Tank for Wembanyama

[blazerkor]

I have just resigned myself to the fact that we will just be a middling team as long as Dame is here, because he's keeping this shit heap afloat, and once Dame retires we might get a new front office and a new team.

This is one of many possibilities. The fact that you can't see more than that is a bit alarming but I hope you can come to peace with it and aren't too disturbed if one of the other possibilities occurs.

 

[Natebishop3]

This is one of many possibilities. The fact that you can't see more than that is a bit alarming but I hope you can come to peace with it and aren't too disturbed if one of the other possibilities occurs.

I'm apathetic.

 

[blazerkor]

I'm apathetic.

Happens to all of us about some things and I can see how our recent history (hell our overall history) would breed that feeling in you.

 

[Natebishop3]

Happens to all of us about some things and I can see how our recent history (hell our overall history) would breed that feeling in you.

Our record and our overall play this year was the most predictable thing of all the predictable things. Although, to be fair, I didn't expect GPII to not show up at all.

 

[blazerkor]

Our record and our overall play this year was the most predictable thing of all the predictable things. Although, to be fair, I didn't expect GPII to not show up at all.

And now he's going to, so we'll have to wait and see if that makes a difference to what you call "most predictable". I find a record that includes 7 games (4 wins and 3 losses) dictated by one possession or less anything but predictable but if you think it's predictable that we would be somewhere between 21-14 and 14-21, that's cool. However, that's a huge difference with slim margins making that difference. 21-14 without doing the harder part of the math would have us in the 4 seed in the Western Conference, while 14-21 would have us in 13th in the west and 24th in the league or 6 games out of last place.

 

[Natebishop3]

And now he's going to, so we'll have to wait and see if that makes a difference to what you call "most predictable". I find a record that includes 7 games (4 wins and 3 losses) dictated by one possession or less anything but predictable but if you think it's predictable that we would be somewhere between 21-14 and 14-21, that's cool. However, that's a huge difference with slim margins making that difference. 21-14 without doing the harder part of the math would have us in the 4 seed in the Western Conference, while 14-21 would have us in 13th in the west and 24th in the league or 6 games out of last place.

What's predictable is that we're still a borderline playoff team. We're not one of the best teams in the west. With or without those wins, we're still middling. We have been weighed, we have been measured, and we have been found wanting.

 

[blazerkor]

What's predictable is that we're still a borderline playoff team. We're not one of the best teams in the west. With or without those wins, we're still middling. We have been weighed, we have been measured, and we have been found wanting.

Actually at 21-14 we would be the fourth seed and in position for HCA, whilst at 14-21 we would be three games out of the play-in and again the team with the 6th best lottery odds.

Those are wildly different positions as far as I'm concerned and we are a shot away in 7 games from either or anything in between, being our reality. I think it's easy to be apathetic when you ignore the day to day margins but when you realize their impact, the day to day becomes much more important and urgent.

 

[Fez Hammersticks]

Bump

 

[SharpesTriumph]

Not often a team can tank while trying to win.

 

[Rastapopoulos]

KEEP IT UP, GUYS!

 

[SIeepwalker]

You guys realize that if we stumble into Wemby by somehow getting the 1st pick with a 1% chance, he's going to have a career ending injury before his rookie season even starts right ?

 

[Rastapopoulos]

You guys realize that if we stumble into Wemby by somehow getting the 1st pick with a 1% chance, he's going to have a career ending injury before his rookie season even starts right ?

If I were Wembanyama and the Blazers drafted me, I'd never leave the French League.

 

[Bingo Bango]

Yeah, let’s tank. It worked out great the last time!

 

[bigbailes]

This team is one Dame 2-3 week injury away from being in full on Brick for Vic mode! I think they've won a few too many games but really just need to get into the 5th/6th worst record to have a fighting chance in the lottery for him.

 

[SIeepwalker]

Yeah, let’s tank. It worked out great the last time!

I mean it might have. Kinda early to tell no ?

 

[SharpesTriumph]

Yeah, let’s tank. It worked out great the last time!

True, Shae is likely the most valuable player on this franchise when including everything such as current ability, age, contract, growth potential, etc.

Although there is a huge possible variance in his value over the next three years depending on him greatly improving or not.

I'm generally not for tanking. However I also don't really see the point of continuing with this status quo of trying to win with a group that clearly has no chance of contending. Even if the Blazers trade picks for a starter it doesn't get them close.

 

[SharpesTriumph]

This team is one Dame 2-3 week injury away from being in full on Brick for Vic mode! I think they've won a few too many games but really just need to get into the 5th/6th worst record to have a fighting chance in the lottery for him.

Grant is having a legit all star year and the team is below .500 while much more healthy than most NBA teams. Losing to a horrific Magic team at home; this Blazers squad is clearly just not working.

 

[Rastapopoulos]

Yeah, let’s tank. It worked out great the last time!

One way to tank is just not to be very good. It's honest tanking.

 

[Rastapopoulos]

Yeah, let’s tank. It worked out great the last time!

The most egregious case of tanking was when Pritchard took over as coach and gave Telfair free rein. That ended up with us having the #3 pick and a shot at Chris Paul, one of the top 10 players of his era!

Of course, we traded down for Martell Webster... BUT DON'T BLAME TANKING FOR THAT!!!

 

[julius]

The team obviously tanked last year, and it got them #7. Some would say that was their punishment.

So this year, they're tanking genuinely..and hopefully get a top 3 pick.

Though, outside of the Unicorn, the draft seems to be SG and PG heavy.

 

[Chris Craig]

I don't have any hope the Blazers would get the #1 pick, even if they did tank.

 

[Bingo Bango]

True, Shae is likely the most valuable player on this franchise when including everything such as current ability, age, contract, growth potential, etc.

Although there is a huge possible variance in his value over the next three years depending on him greatly improving or not.

I'm generally not for tanking. However I also don't really see the point of continuing with this status quo of trying to win with a group that clearly has no chance of contending. Even if the Blazers trade picks for a starter it doesn't get them close.

But tanking is a horrible gamble, that’s the point. Portland could end up with the worst record in the league and still not get Wembanyama.

 

[Sloth]

Tanking is a moronic thing to do imo. I may be a little dramatic, but in essence actively rooting for your team to lose or not really caring one way or the other, has never sat well or been understood by me. We need to get our heads on straight and start a nice winning run not a losing one to maybe get a chance at this dude.

As far as Wembanyama goes, dude looks a great prospect on paper but we shall see when he goes against the best players in the world. Watch him be a 5 and 5 player per night and that's it...

 

[SharpesTriumph]

But tanking is a horrible gamble, that’s the point. Portland could end up with the worst record in the league and still not get Wembanyama.

Well even without gambling their currently losing; so I don't really see the downside to tanking? I'd probably enjoy watching a pure joke of a tanking team on the court more than this mediocrity their trotting out right now. Plus you say theres a chance of a great pick? Yes it most likely won't lead to Wemba and might only be very average value. But think of the mystery; it might be great!

 

[KingSpeed]

Yeah, let’s tank. It worked out great the last time!

The last 3 times we tanked , we got Sharpe. We got CJ last lottery pick before that. Dame was Brooklyn pick. But getting that pick was part of the decision to blow it up and tank that year. So tanking has worked out very well for us. And whoever gets Wembenyama is an instant contender. We should tank.

 

[Bingo Bango]

The last 3 times we tanked , we got Sharpe. We got CJ last lottery pick before that. Dame was Brooklyn pick. But getting that pick was part of the decision to blow it up and tank that year. So tanking has worked out very well for us. And whoever gets Wembenyama is an instant contender. We should tank.

We tanked half of last season and now we’re limping along with a losing record. And Sharpe is a big question mark. I don’t see that as a ringing endorsement for tanking.

 

[Freshtown]

We tanked half of last season and now we’re limping along with a losing record. And Sharpe is a big question mark. I don’t see that as a ringing endorsement for tanking.

were you expecting a half season of tanking last year to turn us into an instant contender?

 

[TBpup]

The team obviously tanked last year, and it got them #7. Some would say that was their punishment.

So this year, they're tanking genuinely..and hopefully get a top 3 pick.

Though, outside of the Unicorn, the draft seems to be SG and PG heavy.

Wouldn't mind either of the Thompson Twins. SF builds, ranked as SF/SG.

 

[Rastapopoulos]

We tanked half of last season and now we’re limping along with a losing record. And Sharpe is a big question mark. I don’t see that as a ringing endorsement for tanking.

Tanking was only a mistake if there was NO great player available at our pick. Now, if we didn't GET that player (let's say Dyson Daniels or Jeremy Sochan or Jalen Williams/Duren turns out to be way better than Sharpe), again, THAT'S NOT THE FAULT OF TANKING. That's the fault of poor talent-evaluators.

 

[Rastapopoulos]

Wouldn't mind either of the Thompson Twins. SF builds, ranked as SF/SG.

Do Americans know that that band is named after characters from Tintin (you might wonder why a 3-member band is called "Twins" - although that explanation doesn't work for the Cocteau Twins, an infinitely superior band)? One of whom is actually called Thomson (no "p"). (In the original French, they're Dupont and Dupond, because you don't say the last letter in French.) The thing is, you can actually tell the difference by their mustaches, so I hope the Basketball players follow the same principle: