Race to The Bottom - Final Days

[illmatic99]

We'll see if UTA has any self respect.

They don't. Trying to finish below WAS.

 

[andalusian]

pure speculation obviously and the foundation is an assumption that actual wins in a specific situation would closely track winshares generally. Maybe a faulty assumption

I think pure speculation is correct. We can also assume that some of the time given to the vets (Grant / DA) would have gone to the young players that performed better and could have also accelerated their development. So, who knows...

 

[blazerkor]

View attachment 73302

a nose injury

 

[Phatguysrule]

View attachment 73302

a nose injury

You only get one nose... It's not like you have a backup, as though it were an eye or something...

 

[Phatguysrule]

We'll see if UTA has any self respect.

Unfortunately self-respect doesn't come into play for Ainge. That's how he built the Celtics.

 

[PtldPlatypus]

Unfortunately self-respect doesn't come into play for Ainge. That's how he built the Celtics.

Celtics missed the playoffs a total of 3 times in the past 24 years. I think the narrative of Ainge building through tanking is a bit overblown.

 

[Phatguysrule]

Celtics missed the playoffs a total of 3 times in the past 24 years. I think the narrative of Ainge building through tanking is a bit overblown.

He was able to trade an abundance of assets for draft picks. We don't have that luxury, unfortunately.

"Self respect" with regards to winning games isn't a consideration in rebuilding a team for Ainge. As we can see in Utah.

*Edit*
To break it down a bit more, Ainge took over Boston 2-3yrs after they had missed the playoffs 6 years in a row. And then he missed the playoffs two more times and traded a lot of those draft assets to build a super team and won a title and competed hard for several years.

He then converted many of those assets into great draft assets which he used to build the current version we see today. Largely built around two two top 3 picks and a top 6 pick in a stretch of at least 6 consecutive years of pulling high level players from the draft.

Now, if you have a bunch of draft picks in your back pocket, you can afford to gamble on your own being late lotto or just missing out. The Celtics had 2 first rounders in each of 2012, 2014, and 2015. And 3 first rounders in each of 2016, 2019 and 2020.

That's how you build championship caliber teams. Like OKC is doing. Utah. San Antonio. Even Philadelphia. You take as many bites as possible as high in the draft as possible. However you can get that done.

Then you hope you've got enough by the time your young guys are too good to lose enough to be in the lotto.