We've thrown some pretty good jabs, but what will be our "knockout punch" move?

[BETCATS]

After finishing the worst (short) season in NBA history, it's not hard for me to be optimistic but I really like what we are doing. Based on the rumors we are exploring all possibilities for the draft. The Dunlap hire had a lot of potential to be a better pick than Shaw or Snyder. New uniforms that at least won't remind anyone of the team they were looking at last year.

In boxing you need to deliver a lot of "jabs" before you knock somebody out. Body shots are just as important as the haymaker. To turn that into a basketball analogy, I'd like to look at all the moves we've made as some solid jabs. But none of them are big enough to be considered a knockout punch for turning this team around.

I put a poll with some different choices. I'd be interested to hear what everyone thinks our big move for the future will be.

[ammofan]

I voted for option 4.

I want Robinson but I think we trade back. We could get Robinson at 4 if we deal with the Cavs. I think they love HB too.

[Ezell]

I'd be content trading back getting T-rob and Moe Harkless and I would put up a Richard Cho poster in my bedroom if we can pull that off.
And with Cho i will not be surprised if we come out even better than that.

[ziggy]

I think the knockout move will be either buying or trading back for extra picks.

[TheBeagle]

I appreciate the analogy you're working with BETCATS, but I don't think it applies with what we're doing here. Like Dunlap says in his presser, all things in advancing this team, and by extention, franchise, will be done on the incremental level. I'm not saying that at some point there won't be a "knockout punch" move, but with the direction we're going and at the point we're at, I'd say I'm fine with progressing with a steady diet of jabs.

[BETCATS]

I appreciate the analogy you're working with BETCATS, but I don't think it applies with what we're doing here. Like Dunlap says in his presser, all things in advancing this team, and by extention, franchise, will be done on the incremental level. I'm not saying that at some point there won't be a "knockout punch" move, but with the direction we're going and at the point we're at, I'd say I'm fine with progressing with a steady diet of jabs.

We need to have that big hit eventually though. Everyone who jumped on that "blow up a team that is a surefire playoff contender with a big payroll and rebuild" bandwagon assured the people skeptical of the idea that something better would eventually come from it. Look at Washington, Sacremento, and New Jersey. They have all been rebuilding for years in an incremental manner and still have nothing to show for it. Indiana, Memphis, OKC, and Los Angles all had defining "knockout punches" that turned them into playoff teams. The Pacers had a series of big moves last summer, Memphis had the Zach Randolph trade plus the emergence of Rudy Gay, OKC resigned Durant for the long term to assure their franchise player wont be going anywhere, and the Clippers got Chris Paul.

[Potato]

CP3, Harden and Howard all take their talents to Charlotte with time. Then we draft MKG this year and swag out with:

PG CP3
SG Harden
SF MKG
PF Smack
C Howard

So: Cho will do something that isn't on the poll.

[BrotherDave]

Probably going to continue tanking hard until we have a chance to draft a franchise talent.

[BETCATS]

Probably going to continue tanking hard until we have a chance to draft a franchise talent.

This has proven to be a failed strategy. Sacramento got Tyreke Evans from it. Washington got John Wall. NJ/Brooklyn never even found its savior so Billy King traded a handful of prospects for an established superstar (who refused to extend because NJ/BK is a mess). They all consistently tank or consistently suck (depending how you look at it) so I don't think we can 100% hope that purely drafting will save us or even get us a core.

[SJackson1]

we have thne number 2 pick in a deep draft so i think this could be our KO punch if we get the pick correct!.