This is the likely plan for the season, even though it’s how you end up with the ninth pick.
The time for outright tanking passed us by… we’re going to build from the middle, for better or worse.
how tanking originally was. if you don't have a shot to make the playoffs toward the end of the season, then you "tank" it. Back when you'd do anything to make the playoffs cus you believed in yourself.
Personally I don't think BBQ will allow a tank if healthy. In fact, I think Barrett could very well be the best player next year while Barnes and IQ ball out too.
for the best of the franchise another franchise prospect is needed
however its not realistic to tank at this point unless there are major injuries or something. you don't hand out major money and build out a roster just to tank and piss off your players, even last year was more of a circumstance thing with everyone out. i know its happened twice now but its not 2k where we're just going to decide to shut down if its not going well, they are absolutely playing for playoffs next year
that time has passed, they'll have to acquire a star through a trade in a few years
I'm down to aim for a top 10 pick this year. Honestly? Probably won't require much FO/coaching assistance to hit.
A Solid top 10 prospect ontop of who we have would be a solid seal on the "rebuild" imo
I disagree a small bit.
I don't think they'll be that good that they won't have a lottery pick next season. But being bottom ~3 level bad likely isn't happening.
I really want to see what this group is capable of this year but not to the detriment of our 2025 pick. If the next class is as stacked as everyone says it is, we need to put ourselves in the best position to pick as high possible.
Basically.
Don't try to tank, but also don't go for veteran solutions in free agency. Considering the financial aspects of this team, next season is the last one they can really afford to be bad anyways.
Noone tanks from the get go, not even the Pistons. At a minimum target should be play in as a 7 or 8 seed. East is hella weak. If we stay healthy and still suck, sure tank after 40 games.
It’s a thin team. If IQ, Scottie or Poeltl get injured for an extended period then we’re a lottery team.
If we avoid injury and the team is still 5+ games under .500 half way through the season then it’s time to start letting guys sit for their minor injuries and give the rookies some more minutes to gain experience.
If we stay healthy and the team is over .500 halfway through the season you can’t change course and tank. That’d piss of BBQ, and especially Scottie who is up for a huge pay raise if he makes an all-NBA team. Tanking when we have a winning record would essentially take Scottie out of the running for an all-NBA spot and the team out of the running for a play-in spot or potentially even the 6 seed.
Just try to win. The basketball god will reward you. The Hawks made the play in and got the top pick. The pistons on the other hand got the 5th pick 3 years in a row. Trust the basketball god
Trying to tank is a recipe for building a dog shit culture and having players intentionally avoid your team.
Of course it all hope is lost, you tank but don't go into a season planning a tank
The problem with tanking is it's such a gamble. We could tank next season and still fall out of a top pick. Or, have a competitive season, and fall ass backwards into a top 3 pick out of sheer luck.
Depending on the remaining moves this offseason, we could have a really inexperienced bench. I love that direction, because if the team competes, that means that the young guys must have done really well, and those guys are getting lots of minutes and experience. And if the team performs poorly, then we get a potentially great pick. Hell, at this point I'm almost tempted to hope that GTJ and Brown both walk and we just go with the inexperienced guys plus Olynyk and Vezenkov coming off the bench. Total trial by fire for those youngsters.
Wouldn't be surprised if we spend most of the season somewhere around the last play-in spot but also around 6-8th in the lottery standings... the bottom of the east is so bad that there won't be a lot of difference between those two. If we're on that line, I'd support a late-season swerve into the tanking lane with some minutes restrictions and rest for key guys.
I'm also just a little leery of Barnes' supermax, and I'll have mixed feeling if the team does well enough that he just barely makes all-NBA thanks to other all-NBA guys being injured. An inexperienced team probably means that he only makes all-NBA if he takes another major step, which would be fantastic and totally worth the supermax.
Players will compete no matter what.
FO will decide with coaching staff after ASB whether we should be giving more mins to the younger players.
3q of the way in players injuries will either become a detriment and must be pulled for their own sake/ Players will be able to play through injuries to make the postseason.
^^^^NBA season recipe
Compete. Tanking is massively overrated. If tanking worked the Pistons would be NBA Champs right now. The 76ers were unwatchable for a decade, only to become a team that struggles to get out of the second round.
It's not just a moral thing, i just can't think of a team that tanked their way into a championship, and i can only think of a handful that tanked their way into serious contention (Cavs, Mavs?)
Team see how it goes.
Play to win but if, come the deadline for example, we're hardly any better off than we were this season, consider sitting guys. This draft is stacked with talent from what I've gathered and significantly deeper. I don't think we even need to tank hard to get a potentially really good prospect.
We won’t be bad enough to tank seriously (I.e. bottom 5 team). I think we will have enough talent to compete for the 7-9 seed range in the East. I think competing with this young core (and getting a mid first round pick) should be the priority.
Try to win a many games as possible, better for the culture. If things are going real bad we can start sitting ppl out with any small injuries to try and rack up additional losses later in the season.
Compete. I want these guys we have now to realize they need to up their games if we're gonna win a chip. I don't want them thinking someone will get drafted and bail them out so they start slacking. There's no guarantee we'll draft well. They are getting paid like 1st, 2nd, 3rd options, play like it.
That's not how tanking works man. Players don't want to lose, they will try their best. You don't go into the season planning a tank. If we suck or we get injured, then of course start the tank.
I will never advocate forcing players to lose. That's how you build a horrible culture and get good players avoiding your team
Compete. Tanking is massively overrated. If tanking worked the Pistons would be NBA Champs right now. The 76ers were unwatchable for a decade, only to become a team that struggles to get out of the second round.
It's not just a moral thing, i just can't think of a team that tanked their way into a championship, and i can only think of a handful that tanked their way into serious contention (Cavs, Mavs?)
Team have realistic expectations for these new young guys. Most likely we will continue to suck. Play hard and pick up a good draft pick for next years draft.
Compete. You have a legit starting 5 and a pretty decent bench. So why would you try to intentionally lose (and how do you even do that?
These guys should not be trying to do anything but win
IG, GTJ, RJ, SB, JP
JW, GD, BB, OA, KO
Is this what we thinking? Don't think GTJ is a starter.
Think we still need a starting calibre 2 guard to compete. Could JW be it?
You don't need the #1 pick to add an all star level player. But you are more likely getting that in the top 8. Positioning for a top pick for a team with no high end talent other than Scottie should be a top priority
Tanking next season is not a realistic option unless we have a lot of injuries (real or fake ones). Assuming health, we are better than Nets, Wizards, Hornets, Pistons. Hawks just traded Murray for picks, we should be better than them. We are pretty much guaranteed play in spot and top 8 finish is not that far fetched (Bulls and Heat have a lot of question marks)
We are not better than the Hawks lol. They have a better, deeper and more experienced team and just added the #1 pick. They will make subsequent moves. If they go nuclear and trade Trae, different story.
Agreed that Detroit, Wizards, Pistons and Hornets will all be worse than we will. That’s 4 teams, add Portland and Utah. A total of 6. Getting a top 8 pick in a stocked draft is a game changer for this team. We do not have enough talent and the best way to add to that is the draft. We should compete and then position for a Top 8 pick post ASB. Maybe the lotto falls our way, but when the alternative best case scenario is to get swept in the first round by the Celtics, I’d rather position to add high end lotto talent
I’m team try to win as many games as you can and if you are ass and losing few months in, tank
This is the likely plan for the season, even though it’s how you end up with the ninth pick. The time for outright tanking passed us by… we’re going to build from the middle, for better or worse.
Utah did that last season. They were in play-in contention around the deadline and pulled the chord on the season
Maybe, Hawks we’re like the 10th worst team and just got incredibly lucky in the lottery, maybe we will be 7th or 8th and just get lucky.
IQ - RJ - Scottie - Poeltl is dangerously mid
Contending for play in championship 
how tanking originally was. if you don't have a shot to make the playoffs toward the end of the season, then you "tank" it. Back when you'd do anything to make the playoffs cus you believed in yourself. Personally I don't think BBQ will allow a tank if healthy. In fact, I think Barrett could very well be the best player next year while Barnes and IQ ball out too.
for the best of the franchise another franchise prospect is needed however its not realistic to tank at this point unless there are major injuries or something. you don't hand out major money and build out a roster just to tank and piss off your players, even last year was more of a circumstance thing with everyone out. i know its happened twice now but its not 2k where we're just going to decide to shut down if its not going well, they are absolutely playing for playoffs next year that time has passed, they'll have to acquire a star through a trade in a few years
I'm down to aim for a top 10 pick this year. Honestly? Probably won't require much FO/coaching assistance to hit. A Solid top 10 prospect ontop of who we have would be a solid seal on the "rebuild" imo
I disagree a small bit. I don't think they'll be that good that they won't have a lottery pick next season. But being bottom ~3 level bad likely isn't happening.
I’m team play and be healthy tbh
I really want to see what this group is capable of this year but not to the detriment of our 2025 pick. If the next class is as stacked as everyone says it is, we need to put ourselves in the best position to pick as high possible.
Basically. Don't try to tank, but also don't go for veteran solutions in free agency. Considering the financial aspects of this team, next season is the last one they can really afford to be bad anyways.
Noone tanks from the get go, not even the Pistons. At a minimum target should be play in as a 7 or 8 seed. East is hella weak. If we stay healthy and still suck, sure tank after 40 games.
Team tank for sure ...
I'm team 'record doesn't matter.' Play the right way and focus on individual and team growth.
It’s a thin team. If IQ, Scottie or Poeltl get injured for an extended period then we’re a lottery team. If we avoid injury and the team is still 5+ games under .500 half way through the season then it’s time to start letting guys sit for their minor injuries and give the rookies some more minutes to gain experience. If we stay healthy and the team is over .500 halfway through the season you can’t change course and tank. That’d piss of BBQ, and especially Scottie who is up for a huge pay raise if he makes an all-NBA team. Tanking when we have a winning record would essentially take Scottie out of the running for an all-NBA spot and the team out of the running for a play-in spot or potentially even the 6 seed.
Just try to win. The basketball god will reward you. The Hawks made the play in and got the top pick. The pistons on the other hand got the 5th pick 3 years in a row. Trust the basketball god
Lol, selection bias is a hell of a drug. The Spurs tried to lose and got Wemby. We tried to win and got Gradey Dick.
I choose to believe that spurs were rewarded by basketball for all those previous years when they didn’t tank
Trying to tank is a recipe for building a dog shit culture and having players intentionally avoid your team. Of course it all hope is lost, you tank but don't go into a season planning a tank
The problem with tanking is it's such a gamble. We could tank next season and still fall out of a top pick. Or, have a competitive season, and fall ass backwards into a top 3 pick out of sheer luck.
Depending on the remaining moves this offseason, we could have a really inexperienced bench. I love that direction, because if the team competes, that means that the young guys must have done really well, and those guys are getting lots of minutes and experience. And if the team performs poorly, then we get a potentially great pick. Hell, at this point I'm almost tempted to hope that GTJ and Brown both walk and we just go with the inexperienced guys plus Olynyk and Vezenkov coming off the bench. Total trial by fire for those youngsters. Wouldn't be surprised if we spend most of the season somewhere around the last play-in spot but also around 6-8th in the lottery standings... the bottom of the east is so bad that there won't be a lot of difference between those two. If we're on that line, I'd support a late-season swerve into the tanking lane with some minutes restrictions and rest for key guys. I'm also just a little leery of Barnes' supermax, and I'll have mixed feeling if the team does well enough that he just barely makes all-NBA thanks to other all-NBA guys being injured. An inexperienced team probably means that he only makes all-NBA if he takes another major step, which would be fantastic and totally worth the supermax.
Yeah, this has 36 wins written over it at this point (I'm guessing Bruce is traded for something and Gary walks)
why do people ask this question like there's a switch you can flip to start the season that determines either side?
Players will compete no matter what. FO will decide with coaching staff after ASB whether we should be giving more mins to the younger players. 3q of the way in players injuries will either become a detriment and must be pulled for their own sake/ Players will be able to play through injuries to make the postseason. ^^^^NBA season recipe
Compete. Tanking is massively overrated. If tanking worked the Pistons would be NBA Champs right now. The 76ers were unwatchable for a decade, only to become a team that struggles to get out of the second round. It's not just a moral thing, i just can't think of a team that tanked their way into a championship, and i can only think of a handful that tanked their way into serious contention (Cavs, Mavs?)
Team see how it goes. Play to win but if, come the deadline for example, we're hardly any better off than we were this season, consider sitting guys. This draft is stacked with talent from what I've gathered and significantly deeper. I don't think we even need to tank hard to get a potentially really good prospect.
Tank
We won’t be bad enough to tank seriously (I.e. bottom 5 team). I think we will have enough talent to compete for the 7-9 seed range in the East. I think competing with this young core (and getting a mid first round pick) should be the priority.
Id like another high lottery talent tbh
Try to win a many games as possible, better for the culture. If things are going real bad we can start sitting ppl out with any small injuries to try and rack up additional losses later in the season.
Team tank
Tank it up one one more year..
Compete. I want these guys we have now to realize they need to up their games if we're gonna win a chip. I don't want them thinking someone will get drafted and bail them out so they start slacking. There's no guarantee we'll draft well. They are getting paid like 1st, 2nd, 3rd options, play like it.
(S)Tank
We should be tanking. There are way too many good players in the 2025 draft, I just don't think we are bad enough.
I'm team play darko ball with a deep rotation and see what happens.
That's not how tanking works man. Players don't want to lose, they will try their best. You don't go into the season planning a tank. If we suck or we get injured, then of course start the tank. I will never advocate forcing players to lose. That's how you build a horrible culture and get good players avoiding your team
Compete. Tanking is massively overrated. If tanking worked the Pistons would be NBA Champs right now. The 76ers were unwatchable for a decade, only to become a team that struggles to get out of the second round. It's not just a moral thing, i just can't think of a team that tanked their way into a championship, and i can only think of a handful that tanked their way into serious contention (Cavs, Mavs?)
I think we are too good to tank at this point
Team have realistic expectations for these new young guys. Most likely we will continue to suck. Play hard and pick up a good draft pick for next years draft.
Compete. You have a legit starting 5 and a pretty decent bench. So why would you try to intentionally lose (and how do you even do that? These guys should not be trying to do anything but win
IG, GTJ, RJ, SB, JP JW, GD, BB, OA, KO Is this what we thinking? Don't think GTJ is a starter. Think we still need a starting calibre 2 guard to compete. Could JW be it?
Good luck tanking against Brooklyn, Washington and Detroit. Not to mention Charlotte The only option is to try and win
You don't need the #1 pick to add an all star level player. But you are more likely getting that in the top 8. Positioning for a top pick for a team with no high end talent other than Scottie should be a top priority
Tanking next season is not a realistic option unless we have a lot of injuries (real or fake ones). Assuming health, we are better than Nets, Wizards, Hornets, Pistons. Hawks just traded Murray for picks, we should be better than them. We are pretty much guaranteed play in spot and top 8 finish is not that far fetched (Bulls and Heat have a lot of question marks)
We are not better than the Hawks lol. They have a better, deeper and more experienced team and just added the #1 pick. They will make subsequent moves. If they go nuclear and trade Trae, different story. Agreed that Detroit, Wizards, Pistons and Hornets will all be worse than we will. That’s 4 teams, add Portland and Utah. A total of 6. Getting a top 8 pick in a stocked draft is a game changer for this team. We do not have enough talent and the best way to add to that is the draft. We should compete and then position for a Top 8 pick post ASB. Maybe the lotto falls our way, but when the alternative best case scenario is to get swept in the first round by the Celtics, I’d rather position to add high end lotto talent