No it doesn't. I'm not going to go nuts or jump off a bridge just because I want us to win as many games as possible.
Again, this isn't what we're talking about. We're not saying that we're actively hoping the team loses games. We're saying that when we do lose, we write the losses off as "one more loss that could bring us closer to Ben Simmons." I don't know about you, but when I'm really invested in a season and I think we've got a shot at maybe contending, a loss really really puts me in a sour mood. The Ducks, for example, have really put me in a funk when they lose games. Getting smashed in the Natty last year not only soured me on watching the Ducks, but from watching sports in general, for months and months. Getting so close to winning it all only to have it crushed was really heart breaking.
I'm pretty sure some people are genuinely hoping we lose. There are tons of posts here that boil down to how wins are pointless and we should lose as much as possible. Those are the posts that really make me think people are rooting for the team to lose. I understand wanting to find the silver lining after a loss but when talking about games before or during them I really don't like seeing people basically say that a loss is the better outcome. There's a difference between thinking "Oh well, we'll get a better pick" after a loss and having that be your constant attitude like the posts that basically say winning games doesn't matter at all. I guess I'm just not a "future fan", meaning I pretty much just root for the team we have as is no matter what, I don't really worry about the future of the team. I'm not trying to say that everyone has to think exactly like I do but it does get a little annoying constantly seeing people actually seem glad that we're losing. But I've been trying to just ignore it and I'll probably let this be the last time I talk about it since it's not gonna do any good for me or anyone else.
I honestly don't think I could sit down, watch a game, and HOPE we lose. It's just not in my nature. But when we do lose, I tend to look at the box score and look for positives and then chalk it up as another ping pong ball. I also joke a lot about tanking, but if I really thought we should actively try to lose, I would say bench Dame and start Frazier!
I'm with Nate. I want our players to play well. I root to pull out wins. But when we don't, I'm not upset that we lost and that we aren't going to make the playoffs, because I see this as a developmental year, and I believe we need a solid draft pick (preferably top 5) to get to the next level anyway. I can't root for losses, it just isn't in me, but I can logically be content with the knowledge that losses aren't a bad thing when, first, we aren't going to win anything with this team anyway, and second, we need to add a real talent (most likely via draft) or we never will.
I suppose I'd go so far as to say, intellectually, I do want us to lose. I don't want us to TRY to lose (that'd be awful and truly offend me), but looking at the big picture I want to have one of the worst records at season's end. But when a game is being played I always want to win. So throughout the season I'll flick back and forth between big picture when we're not playing and small picture when we are playing. I can do this because: 1 - I KNOW that we're going to be bad this season, and the only difference between mediocre and terrible is draft position. 2 - We NEED to draft an impact player. 3 - We won't become good enough through internal growth alone. 4 - We won't sign an impact player. 5 - It's doubtful we can trade for an impact player. 6 - The only important thing this season is DEVELOPMENT. Letting Dame, Plumlee, Meyers, Davis, and Harkless add new elements to their game, playing through mistakes should be a win/win scenario.
I think 'development' has a lot to do with why at times Stotts doesn't make certain 'adjustments', instead choosing to put players in a position where they have to work on something that, frankly, they need to work on. It's all good!
I wish I could believe that, but when we were "contenders" (ha!) he didn't make adjustments either. So...
I don't root for losses, either. It's not a black or white, all-or-nothing like some want to think it is. You can root for a win, and not care if we lose. It's fine. If there's been a year in the last 6 years to be okay with losses, it's this one. Enjoy it, you dont have many years like this. And that's a GOOD thing.
