I guess it would be cool if we have the tankability that this dude thinks we do but I just don't think he's looking at the schedule as Woody Paige loves to point out. Our schedule is great for the tank over the next nine games and then pretty terrible for it after that but who knows maybe management gets really aggressive with their tanking and rests other important players. You could do a lot of damage to our chances of winning against bad teams if you could find/make up a good reason to sit Hart. I don't think with the schedule the Pelicans have there's any way they'll be contending for the play ins. I'm not at all scared that we'll lose that pick because they make the playoffs, I'm far more concerned with how high their odds get in the lottery.
I think you are right as long as SA keeps trying to win. Will they? The Kings have more talent right now, so it is possible they could also pass the Pelicans. But I am not exactly feeling comfortable about it
Their are currently 8 teams with worse records and one with the same record. It should be noted that we need one of those teams to keep losing, since we theoretically have a chance to get their pick. To move up substantially this late in the season will be a tall order.
We will move up substantially between now and March 20th. I could see a scenario where we're in the 6th or even 5th best lottery spot at that point but then we start playing all of the other teams that may be tanking and probably will be tanking for the following eleven games. Maybe we're going to be fantastic tankers, just sit Hart for some made up reason and lower Ant's minutes, while extending Nurk's time that he's out. Shit if we're running Williams, Keon, CJ, Justise and Eubanks out there to start games we could definitely lose to the Rockets, Pistons, Spurs and Thunder... unlike the team we'd be putting on the floor those teams have a bunch of high lottery picks who while they haven't put it together yet are a much better collection of talent. So we will see just how far we take the tank. If we got really dedicated to it we could get into and hold the fifth or sixth lottery odds position. We don't even have to worry about the Pelicans too much in my opinion, I know they look like they're going to beat the Suns tonight but just look at their schedule. There are a lot of losses on there for them. I think they'll end up in the 7th-11th lottery spot if Zion comes back and contributes something, if not they'll probably be 9th in lottery odds at the very worst. Them making the playoffs isn't my fear, it's them getting lucky in the lotto itself. It will be interesting how all of this plays out. I kind of thought we would make a playoff push and get in until the announcement that Nurk is out for at least four weeks and Dame telling Draymond that he won't be playing again this season. That sounds like dedication to the tank to me. Maybe CJ, Ingram and Valanciunas get something going in NOLA but that schedule is pretty fucking rough. So we'll see.
If we play much of that Williams/McLemore/Johnson/Brown/Watford lineup we saw for stretches on Thursday against the Warriors, I don't think we'll have much difficulty losing games, even against other tanking teams. But really, I just think Nurk's absence is going to make all the difference. The difference in ball movement when he's there vs when he's not is just staggering.
Keon needs CJs minutes. Make him defend and she what he can do. No question he has the physical tools to do it.
