I actually thank god we didn’t get the number one pick for wemby. Would have been a total waste.

Injuries, player development, team cohesion and coaching gets people over the hump. Because if that’s the case, the KD/Westbrook Harden era of OKC is also another example you can use of a franchise drafting 3 future HOFer’s.

It’s still up to them how they develop the players + how the roster construction works around them.

Yeah it’s the main reason I never really considered Mitch Johnson for COTY, when you’re running out 3 top 5 picks including yet another generational big man you lucksacked into, this is just kinda what’s expected.

Add to that the first time we got the #1 pick he didn’t play his first year due to military service, and so we had another high draft pick the next year. Both those jerseys are hanging in the rafters. Then, after the second #1 pick we struck gold with two Euro League players before that was a cool thing to do. All three of those jerseys are up there, too. And with the third #1 pick, he goes out injured for a good part of his second year, which helped our draft prospects to get the #2 pick, even though our top draft pick that year was already playing at a RotY level.

So, it’s not just that we get top picks, but also somehow get even luckier to be able to be something substantial around them.

It still takes SOME level of competence. Look at all those idiots that passed on Luka. You think the Spurs pass on him at 1 to draft Ayton or Trae?

Yeah but what about our 3 hall of fame guards/wings that we got at 57, 28 and 15? Almost none of those championships happen without Parker, Ginobili, and Kawhi. And that’s to say nothing of finding the right role players like Horry, Kerr, Ellie, Diaw, Green, etc. Yes we are really good at lottery balls but we are also really good at team building and culture which has nothing to do with luck.

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Relax. Look at our 2022-23 roster when we got Wemby, we were ASS. We had like 6 real NBA players who became better later, we deserved the #1 pick just as much as Charlotte, Portland, Rockets or Pistons.

Wemby didnt immediately fix all our issues which led to Castle, 3 other teams decided to not go for him.

We were going to compete for the 8th-10th seed if Wemby didnt have the blood clot which led to Harper, undoubtedly the luckiest part of this rebuild. So I would say of these picks Harper was the only truly one decided by pure luck. Its not lucky to suck the year of Wembys draft class, that was a choice by our franchise a full year before and honestly, many more teams should’ve been egregious with the tank that year.

I actually dont think that is the primary reason. The primary reason is that they have good leadership. That’s the key to any success in a team based organization. The top picks just pushed them to being the most successful. But they would have been successful regardless assuming they had the same people making decisions.

Any team can draft a top rated prospect if given the chance (and before this season could with some changes decide to tank for a season or start a rebuild). You need to build a full core of players, and we’ve succeeded because we’ve built stable long term cores to build dynastic success on while supplementing them with good role players and changing our systems as the league has evolved

Nahhh Pop inserting himself as headcoach was akin to Pat Riley taking over the ‘06 shit was a baller G move moving from president to hiring yourself as the head coach.

Yeah their scouting let them pick Wemby #1 overall

Nobody talks about how impressive it was for the Cavs to pick Lebron 1st overall.

Just sit down and think for a second. There’s a team that has been in the lottery what, like 6 times total?, and has not only had the statistical anomaly of getting the #1 pick 3 times but ALSO the unbelievable fortune of having a no-brainer future HOF big man just waiting for them. It all starts from there.

lol, this applies to half the league.

It’s ok that the Spurs have lucked out, but let’s not act like they haven’t.

Last dude y’all got thru FA signing was like, fucken Lamarcus Aldridge? He was nice, but felt like a solid Robin to Kawhi from 2015-2018 that he was there. Not exactly superstar, but he probably the nicest one that landed on SA over the last 10 years.

Evergreen

coincidence ? I think not

Ohhh fucking hell

Wemby should be rotting on some 40 win team getting bounced out of the first round not going to the nba finals in his first playoff run wheres the character development

First I’m hearing about us being a big market city haha

You’re halfway there. The point of a conspiracy theory is that it can never be disproved. The conspiracy can always go even yet deeper should any counter explanation be given for specific events. That’s what makes it a conspiracy theory.

Knicks, Jazz, Heat and Pacers are the teams with negative lottery luck (I could be missing someone, I just know these 4)

Looks like once in 1985, which I’m sure most of NBA Reddit wasn’t alive for

Can’t reach those mighty Packers’ heights until Tim Duncan decides to steal from a welfare fund to build a new volleyball stadium for his kid.

Brunson wasn’t even really a big FA at the time

That KAT trade was always such a head scratcher for me on MIN’s part. I get wanting to have 2 solid pieces for 1, but KAT’s archetype just isn’t something you give away for Dubious Handles. I’ll also always be an OG fan, he’s been my #1 “If you could add a player to the roster that isn’t a superstar” kind of guy for the past couple of years.

Yeah, its a interesting contrast

Spurs dynasty in the 2000s and contention in 2010s was mainly a combo of lottery luck(Duncan) and some insane hits(Parker, Manu, Kawhi) while drafting

Same here for you guys in the West.

We also have a franchise that has a player who died before playing a game. And one that died while right as they were getting to their prime. So far from a blessed franchise. Also, everyone hates the Celtics so what’s your point?

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yes and 2025 lottery was rigged for Dallas and SA.

Zion to New Orleans after Davis leaves. Davis to New Orleans after CP3 trade. Kyrie to Cavs after LeBron leaves.

Wemby was the biggest prospect since LeBron though, he wasn’t going to Portland or Charlotte lol.

Ewing to the Knicks too

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corny. He’s not part of the Thunder himself.

That would still be the case if you get the rookie a few months into their contract