Say the c's struggle through January, Could Danny tank it?

[GratefulCs]

I'm really excited that this season, so far (it's still so early), the Eastern Conference has looked a lot better. For the Celtics, that means that team will have to be better to make the playoffs. So they'll either prove themselves to be a legit team or they'll get another lottery pick. It's the type of win-win that Western Conference teams have been enjoying for a long time now.

I also think, regardless of the team's record, Ainge is going to make a deal in late-December/January for a more an impact player to loosen up the roster. We're going to have to sit tight for at least another month, though, until players who signed as free agents over the summer can be traded.

Also means that Minny may finished 9th/10th in the West and not render their pick.

great point. Tp

[SHAQATTACK]

Celtics are not winning many games without Marcus,

[Vox_Populi]

Well, hopefully Brett Brown tells his team to lose as convincingly as possible as they have been prone to do recently.

[LarBrd33]

Absolutely.  Tanking has been an option all season if the team failed to overachieve again.  We don't have much talent... A couple injuries, players losing focus, a lack of execution and we will be a bottom 10 team. 

[Big333223]

Absolutely.  Tanking has been an option all season if the team failed to overachieve again.  We don't have much talent... A couple injuries, players losing focus, a lack of execution and we will be a bottom 10 team.

It's definitely a thin line. But that's the kind of flexibility Danny has built into the roster. As much as I'd like to see the top 5 defense continue, and a playoff run in the spring, if it doesn't happen we can just as easily add the kind of draft pick you're talking about to our list of assetts, meaning we have more picks to send out in a possible trade in the future.

[Big333223]

I'm really excited that this season, so far (it's still so early), the Eastern Conference has looked a lot better. For the Celtics, that means that team will have to be better to make the playoffs. So they'll either prove themselves to be a legit team or they'll get another lottery pick. It's the type of win-win that Western Conference teams have been enjoying for a long time now.

I also think, regardless of the team's record, Ainge is going to make a deal in late-December/January for a more an impact player to loosen up the roster. We're going to have to sit tight for at least another month, though, until players who signed as free agents over the summer can be traded.

Also means that Minny may finished 9th/10th in the West and not render their pick.

great point. Tp

I'd say a better East means a worse West which means the Wolves have a better chance of landing outside of the bottom 13 and conveying the pick.

[DesertDweller]

Tanking would absolutely kill the heart and soul of this team. these guys have a "WIN at any cost" attitude. you would be sending a real bad message.
I think with Brooklyn's pick and a few "Danny moves" this team will be a contender as soon as next year!!!

[Evantime34]

Absolutely.  Tanking has been an option all season if the team failed to overachieve again.  We don't have much talent... A couple injuries, players losing focus, a lack of execution and we will be a bottom 10 team.

What would tanking look like though? I can't see us dealing any of our young players to get worse. Is trading a couple out of sully amir Zeller Lee and Turner enough to tank, because I see those guys as the group most likely gone if we struggle

[hwangjini_1]

Absolutely.  Tanking has been an option all season if the team failed to overachieve again.  We don't have much talent... A couple injuries, players losing focus, a lack of execution and we will be a bottom 10 team.

i agree with the prognosis were injuries to suddenly abound on this team. (or any team for that matter, right?)

but tanking, to me at least, is an intentional plan/set of actions designed to create losses in the short term so as to get better talent later through the draft.

at what point have we ever seen CBS try to lose any games? all i have seen from him is a unquenchable desire to win each and every game.

look at last year. the team suckily sucked and then ainge packed in the season by dumping BOTH rondo and jeff green. if that is not a recipe for tanking i dont know what is.

and what did CBS do in response to losing what was considered THE best two players on the team? he retooled, rethought, revived the team. we all know the improbable run this team made last season. it was amazing and i would have lost a ton of money in any bets on the w/l record for the celtics.

ainge worked for the team to miss the playoffs, as best as i could tell. but CBS didnt and CBS got his way.

so, injuries? they may happen. increased suckitude? that may happen as well. but tanking? nope, i just dont see this team giving up and playing to lose. that is not the CBS way.

[Granath]

No. There is no tanking as far as the Celtics are concerned.

(1) Let's paint how unlikely this scenario is. For Danny to even bother to commit to a tank because the playoffs are hopeless the Cs would have to be 8-10 games under .500 by the end of January. There are 34 games between now and then and the Cs are currently 8-7. The Cs would have to lose 2 out of every 3 games between now and then to even get into this scenario. The most likely possibility for that to happen would involve a number of injuries...that's not tanking, that's simply unlucky.

(2) Even at that rate, there's little use in really tanking unless you're prepared to lose every single game from the All-Star game until the end of the season. Danny has never been prepared to do that. Even if the Cs were 20-30 after 50 games it is highly probable that they end up with more than 30 wins by the end of the season. That's not getting you a top 5 pick. I'm not sure I see an exceptional value of getting the #7 pick rather than the #10 or #11 given what it would cost. 

(3) How exactly do you tank?  Zeller? He's not playing minutes anyway. Sully? Lee? Amir? IT? KO? Bradley? Turner?The Cs are an exceptionally deep team and the loss of any one isn't going to make or break the team with perhaps IT being the exception (and he's on an incredibly friendly contract). Danny would have to engage in multiple trades in a fire sale. If there's anything we know about Danny it's that Danny never, ever sells low.

(4) What is he going to get back in return? Tanking usually means getting draft picks. None of those guys (beyond IT) is getting a great pick and the Cs already own EIGHT DRAFT PICKS this coming draft. How many more mid-first rounders can he use?

Look, if the Cs are doing poorly I wouldn't be surprised to see Sully, Amir or Bradley traded away. Sully and Amir being expiring/non-guaranteed contracts and Bradley holding a decent value but being somewhat redundant on a team with Smart, IT and Hunter. But I wouldn't call that tanking. It's just smart trading. As far as wholesale tanking, it's just really not feasible with the team as it's currently constructed and the team's record thus far.

[Big333223]

I am interested in what everyone thinks tanking would mean for this team. Trading Thomas and Amir?

[LooseCannon]

I am interested in what everyone thinks tanking would mean for this team. Trading Thomas and Amir?

Trading Smart, Sullinger, Bradley, and Amir.

[mctyson]

I am not saying it will happen , but what if the c's are something like 5-10 games under 500 come late January .

Is there any chance Danny would be willing to trade off pieces and fall back into the lottery ?



Thoughts?

Wasn't that kind of what he did last season with Rondo and Green?  Those trades actually made the team better.

If they are sub-.500 that means they aren't that good, which means he will probably makes trades that make the team better.  Unless he trades Thomas, Smart, or Bradley.

[saltlover]

Absolutely.  Tanking has been an option all season if the team failed to overachieve again.  We don't have much talent... A couple injuries, players losing focus, a lack of execution and we will be a bottom 10 team.

Keep telling yourself that.  But please stop telling everyone else that.  It's beyond monotonous.

[RockinRyA]

Absolutely.  Tanking has been an option all season if the team failed to overachieve again.  We don't have much talent... A couple injuries, players losing focus, a lack of execution and we will be a bottom 10 team.

Keep telling yourself that.  But please stop telling everyone else that.  It's beyond monotonous.

It was fun first couple of hundred post but after that it really gets old and tiring.