WaltFrazier wrote:Johnny Bball wrote:bballsparkin wrote:
Semantics. If the pick does not convey this summer the team will either be l: gunning for play in, or ll: tanking to keep the 6th pick in a good draft.
They will be firmly stuck in the middle waiting it out again. This team isn't bad and isn't good after a summer to add/delete.
And if everyone's healthy and playing since the Pascal trade, that's where they'd be right now, right? Scottie, Jak, RJ, IQ, Gary, Gradey, Kelly, Bruce Brown. That group plus whoever would not be on this losing streak. They'd be play-in quality but likely would have fallen short because of poor start.
So how could that group tank next year? Masai presumably will make small improvements, I don't see a big swing in the cards. Much too good for a lottery team. To tank, the FO would have to intentionally make the team worse. And how would that sit with Scottie, IQ, RJ, who've been on better teams, played in playoffs? Another year of wink wink losing would be very frustrating for them I'd imagine. And how would Masai sell the vision of another losing year to fans next media day?
Well this is it...
To tank, the FO would have to intentionally make the team worse. And how would that sit with Scottie, IQ, RJ, who've been on better teams, played in playoffs?
If there was no IQ or RJ, then sure, maybe you could. Does anyone suspect that's what will happen and they are being traded for picks and NOT players? And Poeltl is being traded for a pick? And the cap space then isn't being used as they watch Trent etc. leave?
You could do all that but you are going to have to deal with the fallout from Barnes. And I suspect that would be a trade demand. Does anyone really suspect he would watch them intentionally dismantle the team around him and intentionally make it far worse for years and just be fine with it? And then you have to ask, is that dismantled team after adding 2 or 3 picks to Barnes/Dick and other youth you keep this summer even actually worse than the Wizards/Pistons? Maybe. And it can't be one year that you just sign on for that, because you might not get lucky in the lottery the first time, its got to be a few years that you would be ready for it, and by then Barnes has an option to play out his deal if he chose to, or make his next deal very short, both effing the Raptors.
But sure.... some people are still going to keep asking for something that we know isn't going to happen (proper tank) because it can't.