RealGM

NeoDragonKnight wrote:Treadmill team has ALWAYS meant a team that is maxed on cap battling for 8th seed or just missing year after year, with no room for improvement because the draft picks are middling, and assets worthless, maybe just enough to make the playoffs but not quite good enough to make a deep playoffs run and the only option would be to tear it all down to tank.. Perfect example is the Bosh era Raptors where they could not improve past that really good 06-07 year, in fact got worse due to short sighted moves at middling or no draft picks and assets and aging veterans who could not be replaced.

Somewhere along the line people kept using the term out of the correct context to further their own goals in disparaging a team to the point where it simply means any team that doesn't get a championship, it is stupidly annoying. For instance this eras raptors IS NOT a treadmill team despite what idiots say, the team made deep playoff runs including that ECF run AND a championship, moves could be made due to flexibility and young assets (DeRozan, JV, Ross). Same could not be said for the Bosh era as no one had trade value because BC traded for and signed JO (who was a horrible fit and on his last legs) and Hedo and gave Bargs a big contract, and waited too long to trade TJ or Calderon because Horford ruined TJs career, there was no value left.

LBJKB24MJ23 wrote:

kj_ wrote:

LBJKB24MJ23 wrote:
if you cannot win a championship, subjectively/objectively no chance to go win in ECF/WCF, but still finish top 2-3 seed in your conference, it just means you're in a weak conference.

If you’re in the conference finals you have a shot to make it to the finals. If you make it to the finals, you have a shot to win the championship. You are not a treadmill team, imo. You are entitled to yours. There is no factual definition for this. It’s just a bunch of people that have an opinion.


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I mean we don't have to look far back and as close to home as the Toronto Raptors during the Derozan era. Raptors were in the same conference as prime LBJ. raptors had 0 chance to beat LBJ and looking back at it - Raptors were a treadmill team.

they were pretty much doing the same over and over and hoping they would beat Lebron James. pretty much what I just explained. playoff contender. not a real championship contender.