With the way they've been decimated by injury, tanking and playing hard may yield rather similar results. :/
Go for the championship. Or, at least, 18-0. This team might have to learn to play fast, small-ball now. Whatever happens with it, happens, and it is not a lost year.
Pendergraph might have to man up, too. It won't be pretty, but it's what we've got. Will we get another player exception?
Man, at this point, I don't see much hope of doing anything in the playoffs without a big man. We're too decimated by injuries to make a trade, unless we can pry away Okafor from the Hornets. I say fuck it, try to play our hardest, and draft the BPA.
More like Aldridge and Pendergraph, it seems. On the other hand, PHX is doing very well with Channing Frye as their Center. Aldridge is twice the player Frye is. Are they going to win a ring? Not likely. But Aldridge is too good a player, Roy is too good a player, JB has too much potential - and Miller is still a very respectable player in this league. Add the role players and hope that Rudy, Nic and Travis come back. Add maybe a trade or two, and we should be at least in playoffs contention.
Let me reiterate...... By tank, I'm effectively saying KP makes no moves. OTOH, assuming Batum, Rudy, and Travis can come back by the playoffs, might KP try and swing a deal involving Bayless or Miller and, say, Cunningham or Pendergraph, plus a 1st Rounder for a (expiring?) Center?
What deals out there wouldn't just be a band-aid type of move? We ARE guard heavy right now, but I don't see what would be plausible while also adding to our future depth.
I don't think we should make any moves. I don't consider that tanking though. I think a move would probably make us worse, especially in the long term.
There's no point in trying to make moves just so we can make something of this season, especially since we're not going to get much for injured players, and the fact that other GMs are going to know we're desperate and try to take advantage of that. We'll just have to suck it up and play it out.
Absolutely no way this team tanks as long as Nate's the coach and Brandon Roy and LA are available to play. This year's emphasis changes from trying to contend in the playoffs to developing young players and trying to improve the others. Given the guts they showed tonight, people would be stupid to count them out in any game.
This is the last year for the next 5 years or so we have any cap space. It would be stupid not to use it.
here's a stat. if the lakers lose tonight (currently trail the thunder by 12) we will be tied with them for best conference record at 12-5. pretty amazing all things considered.
