would you prefer wins or hard fought losses?

[steelevt]

watching tonights game and comparing it to the suns/spurs losses had me thinking. what would you guys prefer? rooting on your team and seeing them win and probably get a later draft pick, or watching your team play hard, and seeing our youth grow but lose out in close games knowing that each loss helps us get better pick.

i know recently, each year we seem to play well enough to get a draft pick around 10 and later. some of us would prefer us getting a superstar top 5 pick that will turn things around. the downside to that would be losing...A LOT. call me crazy but i like watching our team win. i wouldnt mind seeing us win and with each win, see our youth movement grow more confident. no one knows that if we land that top 5 pick, it would even pan out. id be just fine with seeing a team with a hawes/thompson/martin core continue to win, build chemistry and confidence with each season hoping they turn this team into contenders down the road instead of hoping that we somehow land a superstar that would magically turn a lottery team into a champion. this season all i ask for is for the team to play hard, let me see some good games, and a +500 record

 

[PurpleHaze]

There's absolutely NO guarantee you get a superstar or even star with a top 5 draft pick. Superstar Shelden Williams was the overall #5 pick by Atlanta. Look where Kevin Martin was drafted just for starters. I do agree with your overall sentiments. So in the spirit - GO KINGS!!

 

[DemonsInMyDreams]

I absolutely prefer my team to win as many games as they can every given season. People who root for the team to lose games to get a better pick are simply crappy fans. It's incredibly pathetic in my opinion.

If you don't root for your team to win, you are NOT a fan.

 

[y2kings]

YOU PLAY TO WIN THE GAMES!!!!!!!!

There can be nothing bad that comes out of winning. It teaches the culture of success and winning.

Again, like Herm Edwards said so succinctly "YOU PLAY TO WIN THE GAME!"

 

[Bricklayer]

Hard fought losses are the thinking person's choice here.

But you need a win every once in a while just to keep it from being a rout.


We've had this same discussion 1000 times. If you are rooting to win these games, you are effectively rooting against winning in the future. Its all about planning ahead -- just depends on how short sighted you are. I care not a lick about win #34 vs. win #35 this year. I care a great deal about win #59 or win #60 five years from now.

P.S. Herm Edwards the coach with the 53-67 career record, and 2-4 career playoff record right? My guiding light as well.

 

[LPKingsFan]

I just want hard fought basketball, perferably with the kids (Jason, Spencer, and Donte mostly) getting major minutes. If the kids win, then that's gravy, because that means they're already learning how to compete, which is the eventual goal of a rebuild anyway. I never root for the team to lose. The team should not play to lose. But the long-term goal of developing the kids should be paramount. And if playing Jason and Spencer more minutes than Brad and Mikki costs us a win or two, then the extra ping pong balls are just the icing on the cake.

 

[DemonsInMyDreams]

Hard fought losses are the thinking person's choice here.

But you need a win every once in a while just to keep it from being a rout.


We've had this same discussion 1000 times. If you are rooting to win these games, you are effectively rooting against winning in the future. Its all about planning ahead -- just depends on how short sighted you are. I care not a lick about win #34 vs. win #35 this year. I care a great deal about win #59 or win #60 five years from now.

P.S. Herm Edwards the coach with the 53-67 career record, and 2-4 career playoff record right? My guiding light as well.

And if your team loses a whole lot of games (like you seem to want them to), and you pick a Shelden from the draft, doesn't your previous year go to waste?

 

[bloom]

It’s not about wins or losses for me right now (actually I always root for wins) but I don’t want wins if we don’t play like a TEAM and if we lose by playing a close game (and we’re playing as a team) then I don’t mind too much. It’s really about playing together and gaining trust and confidence in one another. That’s what I’m looking for (which will then lead to wins).

 

[keflanag]

I absolutely prefer my team to win as many games as they can every given season. People who root for the team to lose games to get a better pick are simply crappy fans. It's incredibly pathetic in my opinion.

If you don't root for your team to win, you are NOT a fan.

AMEN!! I think a majority of posters on this site actually just need something to complain about. Winning is too boring for them. We need to "build for the future" or "develop players" or some other garbage.

That's the GM's job. Players jobs are simple ... win. Coaches jobs are simple ... put whatever players in the game will make you win TODAY! Confidence goes a whole lot further than anything.

 

[VF21]

My mantra - which I'm sure some of you are already tired of - is heart and hustle, energy and enthusiasm. If I see that on the court every game while we're rebuilding, I'm going to be satisfied, regardless of the final outcome...

 

[VF21]

I absolutely prefer my team to win as many games as they can every given season. People who root for the team to lose games to get a better pick are simply crappy fans. It's incredibly pathetic in my opinion.

If you don't root for your team to win, you are NOT a fan.

I don't agree with those who think losing is okay as long as we get a better draft pick, but there are ways to express your disagreement with the philosophy WITHOUT resorting to the "crappy fans" or "not a fan" argument. Please do so...

Thanks.

 

[6th]

My mantra - which I'm sure some of you are already tired of - is heart and hustle, energy and enthusiasm. If I see that on the court every game while we're rebuilding, I'm going to be satisfied, regardless of the final outcome...

Yep - Yep - Yep

 

[est.1999]

how about a hard-fought win!?

 

[Bigkingsfan]

How about winning the championship and win the lottery?

 

[Fresno King]

I see it like this...

As a lifetime Sacramento Kings fan, I've been through too much losing and not making the playoffs to ever root for a loss to get a high draft pick. That's not my thing. We have 69 games left to go in the regular season. Anything can happen.

If Martin and Garcia were healthy for the whole season, we could be 8-5 right now. Why NOT think playoffs, especially when those guys come back? The west isn't as strong as it's been... the Suns are getting older, so is Dallas, Portland and the Hornets are inconsistent, the Rockets are hurt all the time, and the Spurs are brittle. This Sacramento team can compete for the 8th spot, especially with the development of Greene, Hawes and Brown... that's making the bench stronger when #23 and #32 return.

I don't have any problem with the people who disagree with Demons, myself or any Kings fan that wants to see wins. In the end we all want the same thing... a World Championship. We just have different viewpoints of how we want to see it happen.

Keep in mind Petrie is a shrewd dude on draft day... whether we have a high or low pick, and the Kings have 2 first round selections next year. So we're going to have a young and improving team for years to come no matter how you slice it. And with Miller and K9 coming off the books next year, we can all see the light at the end of the tunnel. Petrie is more than likely going to work his magic at the trade deadline to get value for those two guys in 2010.

It's a great time to be a Kings fan! GO KINGS!!!

 

[GoSACtown]

i cant believe you people who want this team to lose..wtf is the point of being a fan? watching 9 months of misery to have more lottery balls? are you kidding me ? i watch this team to win

 

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

Some people happen to believe that there are things more important than winning in the short term. Whether you subscribe to this belief or not is up to you, but we'll thank you to leave the "wtf is the point of being a fan" and any other allusions to who is or is not a "real fan" out of the conversation.

 

[Sac.1989]

I just want hard fought basketball, perferably with the kids (Jason, Spencer, and Donte mostly) getting major minutes. If the kids win, then that's gravy, because that means they're already learning how to compete, which is the eventual goal of a rebuild anyway. I never root for the team to lose. The team should not play to lose. But the long-term goal of developing the kids should be paramount. And if playing Jason and Spencer more minutes than Brad and Mikki costs us a win or two, then the extra ping pong balls are just the icing on the cake.

id agree with that

 

[bajaden]

Were in a rebuild. So, I guess in some way, because of that, I can in walk away from a loss with the knowledge that it increases our chances for a higher draft pick, while at the same time, giving playing time to our future.

However, at the same time, I can't refrain from screaming at my tv set for every turnover we make, and every forced shot we miss. Its a true case of mixed emotions, and sort of a win/win situation. As an ex-jock, I find losing abhorent. As a fan, I can see a possible reward in losing. On one level, it makes me question the system. But at the same time, I see no possible alternative.

So, I find myself walking a fine line between desire and integrity, and hoping that somehow they both win out.

 

[RalphySampson]

Were in a rebuild. So, I guess in some way, because of that, I can in walk away from a loss with the knowledge that it increases our chances for a higher draft pick, while at the same time, giving playing time to our future.

However, at the same time, I can't refrain from screaming at my tv set for every turnover we make, and every forced shot we miss. Its a true case of mixed emotions, and sort of a win/win situation. As an ex-jock, I find losing abhorent. As a fan, I can see a possible reward in losing. On one level, it makes me question the system. But at the same time, I see no possible alternative.

So, I find myself walking a fine line between desire and integrity, and hoping that somehow they both win out.

Do you ever have an opinion on anything? I really have no idea what the point of your post was except to brag that you were an "ex-jock."

My OPINION on this topic is that as long as we have the building blocks in place i.e. rookies and younger players that are going to get better, then I want to win as many games as possible. If the Kings can somehow win say 35 games this year with JT, Spencer, and Greene having big roles, then I would be confident that they would win even more games next year. I would rather be in that situation than to win 17 games, get a top 3 pick and then win 25 games next year. Look at Oklahoma City for example.

 

[Jespher]

How about rooting for Houston to lose as much as possible...is that ok?

 

[venom_7]

I think the Houston pick is protected.

Irregardless, the fact of the matter is when a young team loses a lot of close games, then they get used to losing close games. You see that culture instilled in the players (ie. Ricky Davis, Tim Thomas, Stephon Marbury). This is not something we want. We do want to compete every night, but also should EXPECT the better teams to be the better teams. These expectations should put us at around 20-25 wins. We are not making playoffs. So we should then make the best of that situation. It is honestly a real shame though that this years draft could be one of the weakest in terms of NBA ready talent. We are not talking about tanking, we are talking about keeping realistic expectations in perspective. If you don't, you will find that this team disappoints more often than not.

 

[91sickness]

I think we should be rooting for wins...SO LONG AS the young guys are playing. I know we are in a rebuild but if the young guys are playing and winning isnt that the whole purpose? at some point we have to root for this team to win....soooo y not now with our young guys??

 

[Vlade4GM]

There's absolutely NO guarantee you get a superstar or even star with a top 5 draft pick. Superstar Shelden Williams was the overall #5 pick by Atlanta. Look where Kevin Martin was drafted just for starters. I do agree with your overall sentiments. So in the spirit - GO KINGS!!

So? Who said it was a guarantee? Why does it have to be a guarantee? And why is it that because there are exceptions prove that there is no trend that the better players are found towards the top of the draft?

 

[Vlade4GM]

lins!

 

[Warhawk]

Were in a rebuild. So, I guess in some way, because of that, I can in walk away from a loss with the knowledge that it increases our chances for a higher draft pick, while at the same time, giving playing time to our future.

However, at the same time, I can't refrain from screaming at my tv set for every turnover we make, and every forced shot we miss. Its a true case of mixed emotions, and sort of a win/win situation. As an ex-jock, I find losing abhorent. As a fan, I can see a possible reward in losing. On one level, it makes me question the system. But at the same time, I see no possible alternative.

So, I find myself walking a fine line between desire and integrity, and hoping that somehow they both win out.

Well put.

 

[pdxKingsFan]

Mark me down for hard fought losses with the caveat that this means it is the young guys scrapping for those losses and growing together as players and a team in the process. Of course I enjoy a win, and I'd never root for the team to blow a lead, but I've seen enough 20-30 something win seasons and mid-lottery draft picks and then what the effect of adding a bonafide superstar has on the franchise, and I'd like that back. I know we all love Kevin, but nobody is ever going to confuse him with the legit superstars of the league.

Please don't question my dedication to the team, thanks.

 

[kennadog]

Were in a rebuild. So, I guess in some way, because of that, I can in walk away from a loss with the knowledge that it increases our chances for a higher draft pick, while at the same time, giving playing time to our future.

However, at the same time, I can't refrain from screaming at my tv set for every turnover we make, and every forced shot we miss. Its a true case of mixed emotions, and sort of a win/win situation. As an ex-jock, I find losing abhorent. As a fan, I can see a possible reward in losing. On one level, it makes me question the system. But at the same time, I see no possible alternative.

So, I find myself walking a fine line between desire and integrity, and hoping that somehow they both win out.

I'm with you. I hate losses, but they don't hurt as bad, when you know you aren't a playoff team, anyway and you could end up with a high draft pick.

What I don't want to see is team that looks like they don't care or aren't really trying. (Of course, I don't like seeing a half empty Arco and fans who don't seem to care much, either.)

 

[AleksandarN]

There's absolutely NO guarantee you get a superstar or even star with a top 5 draft pick. Superstar Shelden Williams was the overall #5 pick by Atlanta. Look where Kevin Martin was drafted just for starters. I do agree with your overall sentiments. So in the spirit - GO KINGS!!

You are right there is no guarantee in a top 5 pick but I take our chances with Petrie in the draft any day of the week. It is not like we have the Hawks GM who passed on both Paul and Williams in the draft that year which they needed a PG badly.

 

[Bricklayer]

I end up posting this a lot, because people stubbornly forget it every few months:

The achievements of guys drafted #1 to #20 over a 20 year span. Note the huge falloff after the Top 5.