Strategy-- Is Losing in 2016 Necessary?

[jmen788]

#1 reason not to tank anymore: brad has an opt out clause for Indiana

Agreed, if Danny goes through this offseason and leaves Brad with an even worse team than he has now. (which would be required in order to "lose in 2016") I dont see why Brad would stick around. He is just starting to make progress with a talent stricken team and Danny tears it all down again.

Lets face it, its not going to happen. They could literally ad 0 players this offseason and they would probably improve on the whole with consistency and guys like Smart, KO, Sully, and Young improving

I never said we should sell off assets for pennies on the dollar. What I'm trying to say is that we should not overpay 2nd tier FAs to become the 5th or 6th seed next year with no chance of winning it all. This is the Boston Celtics. Making the playoffs isn't a fete for us like it is for say the Bobcats.

I should note that while I definitely think Smart and Zeller will get better (smart more-so than Zeller), I don't really have high hopes for KO (not impressed) or Sully. Young is a wild-card who recently has struggled shooting, but is very young.

Also, this year has been HISTORICALLY BAD in the Eastern Conference. Who is to say next year won't be better (it probably will be) ? Therefore we wouldn't need to tank to miss the playoffs next year, although if we do then great.

Overall, I'm not a fan of spending just to spend. I don't think we should sell off assets to tank (although I DO think we should trade KO and/or Sully *if, and only if, we can get something decent for them). I'm just saying don't overpay tier 2 players and don't fight for an 8th seed next year to be automatically bounced in round 1 (like this year). That's all.

[Mass_1081]

  I don't see ours or the Brooklyn pic being a top ten pick next year. ainge could add a player like Harris or Monroe in the offseason then hope their will be a active trade deadline. Finding that franchise talent or even number one scoring option is going to be really difficult. People laugh now at ny, but they could have Melo and Okafor going into next season with a ton off cap space.

[colincb]

#1 reason not to tank anymore: brad has an opt out clause for Indiana

Agreed, if Danny goes through this offseason and leaves Brad with an even worse team than he has now. (which would be required in order to "lose in 2016") I dont see why Brad would stick around. He is just starting to make progress with a talent stricken team and Danny tears it all down again.

Lets face it, its not going to happen. They could literally ad 0 players this offseason and they would probably improve on the whole with consistency and guys like Smart, KO, Sully, and Young improving

I never said we should sell off assets for pennies on the dollar. What I'm trying to say is that we should not overpay 2nd tier FAs to become the 5th or 6th seed next year with no chance of winning it all. This is the Boston Celtics. Making the playoffs isn't a fete for us like it is for say the Bobcats.

I should note that while I definitely think Smart and Zeller will get better (smart more-so than Zeller), I don't really have high hopes for KO (not impressed) or Sully. Young is a wild-card who recently has struggled shooting, but is very young.

Also, this year has been HISTORICALLY BAD in the Eastern Conference. Who is to say next year won't be better (it probably will be) ? Therefore we wouldn't need to tank to miss the playoffs next year, although if we do then great.

Overall, I'm not a fan of spending just to spend. I don't think we should sell off assets to tank (although I DO think we should trade KO and/or Sully *if, and only if, we can get something decent for them). I'm just saying don't overpay tier 2 players and don't fight for an 8th seed next year to be automatically bounced in round 1 (like this year). That's all.

Spending on FAs was not what your original post was about. Danny's a buy-low-sell-high value guy.  There's no reason to suppose he's going to do something stupid based on his track record.

[jmen788]

I also didn't say we should sell off assets for pennies on the dollar in my first post, now did I?

I believe Ainge gave Mark Blount that mega-deal as well.

Further, I don't think we should give the max to Monroe UNLESS we get our rim protector (I.E. Cauley Stein or someone else) in the draft-- he does rebound, but we need a shot blocker and defensive presence up front badly. That's overpaying for a tier-2 guy. Maybe if he was the last piece of the puzzle, but he's not.

[JBcat]

No need.  We have potentially 4 lottery picks in a row from other teams the BKN 2016 & 2018 picks, rights to swap 2017 BKN pick, and I believe 2019 Memphis pick from the Green trade. 

We need to start concentrating on winning.

[colincb]

I also didn't say we should sell off assets for pennies on the dollar in my first post, now did I? (A)

I believe Ainge gave Mark Blount that mega-deal as well. (B)

Further, I don't think we should give the max to Monroe UNLESS we get our rim protector (I.E. Cauley Stein or someone else) in the draft-- he does rebound, but we need a shot blocker and defensive presence up front badly. That's overpaying for a tier-2 guy. Maybe if he was the last piece of the puzzle, but he's not. (C)

(A) Did I say you did?

(B) He drafted Giddens, Melo, and Gerald Green in the first round too. Why do I want picks? Hell, why do I want Danny if he can't sign good free agants and drafts like crap? (Danny's one of the best GMs in the NBA IMO. No one wins every deal and pick, not even Red).

(C) Munroe's not on my list either as I don't see him as much of an upgrade over Sullinger who we can get cheaper.

[jmen788]

I also didn't say we should sell off assets for pennies on the dollar in my first post, now did I? (A)

I believe Ainge gave Mark Blount that mega-deal as well. (B)

Further, I don't think we should give the max to Monroe UNLESS we get our rim protector (I.E. Cauley Stein or someone else) in the draft-- he does rebound, but we need a shot blocker and defensive presence up front badly. That's overpaying for a tier-2 guy. Maybe if he was the last piece of the puzzle, but he's not. (C)

(A) Did I say you did?

(B) He drafted Giddens, Melo, and Gerald Green in the first round too. Why do I want picks? Hell, why do I want Danny if he can't sign good free agants and drafts like crap? (Danny's one of the best GMs in the NBA IMO. No one wins every deal and pick, not even Red).

(C) Munroe's not on my list either as I don't see him as much of an upgrade over Sullinger who we can get cheaper.

Wait-- Danny drafted Giddens, Melo, and Gerald Green in the lottery?? I didn't know that..

You're just proving my point that the higher the pick, the better the chance that the player ultimately becomes valuable.

[nickagneta]

Brooklyn baby


They'll stink for us

Simply said: this is the right philosophy. We tried tanking and didn't get a top 3 pick last year.  We tried this year by dumping all the vets and playing youth and still can't get near the bottom 3 without a lottery miracle happening and that's if we don't make the playoffs.

We bottomed out somewhere between last March and this January. Time to start building that winning culture with a dynamic young coach and allow the Nets to be responsible for our lottery picks coming to us.

[LooseCannon]

Can the Celtics build a legitimate contender without drafting in the top five spots?  Yes.

[BornReady]

I think we shouldn't intentionally tank
 but we should lose a lot of games in general

Hopefully it comes from other teams in the eastern conference improving like
NY getting a top pick like Okafor to pair up with melo
 Indiana getting Paul George back
 Charlotte working through lance and chemistry issues
 Orlando getting a coach that can get the most out of all the talent they have already
Detroit putting it together with Jackson, Monroe and Drummond

I feel like Stevens is good but with other teams probably improving from this off year
We will probably be at the bottom 5 again next year

The only teamsin the East that will be worse than us next year would be NY depending on their free agency and melo return, Philly and Brooklyn 

Also in the west the teams that would be Denver, LA depending on Kobe return and if they get a pick,

[mctyson]

Brooklyn baby


They'll stink for us

Simply said: this is the right philosophy. We tried tanking and didn't get a top 3 pick last year.  We tried this year by dumping all the vets and playing youth and still can't get near the bottom 3 without a lottery miracle happening and that's if we don't make the playoffs.

We bottomed out somewhere between last March and this January. Time to start building that winning culture with a dynamic young coach and allow the Nets to be responsible for our lottery picks coming to us.

Couldn't be further from the truth.  It is was clear as day after the Rondo trade that he was a negative player for this team.  If we wanted to truly tank he would have stayed and Sully/Smart/KO would be traded.

[mahcus smaht]

Brooklyn baby


They'll stink for us

Simply said: this is the right philosophy. We tried tanking and didn't get a top 3 pick last year.  We tried this year by dumping all the vets and playing youth and still can't get near the bottom 3 without a lottery miracle happening and that's if we don't make the playoffs.

We bottomed out somewhere between last March and this January. Time to start building that winning culture with a dynamic young coach and allow the Nets to be responsible for our lottery picks coming to us.

Couldn't be further from the truth.  It is was clear as day after the Rondo trade that he was a negative player for this team.  If we wanted to truly tank he would have stayed and Sully/Smart/KO would be traded.

I think you are the one who is far from the truth. Trading young developping guys is in a sense tanking but its backwards in terms of improving as a team in the long haul. To tank, teams sell off all of their established vets. Rondo and Green were by far our most talented/experienced guys, so Danny traded them in hopes of falling into deeper into the lottery. What ended up happening was the opposite because Brad has done a great job proving that if players buy in his team can perform well above their talent level.

[mgent]

Brooklyn baby


They'll stink for us

Simply said: this is the right philosophy. We tried tanking and didn't get a top 3 pick last year.  We tried this year by dumping all the vets and playing youth and still can't get near the bottom 3 without a lottery miracle happening and that's if we don't make the playoffs.

We bottomed out somewhere between last March and this January. Time to start building that winning culture with a dynamic young coach and allow the Nets to be responsible for our lottery picks coming to us.

This.  We're too good at winning games to tank.

[mef730]

The games are a lot more fun to go to when you're rooting for a win.  That sums it up for me. 

Mike

[Evantime34]

No I don't think it's necessary, more important it almost certainly isn't happening. We have already dealt all of our non long term assets, short of injuries I don't see a way we could tank next year.

I think there is a good argument to be made for building a good culture so that once we get the elite prospects they develop well.