You make a valid point but the OKC traded Ray Allen for a high draft pick, how is that not EXACTLY what we are talking about? Utah last year traded Deron Williams for picks and a top 3 pick from that season. Memphis traded Pau to LAL Sac Town traded Webber to Philly and Bibby to ATL.
I hate tanking though. No point in supporting a team when you know they are gonna lose anyways. I spend alot of money on the Rockets every year, I want the highest quality of product on the floor.
Yes that is what you are talking about, but its usefulness is what I question. Drafting Durant is what turned that franchise around, not trading Ray Allen for Jeff Green. In fact, I don't think it's even arguable that the Thunder would've been much better off keeping Ray Allen the past 4 years, playing along side Durant. So they traded an established franchise player for a chance to gamble for a franchise player? That doesn't make sense. The reason they traded away Williams was because he ran their HOF coach out of town and the city turned on him, also because they knew Williams was as good as gone once his contract was up. Not to tank. These are good examples. And I do not envy either franchise at the moment.
If the Sonics/Thunder don't move Ray Allen then NO Russell Westbrook...changes the whole dynamic of that team. Your right Williams had to be dealt but they chose potential and picks over what other deals they might have gotten down the road for proven players. Remember they didn't need to move him so quickly but wanted to REBUILD instead of treading water. Griz are in a better place than the Rockets as of right now....clear cut, that could change in a couple of weeks but right now its the Griz. Kings have issues beyond basketball but they have something the Rockets don't have, a franchise center...sure he might choke his coach one day but he is a franchise center. Not sure, if it will work out but they have a chance to make a HUGE jump this season if things fall into place.
None of these are winning teams. The Wizards would have picked up John Wall had they traded Butler/Jamison or not. That team was 17-33 before the trade deadline with all 3 still on the team. In fact Arenas was still on the team last year with John Wall. How has it helped? They would be much better off with Wall/Butler/Jamison than now.
I'VE BEEN SAYING THIS FOR A LOOOOOONG TIME. TIME TO TANK. or else, we can just sit here in front of our keyboards analysing and scrutinising omg marcus morris has definitely got a chance to be as good as carmelo anthony!!! woohooo!!! they have similar measurements!!! next carmelo!!!
and stunt wall's growth like a @#@@. point being, do you think butler and jamison are gonna let john wall do half of what he did in the past season? is jamison gonna pass the ball to a wide open john wall on the 3 pt line while he backs down scola? is butler gonna give the ball to wall for the last second shot before half time? hmmm. we're pretty much tanking over the last 2 years anyways. only we reallly been sucking a tanking. other teams tank to get the top pick. we tank to get the 14th pick.
If Morey can dump Kevin Martin and Scola for nothing, he deserves at least a 10 year extension. Would you rather have Gerald Wallace on the Bobcats right now? Or no Wallace? Fellas, the point of Wallace-type trades IS NOT IS NOT IS NOT to get this ultra-juicy multi-package deal back for him!! The point is to just @E$@# GET RID OF HIM FOR WHATEVER COINS YOU CAN FIND AND THEN GET THE TOP TALENT IN THE DRAFT!!! grrrrr...If Presti really wanted value and great pieces, he definitely would NOT have had Ray Allen go for Jeff Green.
I would argue that the Wiz may have a better roster than the Rockets right now and dumping the older vets along with tanking for young talent like Wall is the exact approach the Rockets should be taking. Wall, McGee, Blatche, Young all very talented and reasonably paid. Just need to amnesty Lewis and that team has capspace and is ready to make a run.
If the Thunder had kept Ray Allen and still sucked enough to get the #2 pick, then they'd be tanking in the truest sense of the word. On your first question. You are correct in that teams don't actively create a situation that let them suck. But I feel this is more due to business reasons than basketball reasons. The only team that didn't give a damn and just tanked openly was Cleveland. They knew fans weren't showing up anyway, so the business downside was minimized because they were freaking Cleveland. There were many instances of teams improving dramatically for the future when a veteran star break down. David Robinson's injury got Tim Duncan and championship. Alonzo Mourning's injury got Dwyane Wade and championship and Superfriends. Grant Hill's injury got Orlando Dwight Howard and finals appearance. Steve Francis injury got the Rockets Yao Ming and masses of YOFs on this board. You get the idea. I think deep down in Morey's mind. If he can tank without the fans realizing he's tanking, he'd do it in a nanosecond. But the business side of things is preventing him from sacrificing the season.
So you are only interested in your own values. You clearly do not care about the team or the future of the team. All you care is about getting maximum value back for your dollar. Friend, even then, I can tell you tanking would grant you a higher return in the long-term than whatever returns you've got now.
The Nets tanking started off auspicioiusly - ditching Kidd and landing them Brook Lopez. Then not so much, getting rid of Carter, Jefferson etc to end up with Terrence Williams and Rashad Favors.
Zombies really should be excluded; their situation was unique in that Clay Bennett specifically destroyed that team in order to make it easier to move from Seattle. It was basically the Black version of Major League, where instead of a team of white guys with Cerrano and Willie Mays Hayes, it was an all black team with Luke Ridnour and Nick Collison.
Sir, with the gentlest of responses and softest of tones, I present to you the following: Cleveland 2010. Mo Williams for Baron Davis Seattle 2007. Ray Allen for Jeff Green Memphis 2008: Pau Gasol for ? (I'm trying to think of something tangible to write here...hold on) Charlotte 2011: Wallace for 6 million dollars. Washington 2010: Butler and Jamison for nothing Sacramento 2009: Salmons and Miller for junk. (Salmons was semi-allstars at the time Sacremento 2010: Kevin Martin for Carl Landry Need I go on my dearest friend?
People, relax. Given McHale's track record, why else do you think Morey brought in his sorry ass? You think a stat geek like Morey would bring in McHale to win games? HAHAHAH. Think about it...the only reason our sorry-ass roster got anywhere near the playoffs is because our then-coach, Adelman was one hell of a coach. In order to move 10 steps forward, the Rockets need to take a step back and the only way to do so is to start tanking games. With all the superstars teaming up together (i.e. NY, Miami, LA, etc.), the Rockets will most likely be irrelevant for the next half decade unless they start getting top-caliber players and the ONLY way to do that is through the draft. Forget about the Nene's, Joe Johnson's, and Andre Igoudala's...sure they're nice players, but nice players aren't going to win you titles. The goal isn't to simply make the playoffs, but it's to win the championship, so you gotta think long-term and you have to start thinking Kobe, D-Wade, LBJ -caliber players. McHale was brought in because no matter how hard he tries he is going to find a way to lose games. I mean his track record speaks for itself and you best bet Morey knows this. He doesn't even need to ASK him to tank games...because well...McFail, I mean McHale, is the absolute best at what he does, and that is, losing games.
