1. Welcome! Please take a few seconds to create your free account to post threads, make some friends, remove a few ads while surfing and much more. ClutchFans has been bringing fans together to talk Houston Sports since 1996. Join us!

The point of tanking is not to be historically bad, it's to be just bad enough.

Discussion in 'Houston Rockets: Game Action & Roster Moves' started by SamFisher, Jul 5, 2012.

Tags:
Page 1 of 2
  1. SamFisher

    SamFisher Contributing Member

    Joined:
    Apr 14, 2003
    Messages:
    58,949
    Likes Received:
    36,509
    Many-armed Indian goddess facepalm when I read "why are we trying to sign young guys still"

    Exhibit A: most successful tank job ever, San Antonio Spurs - held onto all their key veterans from a WC contender, held Robinson out, landed and HOF'r and the greatest PF ever. Laid the cornerstone for a decade point five of excellence


    Exhibit B: Charlotte Bobcats - historical levels of futility in a franchise that shouldn't exist with a very, ahem, suspect management team. Result = Historical lulz, Michael Kidd Gilchrist, Ben Gordon, and a team that's probablly got 2 more lottos to go before they possibly turn it around.


    The point of rebuilding through the draft is to ACTUALLY REBUILD AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE not to spend years in the wilderness playing the odds and hoping that one day, you swing a Blake Griffin instead of a Michael Olowakandi

    Signing up promising young players gets you closer to that goal.
     
    #1 SamFisher, Jul 5, 2012
  2. Tfj4

    Tfj4 Member

    Joined:
    Nov 12, 2008
    Messages:
    805
    Likes Received:
    38
    OKC/Seattle blew it up and in 3 years became a contender, smart drafting has more to do with it.
     
    #2 Tfj4, Jul 5, 2012
  3. SamFisher

    SamFisher Contributing Member

    Joined:
    Apr 14, 2003
    Messages:
    58,949
    Likes Received:
    36,509
    Smart drafting at the top of the draft, which was predicated on Portland's dumb drafting (the DD need-based strategy...)

    You don't get any closer to the top of the draft by being exponentially worse, you do get a lot further from contending again.
     
    #3 SamFisher, Jul 5, 2012
  4. Garner

    Garner Member

    Joined:
    Jul 7, 2009
    Messages:
    4,688
    Likes Received:
    1,846
    No, having a transcendent player picked at #2 does it.
     
    #4 Garner, Jul 5, 2012
  5. HI Mana

    HI Mana Member

    Joined:
    Mar 24, 2006
    Messages:
    1,335
    Likes Received:
    881
    Also, if the Rockets end up dumping Martin and Scola, they still need to meet minimum payroll, which for next year is 85% of the salary cap. Asik and Lin would be great pickups, becuase they wouldn't take away minutes from the other rookies, and both really need playing time to further develop their games.
     
    #5 HI Mana, Jul 5, 2012
  6. David Stern

    David Stern Member

    Joined:
    Oct 7, 2008
    Messages:
    1,021
    Likes Received:
    33
    So you've changed your mind and you're saying you would have signed Dragic for more than what the suns offered?
     
    #6 David Stern, Jul 5, 2012
  7. SamFisher

    SamFisher Contributing Member

    Joined:
    Apr 14, 2003
    Messages:
    58,949
    Likes Received:
    36,509
    Dragic is 26 and has very little name recognition. (the only hardcore "Free Gogi" folks are his tweenage dream fanclub on this board...).

    Lin (i'm no huge lin fan..) is 23 and at least generates some buzz among casual fans which fills Leslie's commercial requirements


    Which one is better suited to a rebuilding project?

    The 23 year old or the 26 year old?

    Again, no great loss if there's no Lin, but he may be a promising piece in a few years, with more left in the tank than Dragic.
     
    #7 SamFisher, Jul 5, 2012
  8. MrButtocks

    MrButtocks Contributing Member

    Joined:
    May 29, 2005
    Messages:
    7,254
    Likes Received:
    5,165
    We don't have a Robinson-level player on our roster faking an injury. Yao's not walking through that door and we're not contending in two years. Signing role players like Lin and Asik to nearly 30% of the cap does nothing to help us.

    The Bobcats style of rebuild is exactly what OKC did. During Durant's rookie year the only role players they had were Szcerbiak, Ridnour, Wilcox, and Collison. None of them were on long-term deals and all were gone the next season, with the exception of Collison.

    The idea that we can follow SA's model is ludicrous.
     
    #8 MrButtocks, Jul 5, 2012
  9. David Stern

    David Stern Member

    Joined:
    Oct 7, 2008
    Messages:
    1,021
    Likes Received:
    33
    If all other factors were equal I would agree with you wholeheartedly. BUT the problem is I don’t believe Lin is the caliber of Dragic (nor do I believe he can be)

    I’m done b****ing about Dragic….what’s done is done. I’ll try to accept it and move on but this one hurts
     
    #9 David Stern, Jul 5, 2012
  10. SamFisher

    SamFisher Contributing Member

    Joined:
    Apr 14, 2003
    Messages:
    58,949
    Likes Received:
    36,509
    The idea isn't to follow San Antonio's model ....that's impossible.

    The idea is to not follow the Clippers/Bobcats etc model.

    Stay as close to the top as you can when you are on the bottom...not go all in to historical awfulness and hope that a Kevin Durant falls to you by pure random chance...those are the exceptiosn that prove the rule and rarely work.
     
    #10 SamFisher, Jul 5, 2012
  11. Noob Cake

    Noob Cake Member

    Joined:
    Mar 10, 2008
    Messages:
    3,541
    Likes Received:
    699
    Lucky drafting. Presti is the most overrated GM.
     
    #11 Noob Cake, Jul 5, 2012
  12. rocketseagles07

    rocketseagles07 Member

    Joined:
    Jul 3, 2012
    Messages:
    1,941
    Likes Received:
    1,286
    so he got lucky on durant, harden, ibaka, AND WESTBROOK. Don't act like all those were popular picks either. Be for real, Sam deserves his props.....
     
    #12 rocketseagles07, Jul 5, 2012
  13. Mr.Rocket85

    Mr.Rocket85 Member

    Joined:
    Jun 28, 2012
    Messages:
    87
    Likes Received:
    1
    Tanking is tanking. Mediocre is mediocre. No matter how you slice it.
     
    #13 Mr.Rocket85, Jul 5, 2012
  14. rocketseagles07

    rocketseagles07 Member

    Joined:
    Jul 3, 2012
    Messages:
    1,941
    Likes Received:
    1,286
    ^^^ we're all popular picks*
     
    #14 rocketseagles07, Jul 5, 2012
  15. oelman44

    oelman44 Member

    Joined:
    Mar 24, 2012
    Messages:
    4,912
    Likes Received:
    1,126
    Agreed, I am also anti-tank. You don't need a top 5 pick to improve through the draft.
     
    #15 oelman44, Jul 5, 2012
  16. candyman285

    candyman285 Member

    Joined:
    Jul 21, 2009
    Messages:
    37
    Likes Received:
    2
    Wait everyone, I think we got Gary Forbes in the Kyle Lowry trade to the Raptors.

    Dwight Howard like stats:

    6 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 assist a game = SPLASH!!! :p
     
    #16 candyman285, Jul 5, 2012
  17. Bogey

    Bogey Contributing Member

    Joined:
    May 20, 2002
    Messages:
    2,226
    Likes Received:
    92
    I hope, barring some huge surprise of a break out rookie season to be in the 5-9 range, who knows, we could get lucky and get a top 3 pick from there. Otherwise, hopefully we have a good evaluator of talent, which I think we do.
     
    #17 Bogey, Jul 5, 2012
  18. Dubious

    Dubious Contributing Member

    Joined:
    Jun 18, 2001
    Messages:
    18,316
    Likes Received:
    5,088
    your fate is dependent on ping pong balls and 20 year old millionaires
     
    #18 Dubious, Jul 5, 2012
  19. sugrlndkid

    sugrlndkid Member

    Joined:
    Apr 22, 2012
    Messages:
    11,493
    Likes Received:
    1,665
    Is this what David Stern meant...stop going after Dwight...go into tank mode and you will be the Number 1 pick...seriously...im gonna go to Vegas and make my bet...the Rockets will end up with the Number 1 pick next year...too bad its probably one of the worst Draft classes projected...:(
     
    #19 sugrlndkid, Jul 5, 2012
  20. IBTL

    IBTL Member
    Supporting Member

    Joined:
    Nov 22, 2010
    Messages:
    12,173
    Likes Received:
    12,332
    The point of tanking is not to be historically bad, it's to be just bad enough.

    for as short a time as possible.

    Spurs were bad for one year. I understand that you are saying you don't want us to fall into a repetitive mode of suck. To be know as suckers and bad team would be a bad direction. The tanking needs to be surgical.. in and out..
     
    #20 IBTL, Jul 5, 2012
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)
Page 1 of 2

Share This Page

Toggle Width
Style
ClutchFans Original

  • About ClutchFans

    Since 1996, ClutchFans has been loud and proud covering the Houston Rockets, helping set an industry standard for team fan sites. The forums have been a home for Houston sports fans as well as basketball fanatics around the globe.

  • Rockets Content

  • Support ClutchFans!

    If you find that ClutchFans is a valuable resource for you, please consider becoming a Supporting Member. Supporting Members can upload photos and attachments directly to their posts, customize their user title and more. Gold Supporters see zero ads!


    Upgrade Now