This is why I think fans are too conspiracy nutjobs over tanking

[GOBB]

Look I'm not saying it hasnt happened, doesnt happen or is impossible. But every single thing isnt tanking when you're not a winning team.

Case in point. Kyrie Irving goes out with an injury, people find that to be tanking. Yet he's back. So what, Cavs arent tanking anymore? :confusedshrug:

NOH get accused of tanking yet that team plays its ass off. You want to say mgmt hasnt put the best talent out there for them to win? I say looking at the roster, what did you realistically expect when it comes to wins and losses? Seriously.

So Cavs fans you arent tanking anymore?

[GOBB]

So no one is gonna address the Cavs tanking oh not tanking anymore sir? Ok

[bleedinpurpleTwo]

Charlotte is not tanking..... they just flat out quit.
I wonder if MJ is embarrassed.

[bagelred]

Weak post by GOBB. Clearly, he's tanking.

[SevereUpInHere]

People have also been accusing T-wolves of tanking and they don't even have the rights to their pick this year.

[G-train]

People have also been accusing T-wolves of tanking and they don't even have the rights to their pick this year.

If Utah make the playoffs they do. Maybe. dunno I might have made that up.

[zizozain]

weak post
kill yourself

[1987_Lakers]

The only team that has been tanking is Golden State.

[qrich]

If Utah make the playoffs they do. Maybe. dunno I might have made that up.
'Yeah, you made it up. Hornets have the Wolves pick

[UtahJazzFan88]

'Yeah, you made it up. Hornets have the Wolves pick

No he didn't, Minnesota gets Utah's pick if they make the playoffs.

[Myth]

Charlotte is not tanking..... they just flat out quit.
I wonder if MJ is embarrassed.

I think the Bobcats are a combo of tanking and quitting. Jordan traded away all the talent to tank, and the remaining shitty players started losing naturally which led to them saying "f*ck this, we quit."

I think a couple other teams are tanking as well (Toronto; Portland management set the team up to tank but the players haven't quit). I wouldn't say the Wolves intentionally started tanking, but I think they gave up and decided "let's let Kevin Love work on his game for the future even if it means losing now."

I'm not sure what I think about the Cavs. Haven't followed them as closely.

[magnax1]

The only teams I'd say are tanking are Golden States, because they won't get their draft pick if they don't, and Portland. I don't know if either of them are sitting players to lose more games though. They just killed their rosters to lose more games.

[RedBlackAttack]

Look I'm not saying it hasnt happened, doesnt happen or is impossible. But every single thing isnt tanking when you're not a winning team.

Case in point. Kyrie Irving goes out with an injury, people find that to be tanking. Yet he's back. So what, Cavs arent tanking anymore? :confusedshrug:

NOH get accused of tanking yet that team plays its ass off. You want to say mgmt hasnt put the best talent out there for them to win? I say looking at the roster, what did you realistically expect when it comes to wins and losses? Seriously.

So Cavs fans you arent tanking anymore?
Tanking is really a pretty relative term that you can choose to apply or not to certain situations. The Cavs have been incredibly cautious with their players toward the end of the season which some may perceive as tanking.

Kyrie was held out far longer than was really totally necessary. If we were battling for a playoff seed, he may have only missed a couple of games.

Anderson Varejao could have probably come back a few weeks ago if we absolutely needed him for a season-ending push. They chose to sit him for the remainder of the season.

Both of those acts may be termed "tanking." There really is no reason for the Cavs to risk those players' futures, though, during what is essentially a few more exhibition games at the end of the season. We have nothing to play for.

Call it tanking... Call it whatever you want. I'm happy they are doing it.

[Xiao Yao You]

GS starting all their young guys and bringing better veteran players off the bench is tanking.

[El Kabong]

Only team I thought was legit tanking was GS. Charlotte is a tough one, they weren't going with what they had, so they may as well blow it up and get a few more draft picks. Besides, it's not like they were going to set the world on fire if they had of kept Gerald Wallace and guys like that, so they'd still would be down in the cellar and we'd be having the same conversation.

[GOBB]

I can agree with GSW tanking. Other teams? Nah.


RBA resting players longer than you say they should be out? Thats funny, we are in a short and condensed season correct with not much training camp to boot. Different season as opposed to summer to prepare and an 82gm season spread out. Why would you rush any player back in such a time? Iggy could have returned from his time off too. But he stayed out a lil longer. Same with Hawes. Tanking? Considering the Sixers were trying to hold ground on the Atlantic? I dont buy Cleveland has ever tanked this season.

Why is Irving back and playing? Why not sit him rest of the season. Why not play for a higher lottery sitting vs trying to win? Doesnt make an ounce of sense to me as you sweated bullets last night watching the Cavs almost pull out a win...courtesy of Irving.

[ILLsmak]

Weak post by GOBB. Clearly, he's tanking.


lol....

Nah but some teams do tank. Like Charlotte.

But I bet 10000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 dollars they won't get the number 1. Who is going to say they will?

-Smak

[ILLsmak]

GS starting all their young guys and bringing better veteran players off the bench is tanking.

Disagree; that could be labeled developing talent when your year is shot.

Think about their injuries, why play anyone but young guys?

I was watching GSW vs LA for awhile... and they got crushed but it was amazing how fast they get the ball up the court when the Lakers missed.

-Smak

[DMV2]

The only team that has been tanking is Golden State.
Them, Kings and the Blazers.

Cats, Hornets, Wolves, etc...those guys just suck. Minny's case, they suck w/o Rubio.

[monkeypox]

If anything people overvalue tanking and are also too accepting of it. A fan should never accept their team losing on purpose, it's pathetic.

Even if you tank you just get a higher likelihood of a high pick. But even then you'll have to make the right pick of player in the draft. Even if you pick the best player a freak accident could end his career. Even if he stays healthy, in his prime, he can chose to go to an organization that isn't a joke and isn't known for being pathetic losers. So basically you're guaranteeing that you're a loser for a minor chance at your team getting better for a little bit.

[Xiao Yao You]

why play anyone but young guys?

To compete. People been saying all year the Jazz should be playing their young guys instead of trying to win. They're one game from the playoffs. That's good for the young guys to be playing for something and being part of a winning culture. If they miss the playoffs they get some lottery balls. If they get swept in the playoffs it's still the first step to bigger things in the future with or without a pick.

[Rake2204]

Tanking is really a pretty relative term that you can choose to apply or not to certain situations.
I agree. I'd have an issue with real-deal, true-to-life tanking. That is, a team that absolutely made no qualms about intentionally losing games, providing half effort, and essentially throwing away the season while not caring who knew it. However, more times than not, I don't see that.

I always support teams giving their all, but I recognize the different situations teams come across throughout the year. For instance, I don't think the Pistons have given up at any point this year, and I'm quite proud of that. They began 4-20, then bounced back to play .500 ball for most of the remainder of the season. They were even feeling spry enough to drop a depleted Cavs team by 39 a week or two ago.

With that said, I also have absolutely zero issues with the Pistons emptying their entire bench for these last few games of the season. Since reaching the playoffs is now moot and impossible, I fully support getting an opportunity to see the likes of Charlie Villanueva, Austin Daye and Vernon Macklin receive extended minutes as a means to help assist who will and who will not be an asset to my favorite club in the future.

Essentially, I feel the idea of tanking is greatly overblown. I even think some teams give up and I still don't consider that tanking, I just consider it giving up. Dysfunctional teams give up on every level - pro, college, high school, junior hoopsters. And as monkeypox mentioned, for the teams legitimately trying to tank, the payoff is rarely great. If I had to go one way or another, I'd venture to say people think a lot more teams are tanking than actually are.


To compete. People been saying all year the Jazz should be playing their young guys instead of trying to win. They're one game from the playoffs. That's good for the young guys to be playing for something and being part of a winning culture. If they miss the playoffs they get some lottery balls. If they get swept in the playoffs it's still the first step to bigger things in the future with or without a pick.
I definitely agree with that. I wanted to make sure I was clear on that front. When I referred to the Pistons playing their rarely used players, I was referring to the final 2-4 games of the season. I think that can be very useful time for evaluating those players going forward.

On the contrary, ever since the Pistons' 4-20 start, many fans have been clamoring for losses, often objecting to any time the Pistons would win, claiming they should be positioning themselves for Anthony Davis. It's just my opinion, but I find such viewpoints to be ridiculous. The manner with which the Pistons were able to pull together and compete (again, near .500 ball since their start) is going to help them infinitely more so than if they quit, tanked, and finished with 8 wins.

A lot of confidence has been developed these last few months in Detroit and I think players understand they're heading in the right direction. Whereas, if Detroit had floundered toward #1 pick territory, things would be bleak, cold, and ugly. So I agree with you, there's definitely a ton to be said for continually fighting. The Pistons aren't too shabby though. Sometimes other teams can keep fighting and still suck horribly.

[DMV2]

It depends on what kind of vets you have on your team.

If you have guys like Ben Gordon or Tayshaun Prince as your vets, then it's time to move on and play your youngsters. If you're the Lakers or Celtics, play your vets.

The Jazz have Jefferson, Millsap, Harris, Bell, Tinsley, Watson....the first three are good and still give you max production but they're also unproven. The last three are serviceable benchwarmers. You need to put in your young talents to help out Jefferson and Millsap.

[Xiao Yao You]

Pistons are another great example. They'll be going into the off-season with playoff hopes for next year after the way they finished.

[longtime lurker]

Hornets were most definitely tanking. Players missing games with supposed injuries, players healthy to play that aren't being played and completely holding out players(we want to trade Kaman so the logical thing is to hold him out for 2 weeks instead of showcasing him). Golden state and portland are most likely tanking especially Portland that blew up a borderline playoff team for years to come.

Bobcats are just plain bad, no tanking needed. Minnesota lost Rubio and don't have their own pick so why tank? Cavs aren't tanking if you actually watch the games the team plays hard.

[ArbitraryWater]

Fitting the current situation..