Larry Bird: If Paul George Wants To Play, He'll Play

[AVXL]

They're playing that way because Rodney Stuckey is inexplicably averaging 20/5/5 on 50% & 49% from 3, basically playing like Dwyane Wade with Kyle Korver's 3 point shot That is not sustainable, they will lose in the first round and next year they will have the team they had last year, only West will be a year older, PG won't be up to speed for awhile and they'll still have the same shytty backcourt they have now.

They had a perfectly good excuse to tank and get some actual talent to go with their roster, they are capped out and not a FA destination, they're a veteran team so losing in the first round of the playoffs accomplishes what?

For a team that had chemistry issues and had a tough start to the season, I would think playing well as a team late in the season while also making a playoff run might help the confidence of the George Hill's & Roy Hibbert's on that team. Remember how fragile that team was last yr and that was with the best record in the East and making an ECF

I think you're better off trying to be as competitive as possible as opposed to going into a game with the intention to lose. I don't get why they'd be so giddy to play WOAT basketball for some kid who they don't even know if they will pan out or not

 

[Higher Tech]

For a team that had chemistry issues and had a tough start to the season, I would think playing well as a team late in the season while also making a playoff run might help the confidence of the George Hill's & Roy Hibbert's on that team. Remember how fragile that team was last yr and that was with the best record in the East and making an ECF

I think you're better off trying to be as competitive as possible as opposed to going into a game with the intention to lose. I don't get why they'd be so giddy to play WOAT basketball for some kid who they don't even know if they will pan out or not

Tanking is way over rated.

 

[AVXL]

Tanking is way over rated.

Who really gets better off of tanking? You build a culture of losing, you waste years of player development with the young guys on your team and it doesn't even work. SAC, Minny & Philly been "tanking" for years now and are still shytty. Tanking doesn't work...good drafting does

 

[Malta]

For a team that had chemistry issues and had a tough start to the season, I would think playing well as a team late in the season while also making a playoff run might help the confidence of the George Hill's & Roy Hibbert's on that team. Remember how fragile that team was last yr and that was with the best record in the East and making an ECF

I think you're better off trying to be as competitive as possible as opposed to going into a game with the intention to lose. I don't get why they'd be so giddy to play WOAT basketball for some kid who they don't even know if they will pan out or not

Their playoff run is going to end in the first round, next season they are going to be the same squad just with Paul George added on. They will be great on defense but when it comes time to win games they will have the same problem they had last year and the year before, which is they only have 1 creator.

Trying to stay competitive as long as possible is how teams end up on the treadmill, this was a perfect opportunity to pick up an impact player to play with George.

Tanking is way over rated.

It's not when you already have an injured star on your team.

Sincerely yours,
The Spurs

 

[Malta]

Who really gets better off of tanking? You build a culture of losing, you waste years of player development with the young guys on your team and it doesn't even work. SAC, Minny & Philly been "tanking" for years now and are still shytty. Tanking doesn't work...good drafting does

The Thunder were built via tanking, if the Cavs hadn't been so awful the last few years they never would have the pieces to trade for Love and build a roster around Kyrie/LeBron/Love.

Philly hasn't been tanking for years, they just started their rebuild 2 seasons ago with the trade of Holiday, they tried to rebuild the way you're talking about, it bit them in the ass and then they decided to do a complete rebuild.

 

[Higher Tech]

Who really gets better off of tanking? You build a culture of losing, you waste years of player development with the young guys on your team and it doesn't even work. SAC, Minny & Philly been "tanking" for years now and are still shytty. Tanking doesn't work...good drafting does

Agreed

 

[AVXL]

Their playoff run is going to end in the first round, next season they are going to be the same squad just with Paul George added on. They will be great on defense but when it comes time to win games they will have the same problem they had last year and the year before, which is they only have 1 creator.

Trying to stay competitive as long as possible is how teams end up on the treadmill, this was a perfect opportunity to pick up an impact player to play with George.





It's not when you already have an injured star on your team.

Sincerely yours,
The Spurs

So if the Pacers aren't a lottery team, they have NO shot at drafting a quality impact player?

And speaking of the Spurs, where was Tony Parker drafted? Kawhi Leonard? Manu Ginoboli?

 

[Malta]

So if the Pacers aren't a lottery team, they have NO shot at drafting a quality impact player?

Paul George was a lottery pick, name all of the top tier players in the league right now that weren't lottery picks.

And speaking of the Spurs, where was Tony Parker drafted? Kawhi Leonard? Manu Ginoboli?

How long ago were Parker and Manu drafted? The Pacers drafted Kawhi and traded him for George Hill You really want to put your faith in their ability to rebuild without tanking after a move like that?

 

[god shamgod]

I think Paul George should play if he's cleared by docs and mentally ready.The pacers aren't doing anything this year so ruining chemistry is irrelevant + he's the franchise getting some games under his belt will benefit him going into the summer.

 

[AVXL]

The Thunder were built via tanking, if the Cavs hadn't been so awful the last few years they never would have the pieces to trade for Love and build a roster around Kyrie/LeBron/Love.

Philly hasn't been tanking for years, they just started their rebuild 2 seasons ago with the trade of Holiday, they tried to rebuild the way you're talking about, it bit them in the ass and then they decided to do a complete rebuild.

The Cavs were terrible the last few years tanking and if Bron doesn't go there trading Love for picks wouldn't have happened and would be irrelevant.

Philly hasn't improved since they went on this tank campaign a few years ago and they're full of young talent and high draft picks

ORL has been tanking and they're terrible as well. How long did it take for CHA to be just MEDIOCRE and they've been tanking since their inception. You can bring up OKC but that's an anomaly, it's more likely you tank you waste time, resources and talent for one player who may never be worth the tanking efforts.

The way to build teams is through smart management, great drafting and player development. You don't need a top 5 pick to get impact players, that's the biggest myth out there right now

 

[Malta]

The Cavs were terrible the last few years tanking and if Bron doesn't go there trading Love for picks wouldn't have happened and would be irrelevant.

Philly hasn't improved since they went on this tank campaign a few years ago and they're full of young talent and high draft picks

The Cavs were terrible, and getting all those draft picks is how they became an attractive option for LeBron which in turn is how they got Love.

I don't know why you keep mentioning Philly, they have not been tanking/rebuilding that long, they didn't even start until last season. They were 34-48 and finished in 9th place in 2012/13 season, because they kept trying to hold on instead of rebuilding.

ORL has been tanking and they're terrible as well. How long did it take for CHA to be just MEDIOCRE and they've been tanking since their inception. You can bring up OKC but that's an anomaly, it's more likely you tank you waste time, resources and talent for one player who may never be worth the tanking efforts.

The way to build teams is through smart management, great drafting and player development. You don't need a top 5 pick to get impact players, that's the biggest myth out there right now

You're making it seem like these teams have been bad for 5+ years, Orlando lost dwight at the end of the 2011/12 season, they haven't been rebuilding that long and I expect them to make a jump next season. OKC is not an anomaly, the Blazers, Wiz, Warriors, Pelicans were all 10-20+ games under .500 just 3 seasons ago.

Tanking is the only reliable way to get a franchise player, I mean your squad is built around Horford and he's a top 5 pick.....

 

[AVXL]

Paul George was a lottery pick, name all of the top tier players in the league right now that weren't lottery picks.





How long ago were Parker and Manu drafted? The Pacers drafted Kawhi and traded him for George Hill You really want to put your faith in their ability to rebuild without tanking after a move like that?

Here's a better question: How many teams with "top tier/top picks" players aren't in the playoffs as of now?

OKC/NO depending on the day
Minny (Wiggins)
SAC (Cousins)
CHA (Al Jefferson/MKG)
ORL (Oladipo)
Philly (Noel & MCW before he got traded)
NYK (Melo before the injury they were still WOAT)

The thing is, every team in the league has "top tier talent" but half of those teams are sitting home that decided to tank for a chance at a superstar. And I ain't even mention about how many of those superstar players are even still with the team that originally drafted them...tanking is for losers breh, literally

 

[Malta]

Here's a better question: How many teams with "top tier/top picks" players aren't in the playoffs as of now?

OKC/NO depending on the day
Minny (Wiggins)
SAC (Cousins)
CHA (Al Jefferson/MKG)
ORL (Oladipo)
Philly (Noel & MCW before he got traded)
NYK (Melo before the injury they were still WOAT)

The thing is, every team in the league has "top tier talent" but half of those teams are sitting home that decided to tank for a chance at a superstar. And I ain't even mention about how many of those superstar players are even still with the team that originally drafted them...tanking is for losers breh, literally

You're really trying to use OKC as an example fam? We all know why they'd miss the playoffs


Minny, Philly, Orlando, Charlotte and OKC are some of the youngest teams in the NBA. No, not every team has top tier talent, some teams are more talented than others and have a gang of lottery picks on them. I could do the counter to that and point out all the lottery picks littered on the playoff teams.....

So the Pacers are better off relying on Stuckey next year and the year after than say, having D'Angelo Russell in the backcourt? Again, this is specifically about the Pacers, they had a great opportunity to squib kick this season and pick up a major talent to play alongside George without anyone accusing them of tanking.

 

[Versa]

I already knew when I saw several posts by @AVXL that this was about to be some bad news

 

[AVXL]

You're really trying to use OKC as an example fam? We all know why they'd miss the playoffs


Minny, Philly, Orlando, Charlotte and OKC are some of the youngest teams in the NBA. No, not every team has top tier talent, some teams are more talented than others and have a gang of lottery picks on them. I could do the counter to that and point out all the lottery picks littered on the playoff teams.....

So the Pacers are better off relying on Stuckey next year and the year after than say, having D'Angelo Russell in the backcourt? Again, this is specifically about the Pacers, they had a great opportunity to squib kick this season and pick up a major talent to play alongside George without anyone accusing them of tanking.

Real NBA teams with real coaches and real organizations don't tank. They aren't video games that just put it on snooze and play to lose. I can't imagine a Larry Bird managed team having the audacity to even entertain such nonsense even if it was for the best player in the draft. Real teams don't tank, they draft well and build. Tanking is some bullshyt of you think a Lebron is gonna fall into your lap if you win 13 games