Rockets can't drop or climb any further. Jazz are a fine example of why you should tank instead of being mediocre all the time.
Yes, we should all strive to be like the jazz, who haven’t won a championship since entering the league in 1974.
I mean that the Jazz decided to be mediocre instead of hard-core tanking after losing Mitch and Rudy, and now they're spinning tries and going nowhere. The Rockets actually tanking at least gave them a shot at top talent, and depending on how Amen, Jalen, and/or Jabari turn out, they could be a force to be reckoned with for a decade after a few really bad years.
Severo looks cold and sad. But his jacket is fire! Quite the juxtaposition. It really speaks to the genius of the artist...
You could argue some of those 90s teams simply ran into MJ, but it looks like I phrased my post poorly. The Rockets tanked and will be good again, the Jazz didn't and now have to bodge their way though a half-way tank at the end because they never fully rebuilt after Mitchell and Gobert
I'm all for tanking, but Utah is still okay in their positioning for a rebuild because of the boatload of picks they get from Minnesota and Cleveland. Plus they owe this year's pick to OKC and would probably prefer to get that obligation settled already because next year's draft is way stronger, so this would have been the wrong year to tank anyway. Also, it's too early to claim Houston as a success story. Not ready to beat my chest just yet. Meanwhile, the top teams in both conferences (Boston and Denver) didn't tank to get where they are.
Three easy games remaining on the road (after Jazz and Blazers I think Clippers will rest all/most of their main guys). Nice little opportunity for the youngsters to get comfortable on the road heading into next season. An opportunity to play hard because it's right, not just because there's a reward at the end of it. Expect Jalen to demolish the tanking Jazz.
Haha at least the Jazz are good for something. I have a weird feeling we're looking at a potential 10-assist game for Jalen, which at this point would be more impressive to me than an easy 40-piece.
Now the old Houston sports fan in me is a little nervous. Just play healthy and smart these remaining games.
Boston got the Nets to tank against their will, most of their success can be attributed to their two #3 overall picks, even if they came from Brooklyn. Denver is the only team to draft a Superstar, let alone the best player in the NBA, in the second round. Ever.
