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

OKC tanked for three seasons. They lost a game to Memphis by 78 points. Did that teach them a loser mentality? Now they are the #1 seed and just swept the #8 seed in the first round. Blazers have never swept a best of 7 series. Ever. Let's try something different. Tank for talent. And then win when enough talent has been assembled. Did Dallas develop a losing mentality by tanking for Luka? Of course not.

 

They DID sit SGA down the stretch for three straight seasons! The last three seasons before this year, he played 35, 56, and 68 games. They didn't try to win til this year and so SGA played 75 games. They are a nothing team this year if they didn't tank for Chet.

 

But they found their superstar. We don't have that yet.

 

Steve Francis

 

The thread question depends on the development of the youngins. That should be the real goal of the team right now, develop talent to the point where they have a legit shot and it makes sense to push. My sense is that even if they are to move up to top 2 in the lotto they'll still be on the outside looking in in 2024-5 regardless. Shaedon & Scoot have to get much better as currently the Blazers fate is tied to those two leading the team.

STOMP

 

yeah, chances are they wouldn't. My point is if the organization doesn't prove to developing stars they are serious enough to do what's needed to compete and make the playoffs they could force a move? Minnesota make the big trade with Utah because they were concerned about KAT not re-signing.

 

The Spurs were the definition of tanking for Duncan, sitting Robinson at the end of the season even though he was healthy and even then they weren't 'assured' of getting him as they had the 3rd worst record and jumped Boston and Vancouver for the top spot.

Also have we forgotten the Cavs tanked for 4 years winning 19, 21, 24 and 33 games ending up with 3 1sts (Kyrie, Wiggins, Bennett) and a 4th (Waiters). Yes they only won a title because LeBron returned (another guy they tanked for) and because Draymond is an idiot.

Tanking isn't a guarantee to success, plenty of teams that are stuck in the hell hole that is losing over and over for seasons on end, but for a team like the Blazers it seems to be the best path forward. Get rid of the vets that can bring any value and ride with the youngsters. Let the losing happen organically and hope to hit on a lottery ticket. So much of long term winning in the NBA comes down to luck for small markets, and as we all know the Blazers haven't had much of the good kind of luck over their existence.

 

You guys keep bringing up the Spurs and missing my point. Of course, we all know the Spurs tanked for Duncan, everyone knows that. But my point is that those who use them as an example of why we should go all out and tank so blatantly to ensure we will end up with a star are not making a valid comparison. Let alone that Timmy played 4 years at Wake Forrest and there was no doubt about how good he was going to be.

The rules have changed. Back then you could blatantly tank for a star player. But if you do that now you still are not assured of being in the top 4. And when I say blatantly tank I am talking about intentionally losing like SA did to ensure they got him. The risk was so much lower.

To land the "great" Cooper Flagg (or Bailey) the Blazers will have to trade all their vets (for picks) AND sit Scoot, Sharpe, and Ayton at times so they don't win more than about 14 games. Because you know there will be a couple of other teams that will go full tank mode for this particular year. I am not convinced that will help with their development.

Now I would be ok with trading Grant, Brogdon, Williams, and Thybulle and letting the rest (including Ant and the new rookies) play to win. That team would still end up in the lottery, but at least they would be watchable. (Assuming we land Sarr, Risacher, Buzelis, or Williams)

 

Actually playing Scoot is a better way of tanking than having him sit. At the moment he assists the opposing team about equally to his own. (Besides: he's bound to get injured.)

And anyway, you're acting as if there's no lottery and the worst team automatically gets the #1 pick.

 

How so? Because I am thinking just the opposite. Which is why I was saying to blatantly tank to get the top pick....is risky.

 

How many of those who picked "The Blazers should try to make the playoffs" realize that however hard the Blazers try it ain't gonna happen?

 

Probably all of them. What is your point....don't try.

 

I guess Scoot, Sharpe, hopefully Buzelis
and Ayton isn’t a valid core to build around. We’ll have to keep tanking and searching.

 

I don't think it's that black & white. A lot of teams didn't intentionally tank; at least not going into a season. But I do believe that quite often front offices will make a decision based upon their evaluation of the roster. That decision being that they simply could not compete with their current roster and that a rebuild was the only sensible course

so they trade away veterans who simply don't fit a rebuilding roster...either by timeline, contract, or roster fit. They become organically bad teams and commit to the draft as the primary tool for a rebuild. That's not really tanking in my view. It's hopping onto the logical side of a fence and leaning into the weather there.

Portland has deliberately tanked, but they have also hedged their bets, stupidly. they seem incapable of choosing a street. The poll is about going for the playoffs next season and that makes no sense to me. Anfernee Simons is not going to morph into Anthony Edwards; Grant isn't morphing into Dirk; Ayton isn't morphing into Embiid. The team with the worst record in these playoffs was 46-36. It took 51 wins to secure HCA in the West this year and over the last 24 seasons, Portland has hit that mark only 4 times; and only once in the last 9 years. IMO, the only result of trying to win next season will be diluting the chances of a high pick, and a high pick is about the only hope the Blazers have of adding elite talent

 

So being tied for the 3rd worst record in the NBA is "hedging your bet stupidly?"
Did it really matter? Did they not get the result you wanted?

 

Well then I think I will also try to make the playoffs.