Sixers Already Tanking For 2015 Draft

[tlance]

It's front offices that tank. Players and coaches don't tank. They know that their careers depend on them winning games or at least trying to.

Front offices tank by, as OD pointed out, putting inferior talent on the court. Front offices sometimes do this as part of a re-build. As you point out, until the NBA changes it's system, that's going to be the best way to build their team.

This may be semantics, but I think JDM summed it up well.

If the Sixers are making their moves with the purpose of being bad next year, then they are tanking. I don't see that as the case. They picked Embiid, who was the best player on the board. Since he is not playing next year, they opted to get Saric also, since he was the best player available at the time. The fact that he isn't available next year does not matter to them.

Yes, they will be terrible next year, but the FO is making legitimate and shrewd forward looking moves. It isn't like they are dumping good players for nothing so they can get a better pick.

 

[Black Adam]

That injury worries me a little....but he's got a great upside, being compared to Olajuwon. He even looks like him with his jumpshot and he's going to be a great defensive player.

glad we got Randle, but I would've taken a chance on him...

 

[trojanfan12]

This may be semantics, but I think JDM summed it up well.

If the Sixers are making their moves with the purpose of being bad next year, then they are tanking. I don't see that as the case. They picked Embiid, who was the best player on the board. Since he is not playing next year, they opted to get Saric also, since he was the best player available at the time. The fact that he isn't available next year does not matter to them.

Yes, they will be terrible next year, but the FO is making legitimate and shrewd forward looking moves. It isn't like they are dumping good players for nothing so they can get a better pick.

That's just it. They knew Embiid wasn't going to be available for 6-8 months and they knew that Saric wouldn't be playing for them at all next season. They know they are going to be terrible again next season and will more than likely have another lottery pick.

That is the very definition of front office tanking as part of a re-build strategy. After next season, they will have Embiid, Saric, whoever they get in next years draft and some other young guys and it looks like pretty much all of them will be on rookie deals. That will give them a ton of young talent and probably enough to get a max FA as well.

It's brilliant on their part, but it's still tanking.

 

[tlance]

That's just it. They knew Embiid wasn't going to be available for 6-8 months and they knew that Saric wouldn't be playing for them at all next season. They know they are going to be terrible again next season and will more than likely have another lottery pick.

That is the very definition of front office tanking as part of a re-build strategy. After next season, they will have Embiid, Saric, whoever they get in next years draft and some other young guys and it looks like pretty much all of them will be on rookie deals. That will give them a ton of young talent and probably enough to get a max FA as well.

It's brilliant on their part, but it's still tanking.

I guess that is my point. I take issue with that definition. I don't think it is fair. This definition was born from people wanting instant results. There is no need to label with such a negative term.

 

[JDM]

Yeah, I agree with tlance. I think there is a big difference between making a move that is forward-looking but value appropriate and one that is shitty value with the intention to lose games.

 

[trojanfan12]

I guess that is my point. I take issue with that definition. I don't think it is fair. This definition was born from people wanting instant results. There is no need to label with such a negative term.

Yeah, I agree with tlance. I think there is a big difference between making a move that is forward-looking but value appropriate and one that is shitty value with the intention to lose games.

I'm saying the same thing that you guys are, I'm just using a word you don't like to say it. If the Sixers weren't already tanking, then why not go after players who can help them now? They have the cap space, they had the picks, they have a couple of young players who look like they are going to be very good.

They could have easily put together a team that could have been a solid playoff team in the east. Instead, they are putting together another team that isn't likely to win much next season, but are setting themselves up to be very, very good within the next 3-4 years.

Again, this is a brilliant strategy on their part. Not only do they look like they will be very good in 3-4 years, but that is also right about the time that age and mileage will likely be catching up to the Heat.

Like I said, it's brilliant, but it's still tanking.

 

[tlance]

I'm saying the same thing that you guys are, I'm just using a word you don't like to say it. If the Sixers weren't already tanking, then why not go after players who can help them now? They have the cap space, they had the picks, they have a couple of young players who look like they are going to be very good.

They could have easily put together a team that could have been a solid playoff team in the east. Instead, they are putting together another team that isn't likely to win much next season, but are setting themselves up to be very, very good within the next 3-4 years.

Again, this is a brilliant strategy on their part. Not only do they look like they will be very good in 3-4 years, but that is also right about the time that age and mileage will likely be catching up to the Heat.

Like I said, it's brilliant, but it's still tanking.

I disagree here. I don't think they could have easily assembled a playoff roster this year. 25-30 wins, sure, but only if they drafted inferior talents who can help now. The Sixers are more than a couple role players away from being mediocre. They need an overhaul and it is on the way.

I stand by my original point. The Sixers are not trying to win now, but they aren't trying to lose either. Teams have been rebuilding this way forever, but now because the ESPN talking heads want to call attention to it, it has received such a negative connotation.

 

[trojanfan12]

I disagree here. I don't think they could have easily assembled a playoff roster this year. 25-30 wins, sure, but only if they drafted inferior talents who can help now. The Sixers are more than a couple role players away from being mediocre. They need an overhaul and it is on the way.

I stand by my original point. The Sixers are not trying to win now, but they aren't trying to lose either. Teams have been rebuilding this way forever, but now because the ESPN talking heads want to call attention to it, it has received such a negative connotation.

If they had drafted players that could help them now and added a couple of solid FA's, they could be a 6-8 seed in the east next season.

Essentially, they are avoiding the trap of putting together a team that would be stuck on the 5-8 seed playoff carousel that is very difficult to get out of, in favor of building a team that could very well be a top seed in the east in 3-4 seasons and will be young enough to be a top seed for several years. It's a perfect strategy for them.

I agree that the term "tanking" has taken on a negative connotation that it probably doesn't deserve. When most people think of tanking, they think of players and coaches not trying to win. Players and coaches don't tank. The Sixers players and coaches will be doing every thing that they can to win every game they play.

It's front offices that tank and they do it by doing exactly what the Sixers are doing. They are intentionally going to put together a team that cannot win now. But, they are doing so in order to win later.

 

[GoreRush]

Tanking is prevalent and pathetic but a real problem is the overall lack of talent in the league. The teams are divided into Harlem Globetrotters and Washington Generals. Like the NHL, there are too many teams, and too many make the playoffs making the regular season a long, boring joke. It's a watered down joke. Unlike the NHL, though, the lack of competitive balance makes it impossible for bottom seeds to find success. They are stuck in middling hell, while the top teams stay atop (you can pick the Finals match up before the season starts), and the bottom teams try to field D-League rosters and keep losing trying to luck upon the next Michael/Larry/Magic to turn their franchise around.

 

[ducky]

What a joke of a team.

They just spent $10M+ for a 1st round pick from OKC that is top 18 protected this year and top 15 protected next year because they traded for McGee without first figuring out if he would accept a buyout and then had to waive him because he wouldn't settle.

Never before has a single team been such an embarrassment to the league it played in. And what's nuts is that they still aren't the team running out the worst team in the league right now (say hi Phil....you should have stuck with coaching).

 

[ducky]

The one thing I love about the sixers taking this route is that it is going to end in disaster and the GM getting canned. He should be canned now but he likely will get longer. But it won't matter. This team is going to bad for a LONG time. Young players don't get better very fast on bad teams that don't compete. The whole philosophy of tanking at this kind of magnitude is failed philosophy. If being bad and getting early picks is all it took to set you on a path to success, you wouldn't see teams go on extended losing streaks where they lose for the better part of a decade.

Even if Embiid is really good, it won't matter much. He will just force a trade a few years down the road because he won't want to play for a loser and the sixers are going to be losers for a long time.

 

[gordontrue]

Already tanking for the 2015 draft?

Pffft... they're already tanking for the 2020 draft