Question for Tank Battalion: Play Olynyk/Sullinger More If Leads to More Wins?

[LooseCannon]

In the Miami game thread, there were some pro-tanking comments and some anti-Bass comments.  So, I think you might be ambivalent of you want the Celtics to tank but also want to see Sullinger and Olynyk take more minutes.  If you think Bass is horrible, playing the young guys more would seem to work against the desire to lose more games, if you are a tanker.

It seems like a bit of conundrum for some fans.  Is anyone torn by this?

[Mr October]

Sullinger and olynyk have played well enough to earn good minutes.

I dont like giving young guys unearned minutes, but these guys have earned it. They should play and keep becoming better players. Win or lose.

The lottery is what it is, a stab in the dark for 1 player. I still want to see the rest of our future continue to get better.

[SHAQATTACK]

Such a simple answer......play the rookies all you can

When we take the lead or at end of game insert Bass and worst checkers ....

Actually it's been working pretty good ...in reverse .......see if KO can bring the sucky team back with Sully  ....after Bass screws it up .....the team plays better with a 7 foot man in there even if he isn't a center ....yet people are still whining. About his play ......he plays great for a rookie

Good training working the rookies to,play out of the starters poor play......Green cold , Bass dropping every pass, and AB chucking away.

Good practice for Sully and KO.

[Tr1boy]

Like i posted on the KO yes or No thread, WCS might be a perfect third guy, when the team is battling against length like anthony davis.

KO, Sullinger and WCS as the trio and bass from the bench.

These two guys have really high iq's and great hands. Tonight both combined had 1 turnovers. And they are practically rookies

[indeedproceed]

I'm not torn at all. The tank job was done months ago, Stevens should be trying to win games and if not that, gain a better understanding of who is on the roster. If he thinks playing Sullynyk is a good move, go for it. If he thinks there's advantage in playing Humpty Hump, more power to him.

[The Fawb]

I find this interesting because there is no conflict of interest at all. Sullinger is having a horrible year because he thinks he can shoot 3's, and he really can't. Shooting 4.6 3PA/48 on 24% shooting really lowers his true shooting percentage, especially since all those shots used to be hustle baskets as the rim. He has sacrificed scoring efficiency for scoring total points, which is always a bad thing. His FGA doubled since last year but his TS% dropped 4.5%.

As for Olynyk, he turns the ball over way too much for his assist numbers, and also is below average in TS%.

Olynyk Wins Produced/48 - .032
Sullinger Wins Produced/48 - .034
Bass Wins Produced/48 - .075
Humphries Wins Produced/48 - .215 (best on the team and a truly awesome year. .100 is an average player at your postion, making Hump more than twice an average player! )

So by playing Olynyk and Sully, we will lose more games and also develop young talent. Hopefully next year Sully will get better at 3's or stop shooting them.

I am pro tanking at this point so SIT HUMP!!!!

[fitzhickey]

I find this interesting because there is no conflict of interest at all. Sullinger is having a horrible year because he thinks he can shoot 3's, and he really can't. Shooting 4.6 3PA/48 on 24% shooting really lowers his true shooting percentage, especially since all those shots used to be hustle baskets as the rim. He has sacrificed scoring efficiency for scoring total points, which is always a bad thing. His FGA doubled since last year but his TS% dropped 4.5%.

As for Olynyk, he turns the ball over way too much for his assist numbers, and also is below average in TS%.

Olynyk Wins Produced/48 - .032
Sullinger Wins Produced/48 - .034
Bass Wins Produced/48 - .075
Humphries Wins Produced/48 - .215 (best on the team and a truly awesome year. .100 is an average player at your postion, making Hump more than twice an average player! )

So by playing Olynyk and Sully, we will lose more games and also develop young talent. Hopefully next year Sully will get better at 3's or stop shooting them.

I am pro tanking at this point so SIT HUMP!!!!

I'm thinking sully's shooting attempts have more to do with Brad and his emphasis on taking open shots when possible. I hope he either develops it into a legitimate threat, or he gives up on them

[clover]

I find this interesting because there is no conflict of interest at all. Sullinger is having a horrible year because he thinks he can shoot 3's, and he really can't. Shooting 4.6 3PA/48 on 24% shooting really lowers his true shooting percentage, especially since all those shots used to be hustle baskets as the rim. He has sacrificed scoring efficiency for scoring total points, which is always a bad thing. His FGA doubled since last year but his TS% dropped 4.5%.

As for Olynyk, he turns the ball over way too much for his assist numbers, and also is below average in TS%.

Olynyk Wins Produced/48 - .032
Sullinger Wins Produced/48 - .034
Bass Wins Produced/48 - .075
Humphries Wins Produced/48 - .215 (best on the team and a truly awesome year. .100 is an average player at your postion, making Hump more than twice an average player! )

So by playing Olynyk and Sully, we will lose more games and also develop young talent. Hopefully next year Sully will get better at 3's or stop shooting them.

I am pro tanking at this point so SIT HUMP!!!!

I'm interested in the source of your 'wins produced' numbers.

According to Basketball Reference (http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/BOS/2014.html), by win shares per 48 your argument still holds (with Bass and Hump now ahead of KO and Sully .104 and .151 to .92 and .94), though not as starkly. Also, of course, KO is playing well ahead of his season-long average. Already KO has pulled ahead of Sully in offensive and defensive ratings on the year at 104 to 103 and 105 to 106.

I'd like to see KO get 30 minutes a night more consistently, but I think he's the C's most valued long-term keeper at this point--and probably not a guy they necessarily want to maximize the season's numbers on. Sully's numbers arguably are better goosed by playing just as he is--long minutes off the bench--since he is challenged by more than a few starting matchups.

With KO still needing to toughen up and Sully still fat and out of shape, the case could be made that the most effective means the C's have to discipline into better play and shape is to withhold starting honors from them.

The C's swapped tank positioning with the ****' Lakers last night (out of their win and the Lakers' loss), and I would have preferred to have seen Joel Anthony get a good 15 minutes or so against his old team.

[Roy H.]

I'm not sure that playing the young guys will result in more wins.  I doubt Stevens feels that way, either; otherwise, Sully and KO would be getting more playing time.

[PhoSita]

I'm not sure that playing the young guys will result in more wins.  I doubt Stevens feels that way, either; otherwise, Sully and KO would be getting more playing time.

My thoughts precisely.

[D.o.s.]

I'm not torn at all. The tank job was done months ago, Stevens should be trying to win games and if not that, gain a better understanding of who is on the roster. If he thinks playing Sullynyk is a good move, go for it. If he thinks there's advantage in playing Humpty Hump, more power to him.

THIS GUY.

[clover]

I'm not torn at all. The tank job was done months ago, Stevens should be trying to win games and if not that, gain a better understanding of who is on the roster. If he thinks playing Sullynyk is a good move, go for it. If he thinks there's advantage in playing Humpty Hump, more power to him.

THIS GUY.

Developing the yout, not just understanding their potential, is also a priority.

[pearljammer10]

I'm not torn at all. The tank job was done months ago, Stevens should be trying to win games and if not that, gain a better understanding of who is on the roster. If he thinks playing Sullynyk is a good move, go for it. If he thinks there's advantage in playing Humpty Hump, more power to him.

Agreed. I feel at this point that Stevens should be looking to play the players that will most likely be back with us this year. So during the last stretch I see Rondo, Bradley, Green, Olynk, Sully getting the most minutes and time together as I can see them having the most likely chance of being around again... If they arent playing well or not fitting together, then they are then most likely to be traded.

[LooseCannon]

I'm not sure that playing the young guys will result in more wins.

The premise of this question is that you are magically sure that it will happen.

Mostly, I am laughing at the pro-tankers who simultaneously complain that Bass sucks and should be ceding his playing time to guys they think are better.

[Donoghus]

I'd play Olynyk/Sullinger more but it won't be for the wins.  I'd rather see some cohesiveness develop between the two, though.