Run for Play-In

[gambit1990]

i really dont get why anyone wants the Spurs to make the play in

Do we really want to watch them get embarrassed on national TV? And even if they make the playoffs by some miracle the prize is getting curbstomped by Phx.

exactly. a higher pick is more important than possibly bouncing the lakers. and i don't even think the spurs would tbh.

[slick'81]

Play in is spurs to lose,tbh

[objective]

Everyone tanking hard except the spurs

I hope the basketball gods reward them with the huge move up in the lottery because otherwise it's a giant waste of time

[Dirks_Finale]

The play-in made sense when COVID cut the season short so teams hadn't played an even amount of games, and there were several teams within reach of the 8 spot.

I don't love it as a standard practice. Imagine being the 8th seed and having a 4-5 game lead over the next in the standings...and then you get kicked out for having a bad game or two.

BUT the NBA knows they can get a few more "exciting playoff games" and the revenue that comes with it, so here we are.

Pretty much, yes. This is where we are at and I don't see them doing the right thing and returning to the norm.

[exstatic]

If they really want to make the play-in interesting and valid, they need to change the structure to make it possible for any two teams to make the playoffs. Right now, 7 and 8 play, and the winner is in. 9 and 10 play, and the loser is out, then the loser of 7/8 plays the winner of 9/10 for the last spot. Straight up make it 7/10 and 8/9, and the two winners are in.

[baseline bum]

Your assertion is flawed when you assume the Spurs are going to draft guys better than Aldridge if they just tank enough. LMA was the second-overall pick in his draft and the best player to come out that year (Lowry and Millsap are the only guys who have arguments). Getting someone that good would be really lucky. That you turn up your nose at him shows you have a really skewed idea of how teambuilding works. If you can sign an All-NBA player in his prime, you don't have a trouble as a free agent destination. Thinking that they are going to tank and grab their next Duncan is at least as flawed as thinking their going to woo their next Durant. They don't have to do either. They can sign an All-Star to pair with the one they already have and then trade for a third and be in business without having to go all-in on lottery balls.

I'm not turning my nose up at him, you were the one talking about franchise players and Aldridge isn't one. Besides, getting someone like Aldridge in the draft is way way more likely than signing him as a free agent when the team isn't a le contender. The Spurs would have had no chance to sign him if they weren't one year removed from a le. I don't know what fantasy land you live in where the Spurs can be a prime free agent destination but they couldn't even get John Collins interested last summer. And you're strawmanning me saying I'd turn my nose up at non franchise player free agent signings, Collins is who I really wanted last summer.

[MultiTroll]

Pop Slurpers: weren't you praising Popped earlier this season on how he was losing games with lineups of Bryn Bryn etc while simultaneously developing players? Such genius per you.

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

I'm all about the play-in if it means the Lakers are 11...without a draft pick. Lebron's handpicked team not even making the play-in? That would be epic. Beaten out by a Spurs team in the midst of a rebuild nonetheless.

Fvck the Lakers.

[TDomination]

I'm all about the play-in if it means the Lakers are 11...without a draft pick. Lebron's handpicked team not even making the play-in? That would be epic. Beaten out by a Spurs team in the midst of a rebuild nonetheless.

Fvck the Lakers.

This would make it oh so worth it!

[baseline bum]

He did it at the end of his first run at Cleveland, too, then just left when it didn't work out.

Meh they traded Ilgauskas and a late first for Jamison, then Ilgauskas got bought out and they brought him back. And traded the corpse of Ben Wallace's career plus Sasha Pavlovic and a mid second rounder for Shaq. Don't think those are at all comparable to the Westbrook trade.

[gambit1990]

this is a mistake.

[gambit1990]

i don't understand how people want this to happen when making the playoffs / trying to make the playoffs the past couple seasons didn't help.

pop should've tanked hard and then go all in next season.

[slick'81]

i don't understand how people want this to happen when making the playoffs / trying to make the playoffs the past couple seasons didn't help.

pop should've tanked hard and then go all in next season.

Spur fan just taking what they're given,tbh

[cjw]

i don't understand how people want this to happen when making the playoffs / trying to make the playoffs the past couple seasons didn't help.

pop should've tanked hard and then go all in next season.

This isn’t NBA 2K

And the team isn’t trying to win at expense of giving young players minutes. Vassell will get close to 2,000 minutes, Jones over 1,000 minutes and Primo almost 1,000 minutes as a kid who just turned 19.

They dealt away three of the four oldest guys on the team (Forbes, White and Young) and got back assets. The only other older guy getting minutes provides important floor spacing that helps development of the rest of the roster.

Not sure what your definition of tanking is. Should they have kept Eubanks and Forbes and played them with street free agents?

[Russ]

Meh they traded Ilgauskas and a late first for Jamison, then Ilgauskas got bought out and they brought him back. And traded the corpse of Ben Wallace's career plus Sasha Pavlovic and a mid second rounder for Shaq. Don't think those are at all comparable to the Westbrook trade.

LeBron reportedly nixed a trade for Amare Stoudemire who (at the time in 2010) was way better than Jamison (and also actually younger). Jamison didn't help the Cavs that much. That's all I was saying.

[BacktoBasics]

i don't understand how people want this to happen when making the playoffs / trying to make the playoffs the past couple seasons didn't help.

pop should've tanked hard and then go all in next season.

Because at this point it doesn't change much. The Spurs aren't breaking the top 5 even if they lose out. Their ability to package up a 10th, 11th or 12th pick to acquire a 7th or 8th pick(which is where they'd be if they lose out) wouldn't be impossible.

So basically they can get a 7th or 8th pick if they really want it regardless of whether they land there by loses or package a player/late pick that was already not in the plans.

No ideal but not catastrophic like some make it out to be.

[baseline bum]

LeBron reportedly nixed a trade for Amare Stoudemire who (at the time in 2010) was way better than Jamison (and also actually younger). Jamison didn't help the Cavs that much. That's all I was saying.

Where did you hear that? I always heard the Cavs overvalued JJ Hickson and didn't want to move him for Amare.

[Mr. Body]

i don't understand how people want this to happen when making the playoffs / trying to make the playoffs the past couple seasons didn't help.

pop should've tanked hard and then go all in next season.

Two or three games at higher pressure to win a play-in spot are worth ten to fifteen games any other time of the year. If we want to make the play-offs next year, this taste is important. They need to know what it's like.

[slick'81]

Two or three games at higher pressure to win a play-in spot are worth ten to fifteen games any other time of the year. If we want to make the play-offs next year, this taste is important. They need to know what it's like.

if they actually make the playoffs sure

[Mr. Body]

if they actually make the playoffs sure

Even if they don't.

[rjv]

i'm still not penciling in the spurs just yet. the unknown variables would be if teams are shutting down towards the end. will the mavs rest players on the last game? how many games will lebron play? all these factors will have a big say in the final outcome.

[Sugus]

This isn’t NBA 2K

And the team isn’t trying to win at expense of giving young players minutes. Vassell will get close to 2,000 minutes, Jones over 1,000 minutes and Primo almost 1,000 minutes as a kid who just turned 19.

They dealt away three of the four oldest guys on the team (Forbes, White and Young) and got back assets. The only other older guy getting minutes provides important floor spacing that helps development of the rest of the roster.

Not sure what your definition of tanking is. Should they have kept Eubanks and Forbes and played them with street free agents?

You know this is the same re that consistently posts pics of Forbes, right? he wouldn't like that either.

The hilarious thing is that the Spurs did exactly what most "tanking" teams do: shipped out all the vets for assets, only sign minimal players without committing to any of them long-term, play the young players consistent, prominent, major minutes, and just ride the season out.

It just wasn't expected for DJ to rise to All-Star level in DDR's absence and keep the team afloat. That's really the only thing stopping these current Spurs from having bottomed out two months ago; him and Jak, to an extent, but DJ mainly. If anyone is to be ""blamed"" for not tanking this season, he's definitely the one.

E: wait, got my re s confused, I thought you quoted the other one. This is the re who insists the Spurs do everything wrong and have the worst possible future - so again, he wouldn't have liked that, ironically enough

[slick'81]

Even if they don't.

nope. Playing a bunch of teams resting their best players or tanking isnt helping much

[MultiTroll]

Because at this point it doesn't change much. The Spurs aren't breaking the top 5 even if they lose out.

Not top 5 but still plenty of maneuvering among 6 - 10 can occur.

[BatManu20]

Spurs ain’t ever gonna tank so y’all might as well sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride. Knocking the lakers out of the playoffs is now what we should be looking forward to.