Exclusive Should Blazers try to make the playoffs or rebuild(tank)?

This is the million dollar question., and potential fun topic. It really depends on this offseason. We have 2 lottery picks, but neither will net us a game changer. Plus with Chauncey here it doesn’t scream “GREAT COACHING”

 

Looking at past NBA champions, I do not see any that originally tanked for their difference maker

SA does not count because back in the day they were assured Duncan if they had the worst record.
Cleveland has a case but technically they only won with LBJ after he went back to Cleveland.
Denver-no they did not tank for Jovic
GS-No they did not tank for Steph
Milwaukee-no they did not tank for Giannis
Lakers-No they got free agents (or the player forced a trade)
Toronto, Dallas, Miami, -No No No

So I can see the argument for tanking but at the same time, not very convincing.

 

Does trying to make the playoffs require firing Chauncey? If we don't fire Chauncey, is that automatically tanking?

 

Trade away Jerami, Ant, Malcolm, Rob and Tisse for young players, picks and high character vets that won't get playing time and have bad contracts.

Then with all of our youth play all out all the time and if that means we end up with a play-in spot or playoff spot cool, if we end up with the tenth worst record in the league (likely) cool. Guys that have high upside at SF and PF should be acquired between the draft and what we get for sending those guys out so getting Flagg wouldn't be a priority anyway.

I want us to be in a position with our young team where they can start to try and win every game from opening night until the playoffs start or they're eliminated in the plaoffs or play-in.

 

We don't know because the dude has never had a roster that was composed to win. Joe said that prior to his first season even before Dame went down, then Joe said he couldn't find the right deals at that first deadline so Joe tanked, then he said he didn't have the roster right to begin the next season even with Dame healthy, again he said he couldn't find the right pieces and tanked... then Dame asked out and we knew the tank was on from day one that season.

Chauncey has never been given a roster that his GM endorses as a winner, so I think he should at least have a team that he is allowed to play all season long and try to win with even if they're too young to expect to win big. I think then he can be legitimately evaluated because to this point it takes far too much speculation. I lean towards him not being very talented as an in game coach but I just can't even come close to knowing yet.

 

Can't afford 5 each of either one of these under the new CBA.

 

How does SA not count? They were assured Duncan IF they had the worst record. That's the very definition of tanking!

 

I am ok with this other than including the 24-year-old Simons. (25 next month) He fits the time line and he won't take playing time away from Scoot or Sharpe.
I see no downside to him coming off the bench. If he sucks then he helps with the tank. If he doesn't suck... then keeping him makes sense. For those who think he will pout, I doubt it but if he does then you trade him.

 

Because the rules changed and it is no longer possible, thereby not relevant to the discussion.

 

Wut?

 

Also Bananas are high in potassium, but that, too, is not what we are discussing here

 

I tried to google Costco and CBA, and got the following:

https://teamsters166.com/costco

I don't know what to do with that.

 

I dont care either way. Just pick a lane and stop making contradicting moves.

If you want to tank another year, please trade the vets and find picks or young guys. Stop faking injuries to sit them on the bench while their trade value dwindles.

If you want to win, trade the pick and at least two of the young guys and field a balanced roster.

I don't want a middle of the road option again where they irrationally try to do both options. That is not feasible.

(The 2nd idea would be extremely foolish a year after trading Dame but this FO never ceases to amaze me with their stupidity so I suppose it's likely.)

 

Cronin trading FRP's to improve the team like Minnesota is nowhere near the horizon.

Chicago owns the Blazers pick. Portland gets to use a "we can't trade our pick" card for the next 4 seasons.

Blazers GM nervously stated his outlook for the team is a "sustained build". Meaning the Blazers plan is to dip into the lottery for as long as it takes, until drafting super duper rookies can overtake the bad coaching and return Portland to winning ways.

The team media bakes us "rebuilding like OKC" cakes. Absent is the other rebuilding comps. Minnesota spent years & years & years & years & years & years in horrible basketball slumps. As do some other teams that try rebuilding through the draft.

Can the Blazers become a Minnesota by 2030? They'll have plenty of super rookies and extra bonus picks by then. But getting excited for a team that hopes to be good in 6 years, it's just not fun for NBA fans. Hence the huge drop off in national coverage, and viewership numbers plummeting to record lows.

 

* Wut? "not convincing"? San Antonio absolutely counts because they deliberately tanked for Duncan and wouldn't have any of their 5 championships without him

* Cleveland absolutely counts because they tanked for the hometown guy, Lebron; and then deliberately, obviously tanked for Kyrie

* Denver counts, at least partially, because they had the 7th worst record in the NBA when they drafted Murray 7th; and when a team is in the top-half of the draft without jumping way up in the lottery, it's a tank, whether it's deliberate or not. And, we don't know if Jokic would have been enough for the ring without Murray

* Golden State drafted Curry with the 7th pick; they won 29 games that year. Again, it was a tank by default, but clearly they weren't trying to foolishly win games

* Milwaukee....ok, the exception to the rule

* Lakers? they tanked plenty. They got Magic with a 1st pick; Worthy with a 1st pick; Wilkes with an 11th pick; Kobe with a 13th pick. Speaking of the Magic/Worthy era, the Celtics got Bird with a 6th pick and McHale with a 3rd pick. And of course, the Lakers have avenues for elite talent acquisition that Portland will never have

* Dallas got Dirk with a 9th pick; and they got Kidd by trading Devin Harris, who was a 5th pick

* Miami tanked for a 5th pick and got Dwayne Wade who was integral for their 3 championships

* Chicago won 6 championships because they drafted MJ with the 3rd pick; and traded them 8th pick and a 1st round swap (18th pick) for a 5th pick and Scottie Pippen. And they got Horace Grant with a 10th pick

* Houston won 2 championships becasue they drafted Hakeem with the 1st pick

your evaluation of the definition and effectiveness of tanking doesn't match reality, at all. With very few exceptions, almost no exceptions, teams had to suck for a period of time before they could get their rings, and it was the suckage for the most part, that landed the talent that got the rings

I'm looking at the list of champions and here's some numbers: in the last 35 years, only one team has won a championship without having an MVP winner on the roster (at some point in career); the 2004 Pistons. Which dovetails into the reality that over the last 40 years, only three MVP's weren't taken in the lottery: Nash, Giannis, and Jokic. Two of those guys were taken with the 15th pick. And while they have combined for 6 MVP's they only have two championships

what OBVIOUSLY doesn't work is trying to win with below all-star talent like Ant and Ayton

 

I watched this entire season and when Ant was in the game with any of or all of Shaedon, Scoot and Deandre those guys were just way way worse on offense and then there's the fact that he's a defensive liability which in turn puts all of his teammates in bad positions on that end.

Ant needs to be on a team full of good to great defenders, most likely with a bigger guy who can initiate the offense or at least be a secondary ball handler. That's not our team. Also Ant is ready (in the right situation) to contribute to wins now, that makes him more valuable to win now teams than teams like ours. He's just a bad fit and I don't know about you or anyone else but I've been sick and tired of our team trying to shove square pegs into round holes since 2015.