I was looking at the Magic to Shaq-Kobe rebuild more indepthly.
That type of rebuild will never happen again.
Missed the playoffs once.
1989 Divac at 26
1990 Campbell at 27
1992 Peeler at 15
1993 Lynch at 12
1993 Van Exel at 37
1994 Jones at 10
1994 Traded for Ceballos (25years old at the time) using our 1995 First Rounder (became Michael Finley)
1996 Trade Divac for Kobe
1996 Fisher at 24
A few reasons why:
1. Teams now get 7-8-9 years of control over their 1st Round Picks before they become Unrestricted Free Agents. If you want a solid young guy before they are an Unrestricted, you have to drastically overpay for that guy, and then hope he becomes who you want. It really is nonsensical because that hurts everyone. The reason behind that is because it messes with the flow of players, you'd have a lot more player movement, and not just to Big Market Teams. Instead, you can hold a star hostage for half of their career, and have zero incentive to build a team around them. Shaq was 24 when he was a Free Agent, 4 years into the league. In today's terms that would be like Anthony Davis becoming an Unrestricted Free Agent in 2016.
2. First Round Picks were moved often back then. It allowed owners to be less stingy with 1st round picks, so they could be easily moved, acquired. Now you have an almost permanent protection on a player for years, so it takes everything to pry just the idea (a first round pick) away from another team even in the 20s.
3. Getting a player like Divac at 26, Campbell at 27, and Van Exel at 37 is insane. It suspends the belief of reality to see this happen.
Never fell to the lowest depths of the NBA, a playoff team from that, and hit on every pick (at least when they were on the Lakers). Including Kobe. If Kobe doesn't become Kobe. 2000-2001-2002 are very different.
You look at where we are, we have a good start, but Kelly, Sacre have to play twice as good as they have. Right now they are end of the bench guys, and Clarkson is up in the air, who know what he gets. Everybody was happy about Goudelock & Morris when drafted, and neither is here. Doing what was done in the 90s is a long shot, by that I mean build through draft completely first, then go after your star. To me that Suns pick is gone already, unless by some miracle of the draft lottery.
2012: Sacre at 60 Vastly outperformed his slot, but he has to get better or else he will be unnecessary.
2013: Kelly at 48 Best pick of that Second Round. With Pierre going down with a serious injury, safe bet he will keep that title.
2014: Randle at 7 Following the 90s Lakers mold, all he needs to be is very good, doesn’t need to be great. We can go after great in Free Agency.
2014: Clarkson at 46
2015: 21-25, 37-40.. Maybe we get lucky and get a late teens pick and a 2016 1st somehow.
We have to get a star & good starter in the offseason to play next to Kobe & Randle (Marc Gasol & Dragic is my choice). Then we have enough to add another star with Randle, the 2 starters we signed in 2015. Possible 2 picks in the 1st (maybe 3 if Silver gives us the Dan Gilbert special), an early 2nd in 2015 followed by our pick + 2nd in 2016.
Would be different from the 90s rebuild because everything we got to get to Shaq was through the draft or using draft assets.
Hell we could afford to trade away Peeler, who was a very solid contributor for absolutely nothing because we had Exel, Campbell, Jones, Divac at the time (he was destined to be moved) still here. If we got a #15 pick, and traded it for 2 second round picks this year, it would be insanity because we have nothing else. Hell even trading Kelly for 2 Second Rounders would be insanity.
