2025-2026 Tank Race Prediction Contest and Current Results Thread

[Saint Cy of JFC]

It's kind of funny that people justify tanking or non-tanking based on winning an argument instead of how it affects the franchise. I'm not above trying to win an internet argument for funzies, but at the end of the it's kind of irrelevant what our expectations were. When the Jazz organization does what the tankies wanted to do all along we all celebrate the result and understand it's good (unless you're insufferable troll/whiner). I really like what the Jazz are doing right now and it's giving results. My only gripe is that we could have done it sooner/more often. If we had a stronger commitment out the gate, we could be in contention for the top spot. It's not perfect, but at least it's not half and half again.

Y'all have to try extra hard to miss the point of what we've been saying

 

[rippimpc]

Re: tank timing. IMO we got serious about tanking and stopped cosplaying as an actually serious team when the Mavs benched AD. It woke management up. In addition to Adam Silver the rest of the league would gladly **** us if we didn’t get our **** together.

 

[sip]

Y'all have to try extra hard to miss the point of what we've been saying

We just don't agree with what you have been saying. Are preference was to go hard early playing the youngsters so we create that nice buffer where there is very little doubt that we are looking at a top 6 pick. In the end it may not matter but I would prefer to get the heavy lifting done early so we don't have to worry about it.

 

[Saint Cy of JFC]

We just don't agree with what you have been saying. Are preference was to go hard early playing the youngsters so we create that nice buffer where there is very little doubt that we are looking at a top 6 pick. In the end it may not matter but I would prefer to get the heavy lifting done early so we don't have to worry about it.

Yeah, cuz y'all are ****ing morons.

You have a tank out the gate mindset and you aren't getting this development from Keyonte.

The Jazz had their cake and ate it too this season. A masterclass on how to tank at the right time and we still got people bitching.

Jazz will easily finish 4th and we will still have sad sacks like y'all crying that we didn't get 3rd.

 

[fishonjazz]

We just don't agree with what you have been saying. Are preference was to go hard early playing the youngsters so we create that nice buffer where there is very little doubt that we are looking at a top 6 pick. In the end it may not matter but I would prefer to get the heavy lifting done early so we don't have to worry about it.

Another benefit to starting early that I haven't seen mentioned: If you start the season out playing Cody and Taylor and Flip over guys like svi and anderson and nurk then the league doesn't get suspicious about the tank. No one thought of svi or anderson or nurk as some amazing group of talented players that would make people suspicious if they were riding pine. Jazz could just say that Cody and Taylor and flip were outplaying them in practice and earned those minutes and no one would be the wiser.
If you start the season out playing the vets and they play pretty good and the team plays better with them in the lineup and then suddenly you start playing the young guys and sitting the vets and the team plays worse then it looks pretty suspicious. Play the young guys early and you never have to noticeably "pivot to shenanigans". Can just keep doing what you been doing for the most part.

 

[fishonjazz]

You have a tank out the gate mindset and you aren't getting this development from Keyonte.

Nah, I knew he was going to have a great season before he ever played a single minute with svi or nurk.
Cause keyonte is a very good basketball player.

 

[Elizah Huge]

I do actually think a lot of stuff has gone our way with the tank. Kessler being out for the year. We got 30 or so really good games from Lauri putting up 28/7. Keyonte putting up 24/7 every night. Lauri gets the most well-timed illness ever. Now Keyonte is going to miss multiple games with an ankle sprain.

 

[Elizah Huge]

It’s hilarious to see the people who said the Jazz aren’t going to do the right thing back track and say well they should have done it sooner. You were wrong, it’s ok to admit it.

 

[fishonjazz]

It’s hilarious to see the people who said the Jazz aren’t going to do the right thing back track and say well they should have done it sooner. You were wrong, it’s ok to admit it.

Thats fine but I would like to see the posts of these people saying that the jazz wouldn't do the right thing, rather than just saying that they weren't doing the right thing at the time. I have seen many post from way back by HH for example saying that because the jazz weren't doing the right thing in the beginning that the jazz would have to get extra grimy later and risk the nba coming down on them. Which would indicate that he thought the jazz would eventually do the right thing but he just thought they should do the right thing to begin with.
I doubt that i had a post a few months ago saying that the jazz will never sit a player to help the tank or make a move to help the tank for the entire season. I definitely complained that they weren't doing things to help the tank when they weren't though.
Nice to see you saying that the right thing to do was the thing we were saying that they should have doing though. I appreciate the validation.

 

[KqWIN]

Yeah, cuz y'all are ****ing morons.

You have a tank out the gate mindset and you aren't getting this development from Keyonte.

The Jazz had their cake and ate it too this season. A masterclass on how to tank at the right time and we still got people bitching.

Jazz will easily finish 4th and we will still have sad sacks like y'all crying that we didn't get 3rd.

Because the idea that losing 1-3 extra games is going to ruin Key’s development is completely ridiculous. If you believe it’s that important, you must also believe that we are torching his development by doing it now. Pick one. You can’t have both.

Btw, I’m not bitching. We’re doing exactly what I wanted and it’s giving the results you’re so happy about. We’d just be happier if we did more of it.

 

[KqWIN]

Nah, I knew he was going to have a great season before he ever played a single minute with svi or nurk.
Cause keyonte is a very good basketball player.

You don’t understand, Key wouldn’t have developed if we had 13 wins instead of 15 right now. And 15 wins is the perfect amount of tanking where he suffers no consequences!

It’s such a ridiculous argument. And @Elizah Huge still refuses to acknowledge that people are running with this development angle.

It’s hilarious to see the people who said the Jazz aren’t going to do the right thing back track and say well they should have done it sooner. You were wrong, it’s ok to admit it.

I can’t speak for what others have said, but I have never said they won’t do it eventually. I just said it’s dumb to start later. And you were on podcast saying the same thing. The only person I actually recall doubting that it would happen is HH.

 

[fishonjazz]

Because the idea that losing 1-3 extra games is going to ruin Key’s development is completely ridiculous. If you believe it’s that important, you must also believe that we are torching his development by doing it now. Pick one. You can’t have both.

Btw, I’m not bitching. We’re doing exactly what I wanted and it’s giving the results you’re so happy about. We’d just be happier if we did more of it.

Yep, last night we didn't play nurk or Lauri and a poster in the gamethread said that Key was looking unmotivated and that the tank was getting to him and so predictably he scored more points than his season average on much better efficiency than his season averages and had more assists than his season average.