Let's not confuse tanking with ineptness. What teams are actually deliberately losing games to improve their draft postions? The system is fine, you award bad teams with the top picks becasue that is the best way for them to get better.
Of course the good teams want to change the system so they can acquire new young talent, they're not satified taking all the best players through free agency.
What really needs to change is free agency talent distribution. I was hoping that the new cba would have had more change in this regard. How about using a similar process for free agents...the worst teams get first crack at the pool of free agents (all monies being equal). There could be some tweaking here of course (like worst over 3 years etc). I believe a consequence here would be that there would be a lesser number of players opting out (something about the grass being greener) and addressing the big elephant in the room....talent retention. eg. Would Bosh have opted to leave if Cleveland had first dibs on him? If equitable talent distribution to the most needy is the goal then free agency should be considered as important at least as the draft...and probably more so. Small market teams will not be treated as pariahs any more. The PA will no doubt fight this but in reality the more healthy the greater number of teams are the better for the league and collectively the players.
How many RR Forum members will be rooting for the Wizards tomorrow?
The Wizards are number 2 in the lottery ball position (12 wins) with New Orleans (13 wins) in hot pursuit. The Raptors are at number 4 but have New Jersey, Cleveland, Detroit, and Sacramento breathing down their necks within a game or so of number 4.
Not me. Always hope for the win. This season has been kind enough to provide close games, and still get a lottery pick (which they need). I thank the management for walking the tightrope.
+1Quote:
Puffer wrote:
We better spank them bad tomorrow. Same with the charlotte pussycats on tuesday
Article: http://www.torontosun.com/2012/04/01...ng-on-for-once
+1 to Casey.Quote:
WHERE 'TANK' IS A DIRTY WORD
The term tanking gets thrown around rather liberally with respect to the Raptors.
Fans and some members of the media see it as the quickest way out of the depths of the NBA standings.
Just don’t expect Casey to buy in.
Casey is a competitor first and foremost and even the mention of the term seems make him cringe.
“I despise even talking about it,” Casey said. “It’s against my nature and it’s just against everything I stand for. I understand the fans want that and hear that but my job is to develop this program and you don’t develop a program by tanking games. My job is to develop learning how to win and we have a big enough job doing that.”
At one point Casey started to apologize to the fans for his feelings but quickly took that back.
“No, I don’t apologize, but I know what the fans are saying but it goes against everything I stand for,” Casey said.
I wouldnt expect the coach of any team to be, do or say otherwise.
However' this does not mean that many followers of the team do not recognize the status of the team and that this summer will be a crucial time in the evolution of the talent of the team going forward. Part of the process involves the draft and the difference between the 4th spot and say, the 9th spot could be huge. It is a conundrum...but I can at least hope not to lose spots in the draft especially now with just a couple of weeks or so to go and the games essentially meaningless even in terms of player evaluation. This is not like betting against your team. Was there any pleasure in watching that ugly ugly win last evening?
ps...I mentioned this in another spot (not having to do with the tank)...that Vesely was picked one spot after JV!!!
The ironic part is that one could argue logically that rooting for useless wins in a lost season, at the expense of draft positioning, is essentially betting against the longer-term future of the franchise. hahaQuote:
Bendit wrote:
I have officially cut all ties with "tank nation". I have sworn new allegiance to "the next step of rebuilding/building/hitting-the-ground-running process is the draft nation"!
As part of my new allegiance, I will not root against the Raptors but, for the rest of this lost season, I will root even harder for Washington, New Orleans, Cleveland, Sacramento, New Jersey, Detroit and Golden State (Charlotte is a lost cause altogether). Come on, ping pong balls!
Anybody that seriously thinks losing games and getting a quality player that'll help out for years down the road isnt the best course of action should get their head examined.
Yup.Quote:
ceez wrote:
http://www.tumblr.com/photo/1280/the...fqnFDWN1qe1x8q
Caption: Tanks for nothing.
That's awesome. It's also a long term investment with the current management team in place... he can wear it for years to come.
Yeah, there's nothing like blowing a few hundred bucks to get LOSER pasted across your back.
Hey, I'm all for tank nation. So are you. So are most people on this board. Not losers, just realists...
I played to win, I watch in expectations of winning. Tanking is what is truly perverse about this league.
Why do you "expect" wins knowing that it will hurt our chances of improving our talent-base next season?Quote:
stretch wrote:
And doesn't tanking in a lost season improve chances to fulfill that expectation of winning next season, and in seasons to come?Quote:
Nilanka wrote:
Yeah, ethics are overrated.
The people who are in favor of the Raptors intentionally losing the rest of their games were part of a group of fans who were greatly offended when Chris Bosh phoned in the second half of his contract year so that he didn't get hurt and ruin his chances of screwing over the Raptors in the off-season.
Can you really blame Vince Carter for tanking games to get traded? I mean come on, it led to him winning more the next season.
http://sports.nationalpost.com/2012/...-implications/Quote:
“Not once have we said to the coaches or to the players you need to lay down and lose intentionally. It’s never been indicated at all,” Colangelo said. “But what has been put in place is a very strategic plan that has emphasized the development of young players and moving the operation forward. You could argue that picking (Jonas Valanciunas with the fifth-overall pick last year), knowing he wasn’t going to come for at least one year, was in some way establishing less of an opportunity to win (this year).”