I know we are going to disagree no matter what but:
(1) not all validity but it makes you seem like you are grasping for excuses is all.
(2) I don't think it matters much who he plays with. He's helping Kessel and Kessel is helping him. IF this is a sign if stability for him you can't get much better so I wouldn't risk it.
(3) And for me, it's not about making the Beauchemin trade a steal, it thats I think Lupul really could be this good. Contract wise he'll never go to 7.8m. Him and Nash alone don't deserve that money right now. It's too much of a risk imo because of the special circumstances I mentioned before. Let's not forget that your said earlier that anyone would be scrambling to trade Lupul and a 1st if it were possible. I'm saying considering everything, Lupul shouldn't be moved because he offers this team arguably as much as Nash could and at a fraction of the cost. You simply cannot treat him like a asset that will diminish, he might be the real deal.
I think there's reason to believe too.
- Holy_GM
I believe you're hanging your hat on the "value for money" argument far too much.
All salary considerations aside, Nash is a fundamentally better player than Lupul. He is bigger and more skilled with a far better track record (all at a younger age).
The reason I say that salary shouldn't be such a big consideration is that it can change all the time. A player's "value for money" isn't really an innate characteristic. It can change all the time. A player's ability never changes. Their talent level is their talent level. Some guys are just born with it.
You can't be thinking too much about Lupul's value for his price tag because one of two things will happen next year:
A) he will come back down to earth and play to the level of his current cap hit, or
B) he will play at the same level and earn himself a big old pay raise.
In either scenario, he is no longer going to be the steal he is today.
Good teams get the talent they need first, and worry about dollars later. Build a good team and you can make the money work. If Nash is an elite talent who fills a need for us, then so be it. You pay the price.
