The Denver Peaks season hasn’t gone as planned for fans, players or GM Terry Brooks. The Peaks have a putrid record of 3-16 and have as of now lost 9 games straight. They are bottom in almost every relevant category, but free throw shooting where they rank top 3. It has been a rough season, even more rough than what fans had originally predicted before major trades were made at the start of the season. However there is hope in patience for fans of the Peaks as the team has committed to the rebuild behind the talents of former Kentucky big man, Derrick Harris.
One trade that will draw attention is the move that saw Winston Luton go to Los Angeles (the good LA team) in exchange for a 1st round pick in this upcoming draft and a few smaller young pieces. Luton has shown that deal to be on the surface troublesome. Luton has added to the Commodores push for a playoff run with 21.8 PPG on .508% which has led to Peaks fan questioning the trade, but a key thing to look at is LAC’s season has been up and down of giving up more points than they score in some games. Their defense is not the best and that 1st round pick could fall to a middle of the draft position that guarantees some good things for the Peaks for the future. Luton is also a free agent at the end of the year and could become available to the Peaks who have a wealth of cap room to acquire offseason talent.
The other trade that Brooks made was to ship aging veteran point guard Tim Reese for a 1st rounder from the Washington Americans. While one of the best teams in the league, they still let a 1st go for a guy who will contribute in spurts. Brooks has turned a mediocre roster into a bad one, not for the purpose of being incompetent, but rather for that purpose of looking to the future. Peaks fans will suffer in the short term, but we prosper in the long term. What we should be examining here in Denver is the draft class of 2021 and how they could hold the key to championship hopes.