It feels like just yesterday we all knew that Kevin Garnett was a loser.

I never felt too confident with Elton as the star of the team. He is a very good player (not a great player) and a real professional, but he was never the guy I was comfortable relying on at the end of the game or even someone you would think could lead you to a championship. I think Baron could be that guy (maybe we don’t have all the pieces yet). And Elton would have been a great #2 to Baron, but he makes a ton of money for a #2. I guess I’m saying I’m not too disappointed he’s leaving because with the money he ties up, I never saw the championship potential. With Baron being a star, in 2 years i think Gordon and Thornton will be stars, Kaman will be about as valuable as Elton if he continues to improve, and we’ll have the money to get maybe a Stoudemire. To me, thats the closest the Clips could be to a real championship contender

One of the (stated) reasons why the Bulls traded Brand is because as good as they thought he was, they did not think he was good enough to build a championship team around (granted, they did think that Curry and Chandler were good enough to build a team around, which turned out to be an even worse idea… think about this, the Bulls at one time had Artest, Brad Miller and Brand, and still could not win). So they traded him. I am not saying he has bad karma, or is not a gifted athlete, I just think he is more of a piece, and not the cornerstone.

Garnett to me was and always will be a cornerstone. When surrounded by 2-3 good players, look what he did. Jordan, Bird, Shaq, Magic, Lebron, these are cornerstones around which you build (Kobe, I have mixed feelings) . Brand, not sure. And not sure that what the sixers have is any better than what the Clips have.

He has been among the best players at every level. NY high school legend, College player of the year.

Just didn’t have enough around him here.

My own take is that FElton is a solid, essential player, and what could be called a “cornerstone” or “foundation” player. But that’s not enough to even get into the playoffs, let alone championships. It’s the combination of two or three players, plus a solid set of complementary/role players that puts you into the NBA elite.

Duncan is worth looking at in this conversation. He was bigger, stronger, and more polished than FElton, and he had the right supporting cast so that he became a playoff fixture and, in the right circumstances, won championships. FElton has great desire and makes plays every single night, but it was only under Dunleavy’s tutelage that he took his game to the higher level of the 05-06 season. He improved his jumpshot, left hand, and post moves, and moved into the elite category, and with Cassell, Kaman and others, the Clips almost made it.

But one thing nobody is really talking about is FElton’s 06-07 effort, when he wasn’t the same player, and certainly not the dominant force that he was in the 06 playoffs. It’s not just that he was injured last year. He’s got a mountain to climb, and he just abandoned the coach who pushed him to his best effort and the one that brought his first success.

And with all that in mind, FElton is still only as good as his supporting cast. Iggy is their linchpin player, along with the Louis Williams/Andre Miller PG combination. The Sixers will be solid playing with FElton, which may be enough to get by in the East, but they won’t be truly competitive unless Iggy turns into a very special wing player who can hit big shots and put up lots of points, a la Kobe or Paul Pierce. We know from the past that the FElton/Andre Miller combo doesn’t get you very far.

It’s a strange equation. FElton may be a “loser” because people think that he can do more than he can really deliver. He’s not “the guy.” The same is probably true of Garnett, and Pierce for that matter. They needed each other, and a strong dose of Ray Allen along with some Celtic mystique to get over the top. It’s a team game.

But we’ll see if Kaman turns out to be a reasonable facsimile of FElton. He was for the better part of last year, but he needed another Kaman alongside him, as well as a point guard. Now he and Camby will combine for rebounding totals that will match Kaman/FElton, and he has Baron Davis to provide not only the scoring but also the assists that will make up for any offensive deficiency.

Hmmmm. Kaman is the FElton. Camby is the new Kaman. Thornton is the new Maggette. Baron Davis is the new Sam Cassell. Advantage 08.

Never in Basketball has one player been able to win a championship without some other star player beside. That is why we only made the playoffs once with Brand. I mean even Kobe couldn’t get past the first round by himself it took the acquisition of Gasol for them to make the finals. And even Michael Jordan had Scottie Pippen by his side. But I think our team today is shaping out pretty nicely. We have a star PG in Baron, a rising star in Kaman, solid young players in Gordon and Thornton. I think we are just one or two pieces from becoming a very very scary team to play against.

:)

Jason Smith on the 76ers just tore is ACL. Isn’t that the same injury FElton suffered and missed most of the year with. Is Jason Smith a major guy I hope so and I hope it screws up their team.

because they used all their money on FElton.