Tank World Order V (Rise of the Phoenix)

[Scase]

Spurs are 10-9.

Yeah, let's ignore that they were 22-60 last season

[Pointgod]

Wizards need to start winning games WTF! Philly is going to go on a run once their stars are back and healthy. As long as we finish bottom 5, I can live with that.

[bballsparkin]

Real tanking is only possible via consent from the owner of the team. Presti could not tank like he did if he worked for the Bucks. It's that simple. It's a pointless debate. Drafting on the other hand works. And I like the options for the Raptors drafting in the top of this draft. I'm confident in the top 10. But top 7 would be better.

[bballsparkin]

Wizards need to start winning games WTF! Philly is going to go on a run once their stars are back and healthy. As long as we finish bottom 5, I can live with that.

Wizards are a lost cause lol. Dont' worry about them.

[Los_29]

Spurs are 10-9.

Yeah, let's ignore that they were 22-60 last season

He specifically said “success stories.” Talk about low expectations. Spurs have been a lottery team for 6 years and then went out and got Barnes and CP3. They are now a .500 team.

[DelAbbot]

There is no such thing as ethical tank. You all delusional

[ItsDanger]

Imagine ignoring other success stories. OKC, Spurs, Houston now . . .

Rockets went out and signed Fred and Brooks. Before that they won like 21 games.

OKC’s best player was acquired through a trade not the draft. If Kawhi doesn’t choose LAC, OKC is sitting with a core of Williams and injured Chet.

Spurs are 10-9.

Amen Thompson, Sengun, Tari Eason are the real drivers of their turnaround.

Drafting isn't the only avenue in a rebuild, trades also matter. A common misnomer amongst anti tankers. Trading in a tanking scenario is easier because winning isn't the priority.

Spurs got a widely considered generational player (this should require zero explanation).

[ATLTimekeeper]

The Raptors are always welcome to buy one of OKC's mid-first picks with a future 1st. And they did acquire picks in 'win' mode last time around. One of those players did make the Finals rotation. Another was just traded for our future core pieces. I'm not sure what "easier" has to do with anything. Teams should always be actively cycling younger prospects through their system.

[DutchCanuck]

I'm all for getting a high pick this year but just a reminder for people thinking we are a shoe in to be sitting in the top 5.

Starting March 7th 2025 we have 20 games left to play

This gives us a remaining schedule of

2 vs Utah Jazz
3 vs Wizards
2 vs Blazers
2 vs Spurs
1 vs Philly
2 vs Hornets
1 vs Brooklyn
1 vs Pistons

Equating to 14/20 final games against teams that are roughly in same boat as Raptors (Tanking) Philly could be the obvious exemption at this point.

Hopefully a lot of our players have some "tweaks" doing this stretch or we may be leapfrogging a few spots in March/April.

[bballsparkin]

^^wow that is quite the finish. If they went 10 for 20 that would probably be a success for the tank.

[artsncrafts]

I'm all for getting a high pick this year but just a reminder for people thinking we are a shoe in to be sitting in the top 5.

Starting March 7th 2025 we have 20 games left to play

This gives us a remaining schedule of

2 vs Utah Jazz
3 vs Wizards
2 vs Blazers
2 vs Spurs
1 vs Philly
2 vs Hornets
1 vs Brooklyn
1 vs Pistons

Equating to 14/20 final games against teams that are roughly in same boat as Raptors (Tanking) Philly could be the obvious exemption at this point.

Hopefully a lot of our players have some "tweaks" doing this stretch or we may be leapfrogging a few spots in March/April.

Trade deadline is February 2nd so hopefully Masai makes some sales instead of purchases. We need a reverse Purtle trade.

[Clutch0z24]

I'm all for getting a high pick this year but just a reminder for people thinking we are a shoe in to be sitting in the top 5.

Starting March 7th 2025 we have 20 games left to play

This gives us a remaining schedule of

2 vs Utah Jazz
3 vs Wizards
2 vs Blazers
2 vs Spurs
1 vs Philly
2 vs Hornets
1 vs Brooklyn
1 vs Pistons

Equating to 14/20 final games against teams that are roughly in same boat as Raptors (Tanking) Philly could be the obvious exemption at this point.

Hopefully a lot of our players have some "tweaks" doing this stretch or we may be leapfrogging a few spots in March/April.

2 vs Spurs ....Spurs will be going for a play in spot so they will be important games for them to win not concerned with them...3 against Wizards might be bad but can see us losing 1 of them games, Jazz i see us splitting 1-1, Blazers might beat us both times due to size they have, Hornets could see us go 1-1, We prolly beat Brooklyn, and lose to the Pistons...

Thats a 6-8 record....Maybe if you wanna have us beating the Blazers once we will be 7-8....I don't think we go on some run to end the year and go 14-0 for example....We will still be in the mix for top 5 at that point....

My prediction for win total on the year is around 20-23 wins...Due to the record being too far gone and Masai pulling the plug sim to the Tampa season...If anyone remembers Lowry sitting out for unknown reasons, Players sitting out long minor injuries...

[Basketball_Jones]

Interesting to note during the broadcast was Matt saying how bad the East was and the Raptors were right there at a play-in or even a playoff spot with a couple of wins. Jack was smart enough to not comment but you have to wonder now with Matt dropping the seeds a bit they might end up pivoting. We need more damn injuries.

[CoinTossRoss31]

Loss to Miami tonight to keep us in the top 5 spots

[720]

If we get Cooper in the draft, there probably eventually will be a lineup of Scottie, Gradey, Cooper, Olynyk, and Poeltl playing together for a few minutes. I don’t think I’ve seen a lineup featuring 4 white guys in awhile.

[Clutch0z24]

Interesting to note during the broadcast was Matt saying how bad the East was and the Raptors were right there at a play-in or even a playoff spot with a couple of wins. Jack was smart enough to not comment but you have to wonder now with Matt dropping the seeds a bit they might end up pivoting. We need more damn injuries.

They have to sell tickets and seats....No one on air is going to outright advise tanking or say the team has no shot to win.....They want the casuals to show up every game and at least think they will win...

The east is not the greatest but the top 8 are pretty locked in right now to be there for the playoffs/play ins and you have the 76ers down near the bottom who could make a run at some point for the play ins....We would be trying to compete vs the Bulls/Nets/Pistons for that last play in spot and them 3 teams already have the leg up on us by a few wins/less losses category....I just don't see the appeal for Front Office to try and make such an attempt at a final play in spot as if that will achieve anything....Just doesn't make much sense for us right now....It did when We had FVV/Siakam/OG/Barnes and traded for Yak....Because Masai believed in them guys to a fault and he did not expect to lose FVV the following season....I truly believe Masai wants to play the draft game right now with this current Raptors team...Hes tried to make trades for some big time stars over the last couple years, KD/Lillard/Giannis to name a few and it has not worked out...I think hes gonna try something new to build the team back up as a winner this time around.

[Shwaguy]

Interesting to note during the broadcast was Matt saying how bad the East was and the Raptors were right there at a play-in or even a playoff spot with a couple of wins. Jack was smart enough to not comment but you have to wonder now with Matt dropping the seeds a bit they might end up pivoting. We need more damn injuries.

Cheering for Injuries to your own team is so **** disgusting though.

I get wanting losses, but Injuries limit the long term ceiling of our players and also you are literally just wishing pain upon our own teams players. That's gross.

[Naysorn]

Interesting to note during the broadcast was Matt saying how bad the East was and the Raptors were right there at a play-in or even a playoff spot with a couple of wins. Jack was smart enough to not comment but you have to wonder now with Matt dropping the seeds a bit they might end up pivoting. We need more damn injuries.

Cheering for Injuries to your own team is so **** disgusting though.

I get wanting losses, but Injuries limit the long term ceiling of our players and also you are literally just wishing pain upon our own teams players. That's gross.

to me the right way to tank is to just let guys experiment on the court

i.e. letting scottie shoot 3s in a multitude of ways (pull up, spot up, fadeaway, etc.)

it's tanking because its not necessarily the best shot u have at winning, which would be having scottie drive on a PNR or post up. you can still do that, just not all the time.

[Shwaguy]

Tbh looking at this draft class I'm a little less stressed about lotto luck and as long as we can get like a top 7 pick I'll be very happy.

Harper/Flagg are interchangeable at 1 for me, Demin not far behind, Bailey I'm not as high on as most but do recognize the huge ceiling. Maluach I would be insanely happy to get. Edgecombe kinda like Bailey in that the ceiling is insanely high, and I'm sure there will be another big riser or two as well.

Any 4 of Flagg/Harper/Demin/Maluach would have me going crazy, Bailey would have me pretty happy as well though I think the world where he reaches or surpasses Scotties level is a very rare one.


Also, using Houston as an example of a tanking success is disingenuous. They're winning because of Sengun (16th overall), and most of their tanking rewards (Green, Smith Jr, Sheppard) are either busts (Green) or appear to be role players at best (The other two).

Amen Thompson has some very interesting upside, so I think they did well with him.

But if we tanked for 4 years of bottom 5 picks straight and ended with those 4, we would be devastated. Gradey is a better prospect than those 4 (Could go either way with Amen) and he was 13th overall.

[720]

I'm all for getting a high pick this year but just a reminder for people thinking we are a shoe in to be sitting in the top 5.

Starting March 7th 2025 we have 20 games left to play

This gives us a remaining schedule of

2 vs Utah Jazz
3 vs Wizards
2 vs Blazers
2 vs Spurs
1 vs Philly
2 vs Hornets
1 vs Brooklyn
1 vs Pistons

Equating to 14/20 final games against teams that are roughly in same boat as Raptors (Tanking) Philly could be the obvious exemption at this point.

Hopefully a lot of our players have some "tweaks" doing this stretch or we may be leapfrogging a few spots in March/April.

Trade deadline is February 2nd so hopefully Masai makes some sales instead of purchases. We need a reverse Purtle trade.

If we’re bottom 5 by March, we’re probably gonna sit some guys for small minor injuries.