Even if we tank there is no way we get a top 5 pick. Sixers and Lakers will have worse seasons than us even if we tried to tank. Also teams like the Nets and Bucks will finish worse than us. Best case scenario we get the 7th or 8th pick. To do that we'd have to lose 60 games and Harden is not going to let that happen. There are going to be games this season where the team sucks but Harden puts up 40 and the Rox win. More likely scenario is that we just miss the playoffs and end up with the 14th pick.
Looks like the Clippers and Pelicans are trying to tank too. There are more genius GMs in this world than we know.
Winning and losing is not just about players and talent. It's about culture. Should the Rox lose 65 games this year it would establish a losing culture and no free agent would want to come to Houston anytime soon (especially with the Ty Lawson debacle). Also current Rox players would be requesting an out. 99% of the time tanking means rebuilding, and that takes years, even with a top 5 pick (e.g. Philly got the number one pick this year and still they suck...losing culture team).
Also...when DMo comes back this team will be better. DMo plays hard at both ends of the floor and is the quintessential team player. DMo's attitude and work ethic could prove contagious.
76ers are showing some surprising creativity now that Hinkie figured out Morey's plan. He has Okafor get into a random fight at a club, ostensibly because a Boston fan yelled "6ers suck" ,,, yeah, right Henkie. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Adam Silver: ”I'm afraid we're going to have to suspend Jahlil Okafor 2 games.” Sam Hinkie: ”How about 60 games?"</p>— Joseph Flynn (@ChinaJoeFlynn) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChinaJoeFlynn/status/669985486027530240">November 26, 2015</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
why is this a thing? If there is one celebrity in the world I wouldn't mind seeing go away, it's Pitbull.
Who said it would be easy. If we can't keep pace in the loss column by the 30 game mark or so, we should trade Harden for some "young players and picks" because he is not a good defensive player. If not sufficient Dwight can get even more technicals with just slightly more physicality since the League loves to give him technical anyway and this will cause him to be suspended off and on. If necessary Dwight's increased back problems can then require that he only play every third game. As a last resort trade him for "young players and picks." because he is not a good offensive player. Care must be taken with the"young players and picks" route as it might be the final straw that ends tanking and the last team to tank will be left just hopeless for more than a decade.
Yeah, and note the brilliance of what Hinkie told Okafur to do. He knows if Okafur uses the reason for the bar fight to be because a Boston fan yelled "6ers suck," then rather than calling Okafur a thug, the fans would back Okafur with fervor; saying "You go Okafur,,,fkc Boston fans, I would have done the same thing." Brilliant.
Sixers tried to be slick. Now the Rox are making their move. Coming off the gas. I wonder how Philly will counter.
