I'd agree, but I also could see them getting desperate. They currently aren't in the play-in and the Lakers are starting to trend up.
Its Time to Tank
- Thread starter Handlogten's Heros
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My opinion based on the moves they made this summer.
seattlejazzfan
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it was never not time to tank.
I think the current top 10 will hold, but Utah will fall out. The last two play in spots will be between Lakers, Dallas, and Minnesota.
Lakers can probably move into the top 8 if they are willing to deal. Same with Dallas.
Lakers can probably move into the top 8 if they are willing to deal. Same with Dallas.
fishonjazz
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Damn thats rough. They go out and get Wilson thinking it will make them contenders....... And now they are tanking lol. Thats a tough pill to swallow.
fishonjazz
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I hear Lauri might be out tonight.
Also didn't look all that good last game. Maybe coming back down to earth (back to what he was prior to this 20ish game sample size this season)
Handlogten's Heros
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Lakers schedule gets brutal over the next 10... will be lucky to go 5-5. Part of their trend up is playing SA 3x.
I think Dallas keeps the draft powder dry unless an AS comes along... Like I could see them offering 3 firsts and the other stuff to get Lauri (not suggesting we do it).
Handlogten's Heros
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I think we can tank... the 30 wins number is not a hard and fast rule... winning 33ish can still land you in the 7-8 spot. Again... many teams have no incentive to tank and will push for the play in in that range.
It will require trading 2 vets though... 2 of KO, Mike, JC, Vando, Malik... and playing developing players in those spots.
The other thing working against a tank for now is Lauri's potential AS bid. If our record continues to nosedive he has no shot at the AS team. I know its dumb to think about but I promise Ryan wants to have a representative in the game. That story line this summer did not come out of thin air.
It will require trading 2 vets though... 2 of KO, Mike, JC, Vando, Malik... and playing developing players in those spots.
The other thing working against a tank for now is Lauri's potential AS bid. If our record continues to nosedive he has no shot at the AS team. I know its dumb to think about but I promise Ryan wants to have a representative in the game. That story line this summer did not come out of thin air.
Handlogten's Heros
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1-4 when Mike doesn't play... if Mike and Lauri are both out tonight its likely a loss. None of the teams on this homestand are pushovers. We will see.
They also have the 4th best offense in that span, and it was almost certainly the most difficult 10 game stretch of their entire schedule (7 road games, 3 b2b, mostly extremely good teams).
A couple weeks ago, I groaned when I looked at our next six games (that we have now just finished). Not because I thought we should struggle (I thought we'd go 1-5 - we went 2-4), but because I knew how many people here would overreact to it and resume the tank talks despite us being 12-10 after a hell schedule that featured 14 of 22 on the road.
Handlogten's Heros
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Heard some stuff this morning that made me think on the tank. Our record in clutch games is pretty good. Dunc'd on said it was like 1.3 games better than expected. I think the margins are razor thin. If we lost Conley for the year through trade or injury I think the tank could be really strong. I think if we lost KO and Mike the tank gets major steam.
I agree we are too good to tank as presently constituted... but if we made a tank trade we could easily slide into the 7/8 range. I think our record is a touch exaggerated and would expect us to fall around the .500 level rest of the season even with a better schedule. If we made a tank trade I think we could easily lose 2/3s of our games rest of the year. Currently the 7th/8th worst teams are on pace for like 33+ wins. Bottom 5 are rock solid **** imo and no one will tank below them. Normally I probably wouldn't think getting to 7/8 is worth it... I do think this is a strong draft in the top 10-15 range... with a few franchise changers up top. Long term cashing in Conley/KO/Vando I think is worth it if it yields some mild draft comp and a pick improvement of 6-10 spots this year.
Trading KO will not help the tank it will hurt it. That is a common misconception around here. Kessler getting more minutes instead of KO will help us win more.
Handlogten's Heros
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I'm going to respectfully disagree. Kessler may improve us a bit in the KO minutes... but its the guy that replaces Kessler that will aid the tank. Plus when you reduce your depth it leaves you open to losing 4-5 in a row when a key guy rolls an ankle. Walker also gets in foul trouble so may not be able to assume 34 minutes a night as a result. If Doke or G league guy are getting minutes you will be worse... and if not you are winning on the backs of future building blocks.... so I'm good either way.
Kelly Olynyk is one of our 3 best players. Yeah, his individual defense can be atrocious at times, but him, Conley, and Lauri together are a super high IQ offensive domination trio.
That's what really sucks about the inevitable tank where we trade KO/Mike, it's going to make life rough on Lauri having to play next to the lower IQ players
That's what really sucks about the inevitable tank where we trade KO/Mike, it's going to make life rough on Lauri having to play next to the lower IQ players
I don’t really think so. I could be wrong but KO has been so bad defensively it’s hard to really be a net positive when you’re that bad. I like Dok, he fouls a little too much but I like him enough to be a backup center. It’s not like Kessler is getting a ton of minutes anyways in that position.
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I think based on on/off splits Vando might be the guy that we'd be somewhat shocked was hurting us more than he's helping us. The defensive splits are shocking on him.
KO is not one of our 3 best players. He’s not better than Conley/Lauri/Clarkson/Kessler right off the bat.
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I think Dok would get cooked and really drag down the offense. He's fine in a game or two here and there... he's also not likely to stay healthy. Replacing KO's 28 minutes a night with 14 more from Walker and 14 from Dok would really hurt the offense imo. And again the depth thing is important. If we trade KO and Walker misses 10 games then you are losing a lot.
It’s a trade off we’d be much better defensively.