I agree that making the playoff might bolster some players value....as long as they aren't out in 4 or 5 games. As for picking around 5 or 6 and not getting a star, Steph Curry says hello.
...but what did/would it do for the fans?! Especially those looking to jump ship and not renew their season tickets for instance
What I meant was the value of pick 5 or 6 in trade... obviously you can draft a star at any pick with some luck. BTW, I agree with most of the things you post, and normally I'm all about the draft and getting as high a pick as possible, thus rooting for a tank when a season has gone south... Unfortunately Lillard is in his prime now and we can't afford to wait on 18-19 year old to develope... and no matter how hard we wish to tank, it's not realistic to finish a bottom 5 team with real chance to move up in lotto considering our talent and remaining schedule... So I see it as a pick in the 7-10 range with no playoffs and very slim chance to move up to top 3 or make the playoffs and have more confidence going into next year, plus increased player value to trade at the draf time.
I'd rather have a top 8 pick this year than 8th seed and out in 4 games. Having a .500 record or 8th seed does not necessarily mean purgatory. It depends if the team is on its way up, on its way down, or stuck in the middle. I'm sick of hearing that the only reason the Blazers advanced last season was due to injuries. Injuries happen. Injuries have happened to the Blazers that ruined our playoff chances more times than I'd care to remember. Fuck that noise.
Are there any 4 year college guys or others that can make immediate impact in draft? Dame was great in his first game. Embiid was great right away if you ignore his injuries. Blake Griffin was great right away.
We only have 24 games left this season: New Orleans game, 4-2 v Warriors, 4-1 v Jazz, 4-2 v Spurs and 4-2 v Celtics.