MEGA Tank Thread - Post ALL New Tanking Discussion Here

[Wretch]

...and yes, there are all manner of typos and run ons and such, but a) this is a basketball forum and b) I'm on a 10 hour drive from Florida with 4 loud and bouncy kids in the back seat and I'm really just shooting from the hip here.

[TheFuzz]

Ferry is picking up players based on value and talent. Not fit, not even youth. Other than Howard and Chris Paul, Teague, Millsap and Korver are probably the 3 best free agent signings of the summer. We did not blow our capspace, I have no clue where that idea came from.

We're an above .500 team right now THAT'S UNDER THE CAP. That is an accomplishment in and of itself. Every player on our team is an asset, either because they're expiring, young or outperform their contract. Every single one. We have all of our picks. HE IS PLAYING THE MOREY GAME. You know, Daryl Morey. The GM that everybody salivates over these days. Before Harden a lot of fans thought Morey was another "treadmill" GM and Presti was incredible for nabbing star after star in the draft. No doubt Presti has an incredible eye for talent and is a phenomenal GM. But Morey turned years of 12-16 picks and capspace into the three late lottery picks that would become James Harden.

A TEAM FULL OF ASSETS THAT THE GM IS WILLING TO DEAL IS NEVER A TREADMILL TEAM. Never. Nope. New York? Treadmill. Atlanta? No. Denver? No. Portland? Closer, but still no. A competent GM does not treadmill.

I doubt Ferry is opposed to getting lottery picks. He is almost certainly opposed to watching Millsap sign to another team for that steal of a contract. He is certainly opposed to gutting our team of talent for a shot at a #1 pick when there ARE stars available later in the draft.

Ferry has proven to a great drafter here in Atlanta and savvy in trades. His free agent signings have been great as well. What's the issue? He didn't trade Horford for a lottery pick in 2014? You know, Wiggins is the only player in that draft that will definitely be better than Horford. Parker, Randle, Gordon, Exum; these guys have question marks.

[AHF]

Here is SI on the increased interest in tanking due to the quality of this year's draft class:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/nba/news/20130712/nba-draft-2014-andrew-wiggins-julius-randle-marcus-smart/?sct=uk_wr_a3

Phoenix, Orlando, Charlotte, Boston, Philadelphia and Utah are all rebuilding and figure to be jockeying for prime lottery position with as many ping pong balls as they can get. Tanking is an annual rite of passage for NBA bottom-feeders but next season, said an Eastern Conference executive, "it will happen earlier than most."

Why? Because the 2014 draft is good. Really good. As ho-hum as most executives were about the '13 draft, they are that positively giddy about the '14 one. Ask execs about prospective franchise players in last month's draft and they will struggle to come up with one. Ask them about next year's and they will rattle off a list of five or six before taking a breath.

"This draft reminds me of the 2003 draft," said a Western Conference GM, referring to the class headlined by LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade. "There is a cluster of cornerstone, All-Star level players at the top. These are guys that if they were in this year's draft, they all would have gone at the top."

. . . .

Tanking doesn't work, of course. The Bobcats have been bad since, well, the franchise's inception and they have never landed the No. 1 pick. The Cavaliers had a 15.6 percent chance of winning the top pick this year, and they went home with it. Since the current lottery system was put in place in 1990, only three teams that finished with the worst record ended up with the top pick. But that won't stop nagging hamstring injuries from becoming chronic at the end of the season, won't stop the occasional star from being shut down. Tossing young players to the fire is a classic move by a team content to pile up the losses, which means youth will be served this season.

Gear up, NBA, because this season could be a fun one. The Heat will look to three-peat, the Nets will try to buy a title and Dwight Howard will attempt to restore a tattered reputation. But the next generation of superstars are coming, and the teams that understand that optimism will end in training camp will be maneuvering for the best chance to get one.

Edited July 17, 2013 by AHF

[Wretch]

Also, when I say "contender" I don't mean championship team. I'm simply referring to teams that have made the Final Four (where we have not been).

Ferry is picking up players based on value and talent. Not fit, not even youth. Other than Howard and Chris Paul, Teague, Millsap and Korver are probably the 3 best free agent signings of the summer. We did not blow our capspace, I have no clue where that idea came from.

We're an above .500 team right now THAT'S UNDER THE CAP. That is an accomplishment in and of itself. Every player on our team is an asset, either because they're expiring, young or outperform their contract. Every single one. We have all of our picks. HE IS PLAYING THE MOREY GAME. You know, Daryl Morey. The GM that everybody salivates over these days. Before Harden a lot of fans thought Morey was another "treadmill" GM and Presti was incredible for nabbing star after star in the draft. No doubt Presti has an incredible eye for talent and is a phenomenal GM. But Morey turned years of 12-16 picks and capspace into the three late lottery picks that would become James Harden.

A TEAM FULL OF ASSETS THAT THE GM IS WILLING TO DEAL IS NEVER A TREADMILL TEAM. Never. Nope. New York? Treadmill. Atlanta? No. Denver? No. Portland? Closer, but still no. A competent GM does not treadmill.

I doubt Ferry is opposed to getting lottery picks. He is almost certainly opposed to watching Millsap sign to another team for that steal of a contract. He is certainly opposed to gutting our team of talent for a shot at a #1 pick when there ARE stars available later in the draft.

Ferry has proven to a great drafter here in Atlanta and savvy in trades. His free agent signings have been great as well. What's the issue? He didn't trade Horford for a lottery pick in 2014? You know, Wiggins is the only player in that draft that will definitely be better than Horford. Parker, Randle, Gordon, Exum; these guys have question marks.

You can't see it...

Well, you can't use Houston as the example...unless you fall into the lottery by means of missing the playoffs - we're not missing the playoffs.

Secondly, excluding Horford...use any number of assets we have for this awesome trade that will change us.

Lastly, there are only two parts of the draft - the lottery and everything else. Playoff level draft picks and non-playoff level picks. The potential of both of those pools is decided weighted towards the non-playoff teams.

As a team that continually makes the playoffs, you will continually have access to the lesser pool. If you don't manage this awesome trade or this awesome homerun free agent signing, then how are you supposed to improve the team?

How?

And stop using Houston. They traded lottery picks for Harden...which we're not going to have because we're making the playoffs every year. And if you think we WILL have them...explain the trade of what assets we have that will entice a team to give us said lottery pick...

I'm going to eventually shut up and wait for this Ferry Magic to happen. Heh...Ferry Magic I made a funny. My gut tells me that we will be stuck in the middle of the pack making no progress with these kinds of moves. That is the very definition of a treadmill team.

Edited July 17, 2013 by Wretch

[TheFuzz]

They traded 2 12th picks in Lamb and now Adams, plus an expiring. 12th is where the Bucks draft every year, a team on the dreaded treadmill. The difference is the Bucks are awful in free agency and in trade (they actually draft pretty well). I think players like Teague, Lou Will, Millsap, Horford and Korver could between them produce a pair of 12th picks.

Gerald freaking Wallace got traded for the 6th pick. Paul George was drafted 10th, Lawson and Rondo out of the lottery.

Edit: Also there aren't just two parts to the draft. There are 60 parts to the draft. And each part carries with it degrees of luck.

Edited July 18, 2013 by TheFuzz

[TheFuzz]

Slightly off topic...

This is just my opinion. but as someone who watches a decent amount of high school footage, this 2014 draft is being overrated a bit. Wiggins is an absolute stud at the top but after that there are plenty of question marks. I like Parker (athleticism questions), Exum (limited game) and to a lesser extent Gordon (raw as hell) and Randle (fairly raw, tweenerish) as well but they're all far from sure-fire stars and they all have a lot of holes in their game. Marcus Smart is a competitor but raw. They obviously have the talent, but so does Schröder. He was drafted 17th in a "weak" draft.

You also have to develop the talent, another side topic.

[NBASupes]

Slightly off topic...

This is just my opinion. but as someone who watches a decent amount of high school footage, this 2014 draft is being overrated a bit. Wiggins is an absolute stud at the top but after that there are plenty of question marks. I like Parker (athleticism questions), Exum (limited game) and to a lesser extent Gordon (raw as hell) and Randle (fairly raw, tweenerish) as well but they're all far from sure-fire stars and they all have a lot of holes in their game. Marcus Smart is a competitor but raw. They obviously have the talent, but so does Schröder. He was drafted 17th in a "weak" draft.

You also have to develop the talent, another side topic.

Huh? Not sure you are serious?

[Wretch]

They traded 2 12th picks in Lamb and now Adams, plus an expiring. 12th is where the Bucks draft every year, a team on the dreaded treadmill. The difference is the Bucks are awful in free agency and in trade (they actually draft pretty well). I think players like Teague, Lou Will, Millsap, Horford and Korver could between them produce a pair of 12th picks.

Gerald freaking Wallace got traded for the 6th pick. Paul George was drafted 10th, Lawson and Rondo out of the lottery.

Edit: Also there aren't just two parts to the draft. There are 60 parts to the draft. And each part carries with it degrees of luck.

Dude...I'm not gonna sit here and go year by year and do the research for you. Players that have achieved HoF, All NBA, and All Star (especially starters) are found at the top of the draft. Do you really need me to tell you that? Comparing those kind of players found in the lottery to those kind of players EVERYWHERE else? There is a HUGE difference.

I am NOT saying that good players are found ONLY in the lottery.

I am telling you that the chances of finding IMPACT players outside of the lottery - like Rhondo, Manu, Boozer - are FAR LESS LIKELY. By a HUGE margin. And this is the part that gets me...

It's hard enough to get them in the lottery and you guys are QUICK to point that out....but you seem to think it's easier to fish that same kind of talent out of the weakest parts of the draft? That's straight up madness right there. This has nothing to do with facts or statistics. The problem is a simple bias - the aversion to being a team associated with the bottom.

I'm so tired of hearing about Houston... In the first place, this is the SAME example you guys keep throwing out - out of countless examples that show you otherwise. In the second place, Houston does not support your argument. Do you know ANYTHING about those picks that were traded?

One pick, was their own...a rookie they just selected 12th overall. If we're a playoff team, we're not selecting in the lottery. How do we get that pick? Danny Ferry is not going to let this team be a "loser." So what do we do?

Trade Millsap?

Brand?

Millsap & Brand?

Gut our team and trade Millsap, Brand, & Teague for a lottery pick? (lol...and again, OMG...Isn't this pretty much EXACTLY what we're saying? Gut the team and get high draft picks? How is this NOT the exact same thing we're talking about? Man...this is just crazy...)

Answer these questions, dude. How do you get this first lottery pick to trade for a guy like Harden? HOW?

Nobody is going to just give you that kind of player for scraps. You're not getting Harden or Blake or Steph Curry for any combination of anything on our roster other than MAYBE Horford. But if you trade him for a lottery pick or a young unproven player...how are you not rebuilding with youth/picks?

This shit gets long and complicated, because you guys just refuse to see anything but your own perspective. Even if another perspective is the more accurate and closer to the truth. The trade conversation for Harden starts with a lottery pick - which we don't have if we're making the playoffs. There is no way to get around this point...

This is how Houston did it, if you want those kind of results, you have to use their method. You can't build like San Antonio without a Duncan... You can't build like the Lakers without drafting a Kobe. You can't build like the Clippers unless you draft Blake and lure a star who wants to play with him. You can't build like Houston unless you have the draft pick assets to make the trade.

And they had TWO LOTTERY PICKS. One pick was their own lottery pick. The other was a lottery PROTECTED pick from Toronto. Do you know what that means? That pick was only TOP 3 PROTECTED. The trade was made prior to the start of the 2013 season...that pick could have been anything between 4 and 14 and THAT is why OKC pulled the trigger on that deal.

You guys are really stretching it trying to find ways to build without touching the upper part of the draft - to include flat out ignoring the facts.

[Wretch]

Here is SI on the increased interest in tanking due to the quality of this year's draft class:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/nba/news/20130712/nba-draft-2014-andrew-wiggins-julius-randle-marcus-smart/?sct=uk_wr_a3

This is the kind of window we are going to miss EVERY year as we try to make the playoffs and build with scraps. Right up until Horford becomes an unrestricted free agent three seasons from now.

[TheFuzz]

Huh? Not sure you are serious?

I think they all have it in them to be stars, but they have things holding them back from being these franchise changing superstars IMO. It's not a given they become better players than Horford. Far from it, actually. Though I do really like Parker, Exum and Gordon. Not quite as sold on Randle.

To Wretch, I got sidetracked. I don't disagree that the top of the lottery is where it's much easier to find that game-changing talent. What I do disagree with is that fielding a team bad enough to be in the top 5 is the best way to go, the reason being those teams are really bad and considering the talent from year to year differs they tend to stay bad.

Slipping into the lottery is not a bad thing IMO. We might miss the playoffs this year, particularly if we ship off some assets. What I think Ferry believes, and I believe it too, is that he'd rather have a GOOD player like Millsap on a bargain deal to be used as a player or trade asset than a slightly higher chance at the #1 pick.

I'll eat crow if in a few years it's the same team, but I don't think it will be. Ferry isn't putting all his eggs in one basket. Lottery picks are good assets, yes, but so are free agent signings like Millsap, Teague and Korver. We'll see.

I don't mean to be argumentative. I just don't think it's "lottery" or "contending" or "treadmill." By stockpiling assets, we have the opportunity to trade up in the draft or trade for established productive players. And I'm in the boat that Ferry hasn't made a bad move yet, and he's made a ton of good ones.

Edited July 19, 2013 by TheFuzz

[Guest]

Tankfest 2013-14 http://espn.go.com/nba/dailydime/_/page/dime-130718/daily-dime

A fair amount of resentment exists among front offices trying to win basketball games in 2013-14 for those rival execs who aren't.

"When you sell failure, you can't be judged by failure," one exec said. "By doing it this way, they buy themselves a five-year cycle rather than a three-year cycle. It's about survival as much as strategy."

In other words, by selling owners on the idea that calamity must precede success, the Merchants of Tank get a pass from owners who might otherwise have a low tolerance for the volume of losses they're about to accumulate.

There are varied opinions as to whether decision-makers such as Philadelphia's new general manager, Sam Hinkie, are pursuing a sensible strategy. Some doff their caps to the pragmatism, boldness and, most of all, power of persuasion required by an executive to sell 62 losses to owners who aren't accustomed to losing in life.

But others feel as if tankers are overplaying their hands. The thinking goes that tanking is all well and good when you're one of only a select group engaged in the practice (as Oklahoma City was during its construction). But when as many as a dozen teams are participating, the race to the bottom is far more competitive -- and potentially corrosive to the franchise.

"There are only three top-three picks," one assistant general manager said. "Everyone wants to be the Thunder, but for the majority of teams, it doesn't work out that way. Meanwhile, you don't want to create a cultural malaise while you're busy driving away your fan base."

The unintended consequence of all this? The competitive balance the league purported to establish during the 2011 negotiations is as nonexistent as ever.

Edited July 19, 2013 by JayBirdHawk

[Wretch]

I think they all have it in them to be stars, but they have things holding them back from being these franchise changing superstars IMO. It's not a given they become better players than Horford. Far from it, actually. Though I do really like Parker, Exum and Gordon. Not quite as sold on Randle.

To Wretch, I got sidetracked. I don't disagree that the top of the lottery is where it's much easier to find that game-changing talent. What I do disagree with is that fielding a team bad enough to be in the top 5 is the best way to go, the reason being those teams are really bad and considering the talent from year to year differs they tend to stay bad.

Slipping into the lottery is not a bad thing IMO. We might miss the playoffs this year, particularly if we ship off some assets. What I think Ferry believes, and I believe it too, is that he'd rather have a GOOD player like Millsap on a bargain deal to be used as a player or trade asset than a slightly higher chance at the #1 pick.

I'll eat crow if in a few years it's the same team, but I don't think it will be. Ferry isn't putting all his eggs in one basket. Lottery picks are good assets, yes, but so are free agent signings like Millsap, Teague and Korver. We'll see.

I don't mean to be argumentative. I just don't think it's "lottery" or "contending" or "treadmill." By stockpiling assets, we have the opportunity to trade up in the draft or trade for established productive players. And I'm in the boat that Ferry hasn't made a bad move yet, and he's made a ton of good ones.

We agree 100% on the part in bold. That's the part that ********A LOT********** of people are just not understanding and I'm glad you said that. Not everybody has the same opinion - even those people who tend to share the same core beliefs.

Where we differ is on the alternative. Nothing that Danny Ferry has said or done gives me any indication that he's going to try his hand at building through the upper part of the draft. Which means more of what he has done already - short deals, cap flexibility, hope for a home run free agent, sign serviceable guys, replace the things we lose (JJ, Josh, maybe even Horford) make the playoffs. Without offering up Horford, any combination of trades/free agency is going to amount up to the aforementioned avenues for building.

If you don't hit a homerun in that...you are stuck at a 4/5 seed, bouncing out of the 2nd round of the playoffs. I'm not putting any faith into these late draft picks or serviceable free agent signings. Personally, I would just rather be stockpiling young talent out of the most potent drafting pool and using that talent or trading it. I would trust a guy like Ferry with a rebuild like that - especially if he brings the Spurs management/decision making philosophy here. As it were, I see him as a better Babcock. Same sort of vision, but without the reckless stupidity.

At the end of the day, we're still building around an under powered core. I would welcome a surprise run up through the ECF's and all the crow you guys could serve. I'm just not holding my breath.

[Guest Zone]

All these bad teams hoping they're the next OKC will never reach that type of sucess unless they have the right staff to do it. The main reason why I want the Hawks to rebuild is because the staff right now looks real good on paper. Hell, you can look at our drafting this year and see we woudn't be making typical hawks like draft choices. No doubt in my mind we'd be in a better position going forward under the current regime.

If you want an example of a tanking team that is doing it right, look at the Orlando Magic. They're quietly building a team with solid young players that have potential. If they strike big in next years draft (they probably will), don't be surprised if they end up being real good in a couple of years. Ironically, their gm used to work in OKC's front office so it's no surprise the team has a brighter future compared to these other bad teams.

[ATL_BALLER]

Here's what I don't get, Wretch: If you're aiming for the upper half of the draft, why not aim for the top? To drive home your argument even more, the real game-changing talent is in the top 5, not the top 14.

What's the point of just missing the playoffs? It's the inverse argument of the treadmill - if you're not moving towards the championship, what's the point of being a middling second-round team?

In between doesn't work. If you're gonna tank or compete, go all in.

[DJlaysitup]

Here's what I don't get, Wretch: If you're aiming for the upper half of the draft, why not aim for the top? To drive home your argument even more, the real game-changing talent is in the top 5, not the top 14.

What's the point of just missing the playoffs? It's the inverse argument of the treadmill - if you're not moving towards the championship, what's the point of being a middling second-round team?

In between doesn't work. If you're gonna tank or compete, go all in.

Agreed BALLER...and I think what we are looking at this next season is what I have read on nationwide sports' sites as DF's "strategic tanking".

...or you can call it a "strategic rebuild".

Now let's take this whole question like you would take Major League Baseball. You have a team that you hope for but are unsure of. You do all you can to pump up the crowd and hope they do well. Then if they suck - you "build down".

IMO DF has done GREAT with the Milsap signing from a strategic tank/rebuild standpoint. 1st - Milsap is quality - but not the type of quality that will put us over the top. He also semi-duplicates AL...so if we are struggling as we approach the trade deadline he can be traded to one of the contenders who will need solid inside help...(as long as he is healthy - and if he isn't healthy he won't win us games anyway). Milsap's contract (only two years) will be highly attractive to a "win now" team. They can "go for it" with him for a (partial year) and the next...then be free of him. Awesome trading chip for a high draft pick.

I truly think DF is taking strategic tanking/rebuilding to a new level. He isn't being as obvious as BK but he is setting things up to react if things work out our way. If not - he can make a move and jump back in to the competitive side of the league.

[AHF]

Anyone hoping for a high draft pick for Millsap should think about what Utah got for him when they had a known crunch at PF/C over the last two seasons. I somehow doubt his value at the deadline this year (1.5 years remaining) is so much greater than last offseason (1 year remaining) that he goes from not attracting much of value to a high draft pick. If we deal him I hope I am wrong, but Millsap, Jefferson, Smoove, and others got their teams exactly zilch even though they were on short-term deals and delivering their expected production.

[ATL_BALLER]

In spite of the two-year deal, I honestly don't see a scenario in which Danny trades Sap (or Korver) at the deadline, no matter where we stand. With all the lip-service he's (rightfully) given to culture, he's going to give it more than a half a season to set in.

I agree, AHF, though, that Sap wouldn't fetch a significant haul in trade anyway - especially if his likely destination is a contender, where any pick we'd receive isn't apt to be high.

[NBASupes]

I think they all have it in them to be stars, but they have things holding them back from being these franchise changing superstars IMO. It's not a given they become better players than Horford. Far from it, actually. Though I do really like Parker, Exum and Gordon. Not quite as sold on Randle.

To Wretch, I got sidetracked. I don't disagree that the top of the lottery is where it's much easier to find that game-changing talent. What I do disagree with is that fielding a team bad enough to be in the top 5 is the best way to go, the reason being those teams are really bad and considering the talent from year to year differs they tend to stay bad.

Slipping into the lottery is not a bad thing IMO. We might miss the playoffs this year, particularly if we ship off some assets. What I think Ferry believes, and I believe it too, is that he'd rather have a GOOD player like Millsap on a bargain deal to be used as a player or trade asset than a slightly higher chance at the #1 pick.

I'll eat crow if in a few years it's the same team, but I don't think it will be. Ferry isn't putting all his eggs in one basket. Lottery picks are good assets, yes, but so are free agent signings like Millsap, Teague and Korver. We'll see.

I don't mean to be argumentative. I just don't think it's "lottery" or "contending" or "treadmill." By stockpiling assets, we have the opportunity to trade up in the draft or trade for established productive players. And I'm in the boat that Ferry hasn't made a bad move yet, and he's made a ton of good ones.

Fuzz, who is saying they will be better than Horford is a lock. Al is an all star level player who can be All NBA yearly with the right personnel. If we can get players on Al's level like Paul George and more, that is what we want and why we need a high draft pick.

[nathan2331]

You know this whole tanking argument is very interesting and is very relevant to the direction our franchise may nee headed in. But after everyone's comments I think it's best if we don't tank for multiple reasons. First and foremost many teams will also be vying for this lottery talent and rightly so. Now say we do get a top pick, who knows whowe will actually end up with. The biggest issue facing the Hawks is our perception not just the talent we have. If we tank and draft a player who isn't what we thought he was, we will be stuck in the lottery for more years to come. If this draft is supposed to be as good as the 03'draft then how good will it be to us. We can get Wiggins but if we don't have anybody on the team to help him, and we can't attract a decent free agent, we will have The Decision 2 on our hands. Plus I look at teams like Cleveland and Washington whoi don't think will be successful not because they lack talent, but because they lack a winning culture.

[Wretch]

Here's what I don't get, Wretch: If you're aiming for the upper half of the draft, why not aim for the top? To drive home your argument even more, the real game-changing talent is in the top 5, not the top 14.

What's the point of just missing the playoffs? It's the inverse argument of the treadmill - if you're not moving towards the championship, what's the point of being a middling second-round team?

In between doesn't work. If you're gonna tank or compete, go all in.

It's the perspective that's confusing you.

I don't believe in "tanking." I never have. It's not that I believe that it can't work, I just think it's cheesy to shoot for the worst record possible. Moreover, the system (which could REALLY use a rework) is designed to discourage shooting for a particular pick. I'm just not the kind of person that puts a lot of stock in iffy variables like that.

What I believe in is REBUILDING.

This is where some of you guys are losing me (and people always have). When I say getting into the upper part of the draft, I'm talking about fishing in the best part of the lake. Simple as that. It could be 1-5. It could be 8-10. I'm not too concerned with exactly where. The primary concern would be recreating the team from scratch while stockpiling young talent and high draft picks - the kind that teams use all the time to secure top tier veteran talent (see Chris Paul, James Harden, & Ray Allen).

If that means we end up with one of the top 4 picks, then that's what it means. If it means we end up in the middle of the lottery, then so be it. What Danny Ferry is doing is trying to build a winner without losing games. This is the EXACT same thing that Pete Babcock tried to do and he and Lenny called it "winning without losing."

The problem in that is...

Short of a homerun free agent, mugging someone on a trade, or a PHENOMENAL draft steal akin to Joe Dumars, Manu Ginobili, or John Stockton...the team will not make the ECF's. It's nice to have faith in your team and all, but we see this wall of talent EVERY year and we're just not going to break through it with a B-List squad.

The top tier of free agents will likely continue to turn their noses up at us and the cap space will dry up (even on these short deals). All the while, we will not have access to the franchise changing talent pool in the lottery. Eventually, SOMEBODY will fish out a game changer out of the draft and we will be leapfrogged/lapped. It will be a vicious cycle of mediocrity and at the end of it, we will have nothing to show for it.

All the while, we'll roll our eyes at how "lucky" Chicago, Orlando, and OKC are...while they continue their playoff journey to the Finals. It's not like I haven't sat here and watched this episode of the Atlanta Hawks for decades.

I don't think the answer is found in trying to be the worst team possible. I KNOW it's not found in trying to keep a mediocre team above the playoff line every year (and again, show me all the teams that do it that way). The answer is an INTELLIGENT and balanced rebuilding effort. Unfortunately, that involves losing and some people are just no ok with that.

They will see the light in a few years. They always do.

Edited August 5, 2013 by Wretch