Except no, we didn't, and no, we don't. D'Alessandro did not assemble this team the way he did to set us up to lose. He thought he was addressing our weaknesses; he just happens to have been wrong, but being wrong does not equal tanking.
I think people get confused about tanking. It's not that players don't try, or that anyone actively roots to lose. You just assemble the kind of players where losing is the inevitable result. We have that kind of roster right now.
It is deliberate, but it's not tanking: if you play him, you might luck up and get a good game or two out of him, which might just make him trade bait. If you don't play him, all GM's see is that albatross of a contract, with another year left on it.
I think people get confused about tanking. It's not that players don't try, or that anyone actively roots to lose. You just assemble the kind of players where losing is the inevitable result. We have that kind of roster right now.
I think they wanted to make a splash, struck out in every direction, and just decided to take it on the chin this season and try to make something out of nothing, knowing that if the team failed miserably it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. I guess it's not exactly tanking. But it's not going all out to win either.I don't think they thought we would be good. I do think they misjudged our problems and got stuck on needing to make certain moves, but I think there were obvious challenges getting rid of our dead weight.
I think they wanted to make a splash, struck out in every direction, and just decided to take it on the chin this season and try to make something out of nothing, knowing that if the team failed miserably it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. I guess it's not exactly tanking. But it's not going all out to win either.
As a matter of fact, we did the opposite of that, by signing Landry and Mbah a Moute.No that isn't tanking. Tanking is deliberately shedding salary, moving veteran contributors for draft picks/loading up on young talent. We didn't do that.
Except no, we didn't, and no, we don't. D'Alessandro did not assemble this team the way he did to set us up to lose. He thought he was addressing our weaknesses; he just happens to have been wrong, but being wrong does not equal tanking.
Yeah, so, what exactly were they trying to do? Cause at best, those moves were unlikely to put us in the playoffs.As a matter of fact, we did the opposite of that, by signing Landry and Mbah a Moute.
Don't be a fool. Malone could easily bench Salmons for Jimmer.For who? Unless you totally, bench Thornton (which won't happen) then you'd be taking away minutes from 3 of the only other non-Cousins productive people
I don't think it makes any of us feel better.The fact that our hot shot gm thought this would work does NOT makes me feel better.
The fact that our hot shot gm thought this would work does NOT makes me feel better.
D'Alessandro was pretty clear that he thought that, by bringing in Landry, he would add leadership and low-post scoring. He was also clear that he was bringing Mbah a Moute in to add leadership and defense. You don't make moves like that if you're tanking. And, as I said, you're no-selling the fact that he tried to get Iguodala, he tried to get a legit big man, he tried to move our glut of talentless swingmen. Just because he failed on all counts does not mean he set the team up to tank.Yeah, so, what exactly were they trying to do? Cause at best, those moves were unlikely to put us in the playoffs.
Apparently you don't remember the last time somebody (ahem Westphal ahem) asked Jimmer to guard Batum. I think it was three successful post-ups in a row while Jimmer was throwing his hands up at the coach asking what the hell he was supposed to do.
At least Salmons only gave up three points to Batum while guarding him tonight.
The fact that our hot shot gm thought this would work does NOT makes me feel better.
Our problem tonight wasn't IT, it wasn't GV and it wasn't even JT. It was that we might as well have put two chairs out there instead of Salmons and Thornton. Starting them is like having a one-legged monkey as the first leg of your four-man relay. There is no way on earth they would be starting on ANY other team in the league, including D-League. They need to trip over chairs or get lost on the way to the arena or something... Maybe aliens could abduct them?
I'll bite: based on what?
You know what we really have to look forward to about next season? Not this tanking nonsense. Not "Rigging for Wiggins." What we really have to look forward to for next year is Thornton, Salmons and Hayes' contracts coming up. And then, we won't have to play them; we won't have to "showcase" them. Because they'll be expiring contracts; their value to other GM's will be $22M worth of expiring contracts.I just hope that some talented free agents are paying attention to the changes being made at all levels, how Boogie is responding, and the commitment/competence of our new FO and decide this is an organization they could get on board with. Then we can let JS & MT take s seat on the bench where they belong.
I dare you to find a better big for less than what we're paying Thompson.The majority of this teams roster falls off the books either this summer or next but JT has recently signed an extension with us as you know and imo he's simply not very talented and I think that money would better be spent elsewhere.
I dare you to find a better big for less than what we're paying Thompson.
JT makes more money than A. Davis.
We still need a backup big: he's better than anybody else we've got to fill that role, and anybody we're likely to be able to get. Thompson gets paid a perfectly acceptable amount of money for what he's being asked to do.Point being I feel that's bad money tied up there.