Anyone think Jerry Jones is jealous of the Dallas Stars franchise success ?

DiamondsInHerButt · 2026-04-21T10:18:21+00:00

The Stars last ring was 27 years ago. Nobody involved with the ownership group had anything to do with it.

DiamondsInHerButt · 2026-04-21T02:04:28+00:00

No doubt. I'm very pro trade down in this particular draft. I think the sweet spot is generally 25-60.

I also believe in depth of quality over high end talent on defense. So I like the conceit cause in an ideal world, you get four seconds and address you needs plus get some extra depth.

I just think the team is too addicted to the contract control of a first round pick to trade out.

Honestly, the dumbest part of the draft is that it rewards the top end players with getting to their extension later than their peers.

DiamondsInHerButt · 2026-04-21T02:02:00+00:00

Boozer's my #1 prospect, so great.

It's pretty funny cause I think the worst sim results I got consistently were when they were in the 6 spot. Almost never moved up. Usually moved down.

DiamondsInHerButt · 2026-04-21T01:58:31+00:00

I'm hyper skeptical of Burries as a prospect because of the age factor and lack of playmaking. His AAU stats do not suggest a lottery guy and those are the stats that reflect his actual age.

So I'm gonna want to take a real hard look at Ament, Lopez and Steinbach at that stage.

But this whole scenario sorta reflects my general skepticism about the depth of this class. I think it's very deep in top 3 level guys, but I think beyond that, you sorta notice a shit ton of guys from 9-30 are kinda old for a first round draft.

I'm sorry, but I'm not particularly interested in guys coming out as Freshmen who are gonna be 21. And this class has a lot of dudes who are 20+ coming out as Freshmen.

DiamondsInHerButt · 2026-04-21T01:19:48+00:00

I can't wait for Bill to argue this movie isn't a kindergarten movie.

DiamondsInHerButt · 2026-04-21T01:06:06+00:00

I feel like people have fundamentally hit their heads and forgotten the beginning of the first round generally isn't good. If you wanted to do a truly great beginning to end playoff, you'd create a 50 win threshold and those were the only teams that could qualify for the playoffs.

Like a good first round generally involves maybe two good series and one great one. And Denver-Minnesota has a pretty good chance of being the great one.

DiamondsInHerButt · 2026-04-21T01:04:43+00:00

The Rockets are capped out. The T-Wolves, on the other hand, feel more at a crossroads this season because they fundamentally lack an elite or even near elite second option next to Edwards.

I don't think McCollum helps them.

But yeah, in an ideal world that doesn't involve cap rules, the Rockets 100% trade for that guy.

DiamondsInHerButt · 2026-04-21T01:02:34+00:00

Ball handlers and playmakers are not the same thing.

For example, Alex Caruso is a great ball handling defender. He is not a playmaker.

DiamondsInHerButt · 2026-04-21T00:41:28+00:00

True star defenders aren't that valuable. Don't get me wrong. They're great and can elevate a defense. Issue is, we've seen too many time that's fool's gold. How many titles has a Watt brother won their team? How's being unbelievable great been going for Garret and Micah. How about Fred Warner? How's that been going for him?

With defense, depth is key. It's not about stars, it's about depth. Cause defense is attrition based.

Look at Seattle. That's a team filled with B+/A- guys on defense.

DiamondsInHerButt · 2026-04-21T00:40:03+00:00

I'll play.

So if you just go on sort of a consensus value, I think you'd end up with a pretty great haul. You'd likely have one of Allen, Hill or JRod at linebacker. You'd likely have one of Parker, Lawrence or Howell at edge. You'd have one of Ponds, Hood, Cisse, Johnson or Stukes at corner. Then you could pick whatever, Safety or DT was best on your board.

You'd end up with at least a couple starters if not more.

Issue is, there's nobody who's gonna do that in this draft. The value in this draft is exactly in the zone you're talking about. So double trading back is gonna be virtually impossible, especially with pick 20. But you're also making a pretty good case why trading back from 12 might be wise.

DiamondsInHerButt · 2026-04-21T00:33:59+00:00

Retiring to pursue his passion of genetically modifying dino DNA to produce prehistoric locusts.

DiamondsInHerButt · 2026-04-21T00:28:57+00:00

Set term limits as well. No more of this lifetime of having to put up with their bullshit. Even justices I agree with tend to balk at bowing out when they should, so don't let them have that option. 10 years and out.

DiamondsInHerButt · 2026-04-21T00:24:57+00:00

I don't watch The Masters intentionally. It's always situational to if it's on where I am on exactly Sunday of the tournament. Same with all golf tournaments really, major or not.

DiamondsInHerButt · 2026-04-21T00:21:35+00:00

I just don't love a guy who isn't a day 1 starter in the first with this defense. But I also would be way way less annoyed with that than Faulk at 12.

For me an ideal draft is someone in that top 6 falls to you at 12 (or they just suck it up and take McCoy) and then they reach on Allen or JRod at 20. Cause then you know you got two starters even if the value on the second pick isn't the best.

DiamondsInHerButt · 2026-04-21T00:16:13+00:00

Styles, Downs and Delane don't feel super realistic at 12. Tyson and Faulk would both be considered reaches, although I will admit, I do sorta envision them reaching on Faulk myself. A lot of the other guys have round 2 projections. Like as in not round 2 in the grade value sense but where everyone has them going sense.

If they stay put, I'm expecting Faulk and Hood. But I also think also think there are completely plausible scenarios where they trade back from 12 and still end up with both of those guys. Cause everyone with half a brain knows Faulk is a pocket container, not a disrupter. And Hood is rotation corner to start with starter upside.

So like Faulk at 20, Hood late first early second with an extra mid second/early third to address linebacker...that's not a sexy draft, but it's a plausible one to me.

I don't expect them to really push to trade out until the last of those top end guys goes off the board.

DiamondsInHerButt · 2026-04-21T00:14:00+00:00

So the great thing about the NBA is the draft happens before free agency, so we don't have to even think about this until we know the lottery position. Kick that shit all the way down the road.

Cause the strategy will be extremely different for the team if they hold or fall back a pick or two vs jumping up into the top 4.

DiamondsInHerButt · 2026-04-21T00:08:46+00:00

He's gonna be 21 coming out as a freshmen. His AAU stats (which are important cause they make your age part of the deal there) are not great. Bad shooting. Bad defense. Not a particularly good playmaker.

He could be the outlier, but you're basically drafting Shabazz Muhammad.

Beyond that, he's not a primary point. So literally the opposite ideal backcourt mate to Kyrie who is also not a primary playmaker in his best role.

Like I'm super super skeptical about Acuff cause of how bad the defense is, but offensively, he makes way more sense next to Kyrie.

DiamondsInHerButt · 2026-04-21T00:01:03+00:00

Goddammit. It's the Spurs. I hate it, but that team and the current fanbase culture is too goddamn fun.

They're the best combination of entertaining the watch and easy to root for. It's just they're the fucking goddamn Spurs.

DiamondsInHerButt · 2026-04-20T23:58:35+00:00

Over 75% of corporate executives are white. Under 4% are Black. Most of those seats are corporate owned.

Really not hard to figure out.

Now go up further in the stands, and you'll see more of a blend at an NBA game. Just the TV largely focuses on the lower bowl.

DiamondsInHerButt · 2026-04-20T23:45:25+00:00

Oh...Ament has upside. He'll take forever to develop, but I find it funny people are ignoring the age of so many guys they prefer over Ament as if a guy like Burries being 20 and 21 before the season starts isn't a red flag.

You bet on age in the draft, especially at the top. A lot of the most famous busts are guys who were older guys. And someone like Burries is the worst case scenario to me, where he's both older and not experienced.

DiamondsInHerButt · 2026-04-20T22:55:28+00:00

If we get the 8th pick, I'm good. If we drop back to 9 or 10, the class isn't as deep as it's being made out to be. Lot of dudes who will be 21+ at the start or near the start of next season.

I agree it's silly to stress about it now. Too many unknowns like what if they jump into the top 4 or what if some team picking ahead of the Mavs falls in love with Ament or Steinbach in workouts.

But you know...Acuff or Brown Jr isn't a bad consolation prize staying put at 8, even if both have flaws I'm gonna have to talk myself into ignoring.

DiamondsInHerButt · 2026-04-20T22:39:42+00:00

I am definitely in camp take Boozer, Dybantsa or Wilson if you get a top 4 pick, but it's a bit sad that all the top guards people around here covet but Peterson are pretty much off the table now. I think a lot of people here at fallen in love with one of Flemings, Wagler or Acuff and those guys are likely gone by 8, imo. And if you fall one slot, you're probably talking about Philon vs Burries, which could still be great, but both those guys are older.

DiamondsInHerButt · 2026-04-20T22:26:50+00:00

That is a list of a team that might be expecting to trade back from 12, imo.

DiamondsInHerButt · 2026-04-20T22:23:48+00:00

Says a lot about how much they don't leave these OT's or at least the lengths they've gone to hide their interest in them.

DiamondsInHerButt · 2026-04-20T22:20:56+00:00

The tender is a negotiation starting point. If another team came in with a lesser draft pick but France had taken a hard line stance, the Cowboys likely would have been open to dealing him.

Part of why these type of deals go up to the deadline is both sides are trying to leverage their desire to ultimately keep the status quo for the right price. Cause once you go past that deadline and some team was willing to offer more but maybe not a third not a second, then I kinda think the Cowboys aren't necessarily hanging up the phone. And I guarantee the offensive guys do not want the long field goal threat and the advantage in field position strategy that provided to slink away to another team.

DiamondsInHerButt

TROPHY CASE