Quote: Originally Posted By deanod on 5/10/2010One thing about that stat is that things were way different 40 years back. Players would stay in school for 4 years and end up hitting FA at age 29/30 at the tail end of their prime. Now the formula is to go one and done and sign a 3 year extension after the rookie deal, so you can be a UFA at age 26.
Naturally, JJ + Amare doesn't make the Knicks contenders though
It doesn't make them contenders, but it makes them a playoff team, which is a step in the right direction.
Trying to win the lottery is not a sound method for competing for championships, sure the championship teams often get lucky and win the lottery, but it really is a crap shoot. You could just as easily end up with the Kandi man as you could Tim Duncan. I mean the Celtics have twice in the last 15 years tried to win the lottery and twice flamed out (by missing Duncan and then by missing Durant, Ainge is one of the few guys that had Durant higher then Oden).
And since we are talking about championships, lets just see who the best player is on the Finals teams, who drafted him, and at what position from just the last five seasons.
- Lakers - Kobe 13 (Hornets, draft day trade)
- Magic - Howard 1 (Magic)
- Celtics - Garnett 5 (T-Wolves, trade - you could maybe count Pierce who was the 10th pick for the Celtics)
- Lakers (see above)
- Spurs - Duncan 1 (Spurs)
- Cavs - Lebron 1 (Cavs)
- Heat - Wade 4 (Heat or Shaq 1, trade)
- Mavs - Dirk 9 (Bucks, draft day trade)
- Spurs (see above)
- Pistons - who knows, but he wasn't drafted
So there are the 8 different teams (spurs and lakers twice) that have been in the finals in the last 5 seasons
2 teams best player was acquired in a draft day trade (Kobe and Dirk), 3 teams best player was the 1st pick in the draft by that team (Howard, Lebron, Duncan), Wade was the 4th pick, Garnett was acquired via trade
It seems to me that you are just as likely to trade for your best player as your are to draft him, and if you do draft him you better damn well be sure you have the 1st pick.
Also if you start going back further you get the Lakers when Shaq was the best player, the Nets with Kidd, Sixers with Iverson, the Pacers with Rose (perhaps Miller), etc.
You certainly don't have to draft your best player to be in the finals, said player just almost always needs to be a top five draft pick.