In Which Direction Should the Team Go?

[AmareIsGod]

I can almost certainly promise you all here that Sarver has been holding up any of the financial decision making around trades and other things pertaining to our roster. He gives ZERO fucks about our success and would love to stick the knife in on the way out after being forced to sell. It's not about the money he's making from selling the team. This is his inflated ego being hurt and him giving the team, the fans and the NBA a middle finger.

[Drewsprocket]

He won’t do anything to impact the sale of the team.

[AmareIsGod]

He won’t do anything to impact the sale of the team.

Not allowing for transactions with our roster and spending money won't impact the sale of the team. It's just a prick move.

[Flagrant Fowl]

If there's anything I think I know about Robert Sarver it's that he's petty and vengeful.

[Superbone]

Has there ever been such an up and down season before the all-star break? In first for much of the first 25 games and now quickly near the bottom of the pack, loss after loss.

[Drewsprocket]

He won’t do anything to impact the sale of the team.

Not allowing for transactions with our roster and spending money won't impact the sale of the team. It's just a prick move.

I don’t see any motive for big swings before a new owner comes aboard. I think that’s reasonable of an expectation given the circumstances. Could he be sabotaging a small Crowder move? I think if he were, JJ could leak that shit easily.

[ShelC]

Baxter Holmes would be all over it.

[Mori Chu]

Has there ever been such an up and down season before the all-star break? In first for much of the first 25 games and now quickly near the bottom of the pack, loss after loss.

Yeah, two of the biggest shockers this year are the Suns cratering and the defending champ Warriors stuck at around .500. But the Warriors have been mediocre basically all season, while we've been more up and down.

[LazarusLong]

Needs to be a third option: Team is directionless until ownership transfer is finalized.

Right now, management seems to mired in a fierce state of ennui ...

[Drewsprocket]

I wondered if JJ can peel away Rui from Wizards for a protected 1st and change. Seems like they can’t afford to keep him really for the summer. Unless they are shaky whether Kuz re-signs.

[Split T]

Do we want to pay Rui? He’s a RFA this summer

[In2ition]

Does he get to the line when he plays anyone besides the Suns?

[Superbone]

"In Which Direction Should the Team Go?"

Up? I prefer it to the alternative.

[Shabazz]

The guys on the mismatch pod have this debate on the most recent episode. Worth a listen. KOC really rips Ayton to shreds.

[Flagrant Fowl]

Yeah, I also listened to that yesterday. It was a good 5-8 minutes of groaning and sighing for me. They just repeated everything most of us who follow the team closely have been saying for 3 years.

Apparently EJ is on the Russillo podcast and also has some choice words about Ayton. I've yet to listen to it.

[Shabazz]

Yeah, I also listened to that yesterday. It was a good 5-8 minutes of groaning and sighing for me. They just repeated everything most of us who follow the team closely have been saying for 3 years.

Apparently EJ is on the Russillo podcast and also has some choice words about Ayton. I've yet to listen to it.

I just listened. EJ was diplomatic as usual. He said Ayton has all the tools to be great but has to want it. He’s a gentle giant but needs to want to hurt people on the floor.

[Superbone]

Yeah, I also listened to that yesterday. It was a good 5-8 minutes of groaning and sighing for me. They just repeated everything most of us who follow the team closely have been saying for 3 years.

Apparently EJ is on the Russillo podcast and also has some choice words about Ayton. I've yet to listen to it.

I just listened. EJ was diplomatic as usual. He said Ayton has all the tools to be great but has to want it. He’s a gentle giant but needs to want to hurt people on the floor.

He'll just never have that. We know that now.

[Flagrant Fowl]

Yeah, I also listened to that yesterday. It was a good 5-8 minutes of groaning and sighing for me. They just repeated everything most of us who follow the team closely have been saying for 3 years.

Apparently EJ is on the Russillo podcast and also has some choice words about Ayton. I've yet to listen to it.

I just listened. EJ was diplomatic as usual. He said Ayton has all the tools to be great but has to want it. He’s a gentle giant but needs to want to hurt people on the floor.

He'll just never have that. We know that now.

EJ knows as well.

[Mori Chu]

I saw Ayton compared to Andrew Wiggins, and I think that is actually a really good comparison. Wiggins just helped lead the Warriors to a title. He was probably their second-best player in their title run. But he had to go through a real journey to be able to be that type of player. He had to get overhyped, maxed out, underperform that contract, run himself out of town, get traded a few times, sign cheap, humble himself, prove himself all over again, and eventually build up into a player with the right team, the right role, the right mindset and experience, properly utilized, and suddenly he was great.

That could be Ayton someday. But it'll probably be on Charlotte or something in 2031.

[In2ition]

I saw Ayton compared to Andrew Wiggins, and I think that is actually a really good comparison. Wiggins just helped lead the Warriors to a title. He was probably their second-best player in their title run. But he had to go through a real journey to be able to be that type of player. He had to get overhyped, maxed out, underperform that contract, run himself out of town, get traded a few times, sign cheap, humble himself, prove himself all over again, and eventually build up into a player with the right team, the right role, the right mindset and experience, properly utilized, and suddenly he was great.

That could be Ayton someday. But it'll probably be on Charlotte or something in 2031.

I agree with everything here except that Wiggins was only traded once and is still making a lot of money, although it's slightly lower than his max contract.
Team 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25 2025-26 2026-27
Golden State Warriors $33,616,770 $24,330,357 $26,276,786 $28,223,215 $30,169,644

I do think that Ayton will end up being like a Wiggins or even a Robert Parrish type, that plays well in a set role with guys that can help him be the 4th or 5th option on a Championship team, like the 80's Celtics or the current Warriors.