First of all, I am so pumped for this rebuild. So glad we made this move. No, it isn’t a guarantee, because nothing is. In a best case scenario we have a 14% chance at Cooper Flagg. I have no delusions this is a sure thing, but I prefer it to bottom-feeding masquerading as mediocrity.

And I mentioned this in another thread, but I’m more excited to watch the team his year than I was last year—not because we’ll be better (we won’t, and we shouldn’t be), but because we can get experimental, take flyers on players, and truly invest in development. And, for the first time since he’s joined the team, I’m actually looking forward to Ben Simmons.

Every possible scenario is a positive one. If he goes down, we’re exactly where we expected to be. If he underperforms, we just let his contract expire or waive him. If he somehow stays healthy and balls out like we’ve been hoping for, he’ll be fun to watch on a deeply uncompetitive roster. One thing I saw in Ben in his brief semi-productive stretch with us last season is that he can still be a force on defense. He’s strong and fast. If, amidst all of this losing, he can get under a couple of stars’ skin by disrupting their game, I’d love that.

If he’s on the roster come the season opener, I’m fine with any outcome.