This is just getting ridiculous

Hi guys,

Long time lurker here. Enjoy the site and the great, drama-free analysis and conversations. Watching Boston sports TV after the Sox game last night finally made me register for the site to post this...

So I flip over to one of the New England Sports channels - can't remember if it was CSNE or NESN - after the Sox game, just in time to hear the two talking heads asking 'What the heck are the Celtics doing? They won 2 in a row! They're ruining everything!'. It's really unbelievable that these people who are paid to 'report' on sports really think a group of professional athletes would really lose on purpose to benefit a team they might not even be part of next year. Rather than highlighting the positives of Pressy and Kelly's play, etc., it's just 'why didn't they lose?'.

Put this in a real world context. You walk into work, and your boss comes into your staff meeting and says 'I want everyone here to do a lousy job for the next year. I want to have us be so bad that our profits drop to the point where we'll be acquired. Of course, I have ownership shares so I'll make a bunch of money, but many of you will probably be let go when that happens. And everyone will know you did a bad job so you'll probably make less money at your next job, if you can get one at all. But the company will really benefit in the long term.' Would anyone sign up for that? What makes people think that individual athletes, with no promise of long-term employment by their team, and whose future compensation is based on their performance, really give a hoot who the team drafts next year? Especially when that guy might play your position and put you out of work?

Even the Coach is in a similar situation. He's in his 1st year in the league. What will it do to his reputation if people see him as a loser or someone who doesn't understand the professional game? Is he willing to lose the trust of his players, some of whom will be back in the future? Is he willing to turn off future free agents who might not want to play for him if they see him limiting his starters' minutes or making odd substitutions in order to lower chances of winning?

Maybe the local media should think about supporting the local team.

Hi Baron. Welcome to the group.

Regarding your post, your business example makes sense to me. If you've been reading the threads, you'll know that I'm in the "anti-tank" group.

Despite that, I understand where the "tank" group is coming from. The system is set up to reward tanking with a better chance at a higher pick, and the media machine touts projected draft picks as if they're penciled in for next year's all-star game.

The thing is, if a team is going to tank, it has to happen at the management level. You tank by trading away your better players, like Philly, or sitting your best players, either by having them inactive due to injury (everyone is injured by the end of the season) or limiting their minutes (by giving more playing time to young guys in the name of developing them, for example). What you can't do is expect the players you put out there to not do their best, and it would be almost impossible to expect a coach to not try to win the game (coaches are hyper-competitive by nature, even the famously calm Brad Stevens).

Boston hasn't kept injured guys inactive any longer than necessary, and they didn't trade away half the team at the deadline, so it seems clear to me that they're not tanking. It would be nice if media types could at least recognize this and acknowledge that there are benefits to not tanking, which the "tank" faction rarely does.

Baron

First welcome.

I to am ANTI Tank.

I want us to win every game and the chips will fall where they do. Thought when the season started mid 20's for wins would be about right and we are there.

Just can't imagine any player that is not on the take would intentionally do things to cost us or any team a win.

beat

Thanks for the welcome all.

In terms of fans speculating about tanking, that's one thing. While I'm not a big proponent of it, I can certainly understand the argument, even though we could end up drafting the next Darko or Oden with that high pick as well as we could draft the next Durant. What bugs me is when these guys who get paid to analyze the team and report on it jump on this bandwagon and feed one-sided, poorly thought out arguments to the fans rather than reporting on what actually happened in the game, how the players did, how the young guys are progressing, etc.

I don't have the data, but you have to wonder how this negativity impacts ticket sales. If you play up the positives - come see Kelly and Sully develop into potential stars... come see a team that plays close games and is fun to watch ... come see our new coach and what he brings to the team - people are probably still going to come watch even when the team loses. Most of this year's games have been enjoyable, even if we haven't won. However, when the media starts ranting about how we have to lose, and we're losing on purpose, why would someone shell out their money to watch the players play below their ability? Most casual fans probably wouldn't. Have to wonder how those shows have high enough ratings to stay on the air.

Hi Baron.  Welcome to the board.  I am so anti-tanking that I hope the Celtics win 12 games in the row even though there are only two games left!  There are so many reasons that I won't try to enumerate them, but your logic about why would the players purposely lose (especially since many of them may not be here to enjoy the fruits of any tanking and losing intentionally could make them look bad and hurt their cases for future contracts.

Rather than respond to the Tankmeisters, I'm now just waiting out the end of the season so there will be no more tanking discussions and the focus can turn to the draft (and possible trades or free agent signings) in earnest.

Great to have you aboard.  We welcome lurkers!!!!

Sam

Hi BaronV,

Your contribution now and in the future is always welcome.

I liked your analogy. It makes a lot of sense and really speaks to the absurdity that is "tanking."

All I can say ism thank God it is a lottery and not a sure bet who gets which pick.



KJ