Quote:
Originally Posted by leidout
Dude nobody is talking crap about Brand, i think it's unanimous that he's everyone's favorite clipper ever, pretty much. And its really not an issue if he were healthy or not, if we were sitting around .450 again, this discussion would be just as valid as it is now... we're not anywhere near a championship team. I said it back during our playoff year and i'll say it now, this lineup has about 2-3 years left to get a championship or move on, the time has come, it's time to move on...
Garnett is the perfect example of a team that has a great player... and is headed NOWHERE! Garnett has always been MVP-caliber, his fans love him, but he can't take the team anywhere by himself and it's better for everyone involved if he's traded. KG is on a contender like he deserves and Minnesota is young & is growing fast. I'd love to see Brand on a contender & see us with a young, rapidly improving team.
Hypothetically, if Minnesota never made that trade, who expects the fans to be happy with that team? I know i wouldn't be.
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Then who is the solution? How does this team PROGRESS without Brand? You don't throw away a cornerstone player because your PG gets old, or because your SF opts out of his contract. This team CANNOT build around Chris Kaman, hasn't that become apparent? It's not like Brand is 32 or 33 and nearing the end of his career, if that were the case I would probably agree with you. The fact is he's still 28 and has at least 5-6 more very productive seasons in him. I just don't see the logic in letting him walk in order to sign a gunner like Gilbert Arenas, how does that help? Hell, Washington has been thriving without him! Look at any perennially successful team in this league, they all have an all-star caliber PF or C at their core. San Antonio, Dallas, Detroit (until this season), Phoenix...etc. This year was a throwaway from the start once we learned that Brand was injured, that was the consensus opinion right? I just do not understand how you now think that this team is headed nowhere WITH Elton. I did not hear you saying this before the injury, if you did I would like to see an example please. Or at least offer some realistic alternatives should Brand opt out of his contract or become available for trade. Who do you acquire and how do they make this team better than they were with Brand
in the lineup?
The T-Wolves got Al Jefferson in the KG deal, I don't see anybody like that available if Brand were to be moved. If the Clippers got somebody like Jefferson in return, along with some younger talents then maybe that would be a viable solution. But seriously, who is out there (and available) that will do as much for this team as Brand?