Stratmaster wrote:League Circles wrote:I think the binary notion of a team "trying" vs "not trying" is very oversimplified. IMO, most teams are trying most of the time.
I agree that the players, when they hit the court, are not purposely "not trying". But the organization, through roster moves, player rotations, handling of injuries, handling of rest schedules for players, etc... are definitely, at times, not trying to win. We have all been watching basketball long enough that this is pretty evident.
All I'm saying is that it's often more complex than can be broken down into the binary of trying vs not trying. For example, if a playoff bound team rests a major player because they're afraid if they don't, that player is at greater risk to aggravate an injury and miss playoff games THAT SEASON, is that team trying to win or not by sitting the player? I would say they are trying, many would disagree with me.
Occasionally, a team tries to "win now" at all costs. Similarly, occasionally a team will try to "lose now" at almost all costs. I think the overwhelming majority of the time there is a lot more nuance than that, with the key point being that all teams are trying to win as much as they can, but different teams prioritize different upcoming seasons /games differently based on their current situation.

























