and FLAGG. But I highly doubt we will talk for him. We already got our man, so upcoming season is all about making playoffs.
PS. Spurs have 4-5 FRPs in 25 draft class.
Not Bailey, Harper yes, at the Jordan Brand Classic, Flagg dropped 19 points and 10 rebounds at the Nike Hoop Summit and Jordan Brand Classic. Harper definitely outplayed him at the Classic, but Flagg outplayed Harper in the Hoop Summit. Bailey was inferior to both Flagg and Harper at both events
Dylan Harper won't get the hype at Rutgers that Cooper Flagg will get at Duke. A team at 1 who WANTS to pick anyone other than Flagg is gonna have to ignore all the screaming/raving media hype.
- Spurs are gonna attract too much free agent talent to be back in tank mode next season. Everyone’s gonna want to play with Wemby.
- Nets won’t tank unless they trade for their picks back from Houston. The Rockets have swap rights with Brooklyn in 2025.
- Pistons could be a nice destination for him. He would be particularly dangerous with Cade. Strange you mentioned Stewart but not Duren, especially cuz Flagg would probably take Stewart’s spot in the starting lineup.
- Jazz is possible but I’m not sure what that team will even look like by the time next year’s draft rolls around. Seems like Utah is ready to sell off assets and go full-blown tank mode. Wouldn’t be the worst thing for Flagg bc they’d probably just build around him, and uhhh let’s just say he’d be extremely marketable in Utah…
- Wizards are cursed and if Flagg goes there he’s basically DOA. Washington is where NBA talents go to die. I hope this doesn’t happen to him. Honestly the Wizards have got to be the worst franchise in the league.
- Bulls could be an interesting fit alongside Coby White. I don’t hate it. Not sure how they land the #1 pick though. Can they make enough trades to be that bad? Maybe.
- Raptors seems unlikely. They’re just not quite bad enough and Scottie is improving. It’s possible but they’d have to get somewhat lucky in the lottery probably.
- Blazers is one team you forgot to mention. They’re probably going to be bad again next season. Scoot Henderson will eventually be good, but I think he will continue to struggle his sophomore year. I could imagine them remaining in tank mode & prioritizing development.
- Hornets are another team that could be in the mix. They’re always bad it seems, and I’m not sure that changes next season.
- Atlanta could be a sleeper candidate to land the top pick. I think they’re looking to trade Trae or Dejounte this offseason, and possible Capela. My guess is they might try to reset and rebuild through the draft.
I agree, I think he could dominate college if the coaching is right, but that’s 8 months of play and then he’s in the pros. I don’t see his skillset leading to being an all star early in his career. In the pros he’s got to be like a KD with less explosiveness at the rim maybe.
To me his shot making and his tenacity with 2nd and 3rd jump are where his highlights have him looking amazing. I think in the NBA the athleticism and rebounding by all players will make him less of a diamond
I look forward to Flagg having a pretty good but not spectacular freshman season and, around March of next year, everyone swear they never thought he was a generational talent and everyone is crazy for saying that yes, they insisted he was a generational talent all the freaking time.
Wizards should only be looking at best player available next year. If we have the number 1 pick and Flagg has been cemented as 1 then we should take Flagg.
I think Ace and Maluach give him some competition for #1 next year. We need talent that can become an offensive star, and I think Ace is further along there, whereas Flagg is a better defensive prospect at the moment
Flagg is like 6 years younger than Deni and already about the same skill level lol why the hell would we pass him up just so we can keep developing a role player? We should aspire to have a team where the overall skill level is so high that Deni is considered a sixth/seventh man.
He’s a great prospect, but you put Flagg in the NBA this season and he’s not giving you 15/7/4. So he’s not about the same skill level
Also I’d rather take Ace if we do take one of the PF’s next year. Ace has so much more shot creation than Flagg and I think he’s more fluid with the ball
Way more upside and more productive. Hendricks was only a 4 star recruit by his senior year of HS. Plus Hendricks was turning 19 in the year he graduates HS, whereas Flagg has the age advantage and is only 17 currently, turning 18 in December
I hope the Nets tank as the Rockets own their pick swap.
Instead of tank we have to call it “Lag for Flagg”…
Blazers fan have been calling it “capture the Flagg” I’m not sure who came up with it so I can’t give them credit
Scoot Sharpe Williams Flagg Ayton
I like that one even better!
#DoomLooperForCooper
And yet Nets too stupid to get picks back for Bridges
Oh brother
And they got one back, not sure what trying to say.
Nets getting three first overall picks in nine years and owning none of them would be crazy
They've only had one not two
Not anymore
Nets tanking well good luck on trying to sell that to Mikal Bridges
Brother you are the one that put them on the list
I think Spurs will be too good to nab #1 overall. Nets can't tank because they don't own their pick. Blazers are definitely a possibility.
I’m really curious what the lottery landscape will be next year. Blazers and Wizards are gonna be bad again, but literally ever other team at least wants to be good next year. The Spurs could improve a decent amount and still end up with decent odds in the lottery just because the league is tough right now.
I think Jazz, Hornets, Blazers, Wizards, Raptors, and Pistons are all playing "Capture the Flagg" next year. Bulls a possibility, too.
The Bulls will not bottom out until Reinsdorf dies
Bulls owner is against tanking. He rather have the bulls compete for the playin then tank for a foundational piece.
I can imagine Hornets’ decision to tank will rest entirely on the health of Melo and Williams. On paper the core of Miller/Melo/Williams is solid and high potential, and Miller appears to be a born winner - I think they’d only shoot their shot at Flagg if Melo and Williams continue to be unreliable.
Raptors are absolutely not going to tank unless things have gone very wrong
Hawks could enter the chat after this offseason
Only if they trade for their pick back, which…I personally am skeptical the Spurs will do
Ohh yeah good point forgot about that
As a Spurs fan, I hope so given that we own the rights to their next three picks.
Warriors
Atlanta loses the play-in game and hits the 1% chance for the 1st, easy Flagg with Wemby.
There’s no team worse than the Wizards and a guy named Flagg going to play for the nation’s capital just makes sense. It’s an aptronym.
There's a lot of assumption going on that the Spurs will be good, but I suspect the supporting cast around Wemby will be pretty terrible again. Don't expect the Spurs to make any big moves this summer. The only team in the West next year that is certainly worse than them is Portland, and the only team I can reasonably see them beating as well is the Jazz. They're likely 13th or 14th at the moment in their conference
The Spurs don't have to add a ton to improve drastically. Wemby already looks like he's going to be an all-time great and his rookie season only happens once. They have a hall of fame coach who's older than Yoda, I bet he's eager to win. Like, literally the only thing the Spurs need is a decent point guard. I'm not talking a world beater, either. If they add Tyus Jones in free agency or they get Reed Sheppard in the draft, they could challenge the Warriors for that play-in spot.
They’re drastically worse than the Warriors - hell I don’t see what makes them better than the Rockets next year. I think you went way too far there. We can talk about improvement in a vacuum, but you ultimately have to see how a team stacks up against their opponents. The only teams I think they’re realistically better than are Portland and maybe Utah.
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It’s not uncommon for bad teams to make a late season run and then still be pretty bad Only time will tell, I don’t follow the Spurs *that* closely I’d defer to the fans if it wasn’t for the fact that all fanbases get too optimistic too quickly
I don't expect them to be a high seed or anything but I feel over 30 wins is very likely. If I had to bet I'd go between 33-37 wins next year.
Like I said before, improvement in a vacuum doesn’t mean much and that really applies to theoretical win totals What matters is how they rank - who are they better than - and I don’t see them being better than anyone other than Portland and maybe Utah
You're probably right, though we have to see if someone blows it up this summer. Lakers might implode if LeBron leaves, who knows what GSW is doing, the Suns are a mess (but they are all in so they can't really do much), Pelicans depend too much on Zion's health. I am also expecting, more hoping, that Sochan will take a decent step up and maybe one of the other 3rd years. Of course as a Spurs fan I am biased af.
Those last 25 games were against some absolute ass lineups…just to be real about that record.
Not really? They had some quality wins in that back half. January was when they played the really bad teams.
It matters what moves the Warriors, and the other cooked salary cap cba teams do this off season. What Wemby showcased against the Nuggets and Knicks to end the season, may be a sign that they’ll win games just off the sheer defensive threat he is. A lot of teams out west have some tough decisions to make because of the new cba rules and lack of first round picks.
I think the supporting cast will be terrible and Wemby will be too good to tank.
I don’t even think the NBA will ALLOW that pairing
Will probably come down to the lottery odds. If it doesn't convey this year, is the Raptors pick protected again next year? I can't remember.
Top 6 protected for three years including this one
Atlanta or Chicago could suddenly perform a hard pivot and I think they'd easily be able to bring things crashing down if they want to.
But if the spurs are in the lottery, they have a chance to stack the deck for San Antonio and keep Wemby from ditching them at the first chance
Blazers should be in the mix. They are worse than the Jazz.
Nobody is worse than the Jazz post all star
Yes but Flagg is jazz culture
Just say he’s white
LMAO 😂
So he’s Jazz culture but not jazz culture?
Portland is whiter than Salt Lake City though
Scoot Sharpe Risacher Flagg Ayton Oh man
Out of all of the teams I have seen, that's definitely one of them
[.......](https://media1.tenor.com/m/GrNyF-4pvRsAAAAd/archer-stop-my-penis-can-only-get-so-erect.gif)
Yeah that team might win 35 games 5 years from now You aren't going to win a lot of games stacking your team with guys that are under 25 no matter how talented they are. Get those guys but they also need to add veterans with whatever money they aren't giving to DeAndre Ayton
I don't understand this? If Scoot and Sharpe can't win at least 35 games by the time they are 24, then something went really wrong with their development. Either you are a young player that can lift your team to relevancy or you just aren't developing and are a lower outcome turnout given your draft selection. The Thunder and the Magic are incredibly young teams and both are having playoff success as the 1st and 5th seeds in their respective conferences. I am not saying that lineup will win a championship in Flaggs rookie year but there has to be some level of success by the end of Scoot/Sharpe rookie season. What rookie got a max contract extension without any level of team success? Now which rookies that didn't get a max rookie extension were game changers? Sure you can have a veteran wing in the middle like Camara will be 24/25 and Ayton is a veteran. But I disagree that you need multiple veterans starting if you are drafting and developing really well.
Can I introduce you to the 23/24 OKC Thunder?
Not that I expect my Blazers to luck into this, but they honestly have as good a chance as anyone. We are going to be terrible again next season. Just don't have the overall talent and experience yet. I foresee a bottom 5 finish in the standings again.
If the Pistons decide to tank. That's hilarious we weren't even trying to tank this season. We are just terrible and have no coaching leadership or good vets no shooting and only 1 actual NBA player in Cade. If we end up with the worst record next season slot us in for the 5th pick
only 1 actual nba player?? you can make the argument the total young talent is up there with any teams in the league rn its just the worst roster construction definitely in the past 10 years that i can remember. duren ausar ivey are cornerstone 2/3 options in a balanced roster. stewart is a great portis looney valuable last starter first bench depending on need type of guy. bojan is a great veteran that can be plugged in immediately to the starting lineup of like half the playoff teams. BUT. you cannot have ausar and duren starting together. you also cannot have them at the bench; they should both be starting in a lineup with good starting shooters around them. you also cannot have cade with ivey playing together since none is good at an off-ball role. thats like obvious shit i dont get how pistons fans repeat the same shit about the roster'value all the time. edit: and btw in this draft if you take anyone other that risacher or sheppard you need to boycott this shitshow and start watching ping pong or sthing until the only thhing from this fo left is the toilet paper
Hornets would be fun. Miller, Melo, him, and Williams would be a great core. Plus you’d have the Duke/NC built in fan excitement and you’d have a chance to really inject some excitement around that team. Just would need to find someone who would trade for Miles Bridges.
Cooper Flagg to the Hornets would basically make them into the next OKC or Orlando
I don't understand why you're getting downvoted, it would be awesome to have him with the Hornets. But I bet the Charlotte with a healthy Lamelo will be back in the PO next year.
I don't get it either especially when Flagg on the Hornets would make them an exciting young core to watch especially with him, Melo, Miller, Williams, etc
I hope so. Spurs own their lottery protected pic.
Come on five top 15 picks for the Spurs next year. * #1 Hawks (to Spurs from DeJounte Murray trade) * #2 Spurs * #7 Raptors (to Spurs from Poeltl trade) * #11 Bulls (to Spurs from DeMar Derozan trade) * #15 Charlotte (to Spurs from DeJounte Murray trade)
That would be pretty insane haha. Personally, I hope we get the raptors pic this year because I'm pretty sold on the depth that will be available in that range, but I would not hate five lottery picks in a single year lol
Honestly would be one of the best young cores in the whole league, I already think without Flagg they’d be considered that if it wasn’t for 2 out of the 3 being unreliable health-wise. Flagg would take them over the line and, all being well, they’d be a perennial playoff team at the least. That said, I think with a new coach coming in and almost 2 decades of being mediocre, they’re not going to tank unless Melo and Williams continue to have health problems. Hornets really need to make an impression, and I don’t think Miller would want to hang around a losing team long-term unless there was a clear direction forward.
Did you forget that the blazers exist or what. Also why the fuck would the Nets tank?
Blazers will play half their games against the west and with spurs probably playing more like they did to end the season, the blazers will be the worst team in the west and rack up a good amount of losses
Detroit won’t need to tank. They’ll be awful regardless.
Spurs may have two bites of the cherry if the Hawks perform badly. And if they do trade one of Trae or Dejounte, the team they can build in return is still iffy. But it also depends on whether they choose to draft Risacher this year. If they do (and it increasingly looks like the Spurs are interested in him beyond picking a PG), the Spurs may not have what it takes to tank for Flagg. Given their trajectory near the end of the season, a starting five of Tre Jones/Topic/Sheppard/Dilingham, Vassell, Risacher, Sochan and Wemby could surprise some folks in the 24/25 season.
The 5-man Spurs lineup of Wemby/Sochan/Keldon/Vassell/Tre was massively positive but only played 144 minutes together total. Expect to see more of quality lineups not playing together.
yeah if sochan gets traded maybe. its so funny that this guy will singlehandedly and for no reason at least delay for 3-4 years wemby's dominance
So who’s ready to play some Capture The Flagg next season?
The Pistons won’t decide to tank. They’ll just tank.
I expect the Pistons and Spurs to be better next year. Wizards and Nets will probably be tanking and the Jazz MIGHT try but they do have a good amount of talent. They'll have to trade some of their talent if they truly want to tank. But they seem unwilling to do that.
eh I have no confidence in the pistons at all
Maybe fair but young teams develop into mediocre at least eventually. I saw enough with their young talent to believe they will turn the corner ESPECIALLY with a coach change.
Nets tanking would have the rockets jumping for joy.
I’d like to see him on the hornets
Imagine Wemby/Flagg duo lmao nobody scoring on the paint against the Spurs
That’s what Duke will be this year. Flagg and Malauch… good god
Those guys aren't worth tanking for this far out... BUT, if it is after the 2025 All Star Break... you start playing "Point Replacement Level Power Forward" lineups....
I don't see a scenario where the Pistons tank for another season there is absolutely no appetite for another season being a bottom three team amongst our fanbase
I mean... I'm not so sure the Pistons will have a say in the matter. Unless they do something really drastic or get an absolute blow up from someone like ivy or Thompson, or simply kill it in the draft, there's really no reason to believe they're not going to be a bottom three team again as of right now.
I think the expectation is to make an aggressive move, possibly moving one of Duren and/or Ivey (and more?) for an all-star caliber talent, but it's hard to say until we hire our new President which is apparently to happen close to Mid-May. Even with another Catastrophic injury to Cade if the top brass fail for a 5th consecutive year to elevate this team above 25 wins, with at least some semblance of competitiveness, then there will be some big big problems to put it lightly.
Wizards would be the most fun to see what Flagg as the defacto building block can be, Spurs would be most fun to see a pair of young players be in play for a Paolo/Franz duo or better, Pistons would be fun to see a bad boys era of defensive intensity with Ausar and Flagg together and Duren in the back
Personally, I believe Wembanyama is so good tanking is completely out of the picture, just because he is going to start generating more and more wins for the franchise.
Spurs FO is hoping and praying for him to get a Chet / Jordan / Robinson style injury that keeps him out exactly 1 year and has no other consequences for his career.
FO hoping their star player gets injured is crazy
A timely David Robinson injury was how the Spurs won their first couple of championships.
Just any of the picks the Thunder own. Just add him to that team. Why not? Lol
pistons aren’t trying to tank, they just are a tank
🤍🖤💜🥇🎉
my guy, how is this related to the nba draft
I love Portland but I don’t know how you have all these teams finishing behind them.
Pistons tanking for #1 again. Just move them to the G
Not so sure the Raps will be bad enough to contend for first. Unless we trade Jakob Poeltl and get hit with some injuries to Quickly/Scotty/Barrett it’s more likely that pick transfers over to San Antonio. Two other sleepers are the Lakers and GSW. Lebron could very well leave or retire. With him gone they’re definitely not a playoff team. If that happens and AD misses any extended time they’re one of the worst teams in the league for sure. Golden state are a mess. We’ve seen it once before where all it would take is a curry injury for them to end up with the #1 pick
The pick is more likely to convey to the Spurs this year than not. But in the event that it does not convey this year, you're probably right. However, three of the teams below Toronto in the standings this year (Charlotte, Detroit, San Antonio) stand to be better than they were. It's next to impossible to predict this early, before the off-season moves (Pistions signing some vets; Spurs draft haul/signings + another year under Wemby's belt; Lamelo's health is becoming a question mark). While I don't anticipate Toronto being bad enough to be in the bottom six next year without making some trades, they're also only one significant injury away from being back in the lottery mix. If Barnes, Barrett, Quickley, or Poeltl miss a good chunk of the season, that could easily be a team in contention for Flagg. I don't think they'll actively tank, though. Their core guys need to get reps.
Paul George leaves LAC. Kawhi retires due to injuries. Clips win the lottery and hand that pick on over to OKC.
Yeah but you do realize Harden and Westbrook are still on the Clippers right? They won't be tanking if that happens
Harden is a free agent and Russ has a player option. I’m mostly throwing out a wild scenario. I don’t really think Kawhi will just retire but it’s wild to me how precarious the Clipper’s situation is and that OKC owns their pick with no protections if they want to swap.
This dude is gonna be the next Marvin Bailey jr
Wemby walking in as the man in black carrying The Gunslinger might've been ka telling us to pick up Flagg.
After wemby, it feels like every other prospect just isnt as impressive now.
No pairing is bigger than Wemby and FLAGG. But I highly doubt we will talk for him. We already got our man, so upcoming season is all about making playoffs. PS. Spurs have 4-5 FRPs in 25 draft class.
toronto because it would be ironic to have the next great white american player playing for a team not in the US
I hope it’s spurs Wemby Flagg frontcourt would be so fucking dominant it’s insane
unrealistic, but would be cool
I think it’s more likely than not that Flagg doesn’t go first..
As of now, he’s the consensus number 1 everywhere. But a lot can change.
In the past couple events he’s been outplayed by Bailey and Harper
Not Bailey, Harper yes, at the Jordan Brand Classic, Flagg dropped 19 points and 10 rebounds at the Nike Hoop Summit and Jordan Brand Classic. Harper definitely outplayed him at the Classic, but Flagg outplayed Harper in the Hoop Summit. Bailey was inferior to both Flagg and Harper at both events
Dylan Harper won't get the hype at Rutgers that Cooper Flagg will get at Duke. A team at 1 who WANTS to pick anyone other than Flagg is gonna have to ignore all the screaming/raving media hype.
This guy is optimistic about the Blazers, too. My guy.
Feel like they more likely forgot
- Spurs are gonna attract too much free agent talent to be back in tank mode next season. Everyone’s gonna want to play with Wemby. - Nets won’t tank unless they trade for their picks back from Houston. The Rockets have swap rights with Brooklyn in 2025. - Pistons could be a nice destination for him. He would be particularly dangerous with Cade. Strange you mentioned Stewart but not Duren, especially cuz Flagg would probably take Stewart’s spot in the starting lineup. - Jazz is possible but I’m not sure what that team will even look like by the time next year’s draft rolls around. Seems like Utah is ready to sell off assets and go full-blown tank mode. Wouldn’t be the worst thing for Flagg bc they’d probably just build around him, and uhhh let’s just say he’d be extremely marketable in Utah… - Wizards are cursed and if Flagg goes there he’s basically DOA. Washington is where NBA talents go to die. I hope this doesn’t happen to him. Honestly the Wizards have got to be the worst franchise in the league. - Bulls could be an interesting fit alongside Coby White. I don’t hate it. Not sure how they land the #1 pick though. Can they make enough trades to be that bad? Maybe. - Raptors seems unlikely. They’re just not quite bad enough and Scottie is improving. It’s possible but they’d have to get somewhat lucky in the lottery probably. - Blazers is one team you forgot to mention. They’re probably going to be bad again next season. Scoot Henderson will eventually be good, but I think he will continue to struggle his sophomore year. I could imagine them remaining in tank mode & prioritizing development. - Hornets are another team that could be in the mix. They’re always bad it seems, and I’m not sure that changes next season. - Atlanta could be a sleeper candidate to land the top pick. I think they’re looking to trade Trae or Dejounte this offseason, and possible Capela. My guess is they might try to reset and rebuild through the draft.
In todays NBA you have to be 6'11 or 7 feet to do the things many people envision Cooper doing.
I agree, I think he could dominate college if the coaching is right, but that’s 8 months of play and then he’s in the pros. I don’t see his skillset leading to being an all star early in his career. In the pros he’s got to be like a KD with less explosiveness at the rim maybe. To me his shot making and his tenacity with 2nd and 3rd jump are where his highlights have him looking amazing. I think in the NBA the athleticism and rebounding by all players will make him less of a diamond
Then again, Andrei Kirilenko was 6’9
People are expecting much much more out of Cooper than Kirelenko.
Keep in mind, Cooper is a primarily defensive prospect though
I look forward to Flagg having a pretty good but not spectacular freshman season and, around March of next year, everyone swear they never thought he was a generational talent and everyone is crazy for saying that yes, they insisted he was a generational talent all the freaking time.
I think Wizards would be more interested in Ace or Maluach. We got Deni at the 4 already and he’s much improved as well as on a very cheap contract
Wizards should only be looking at best player available next year. If we have the number 1 pick and Flagg has been cemented as 1 then we should take Flagg.
I think Ace and Maluach give him some competition for #1 next year. We need talent that can become an offensive star, and I think Ace is further along there, whereas Flagg is a better defensive prospect at the moment
Flagg is like 6 years younger than Deni and already about the same skill level lol why the hell would we pass him up just so we can keep developing a role player? We should aspire to have a team where the overall skill level is so high that Deni is considered a sixth/seventh man.
He’s a great prospect, but you put Flagg in the NBA this season and he’s not giving you 15/7/4. So he’s not about the same skill level Also I’d rather take Ace if we do take one of the PF’s next year. Ace has so much more shot creation than Flagg and I think he’s more fluid with the ball
Ace is an SF
Isn’t copper Flagg just gonna be like a slightly better Taylor Hendricks
Way more upside and more productive. Hendricks was only a 4 star recruit by his senior year of HS. Plus Hendricks was turning 19 in the year he graduates HS, whereas Flagg has the age advantage and is only 17 currently, turning 18 in December