Quote:
Originally Posted by Underdog
Only 1.5 games separate us from the #1 overall spot with 21 games left to play. Also, picks aren't set in stone because of the lottery rules -- even at #6, we still have a 6.3% chance at the #1 overall pick and a 21.5% chance at a top-3 pick... And on the flipside, even if we finish dead-last there's only a 25% chance of getting the #1 pick.
And I doubt we pick as low as #10 because we're 7.5 games out of that spot and we still suck. I get being concerned about falling from #2 to #6 with one win, but you don't have to always be such an extreme pessimist about everything.
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I'm just being realistic. Look at last night's games.
CHI - Rested Zach LaVine (for no real good reason). They've already benched Robin Lopez. He doesn't even show up as DNP-CD anymore. I'm not certain he's even traveling with the team, anymore. And look at the minutes distribution. Vets sit, young guys play.
ATL - They buy out Ilyasova. They don't even have a "vet" to sit, and they didn't need to buy out Ilyasova, he wasn't costing them losses, but they know how important it is to have a top pick this year. They weren't taking any extra risk of losing that top pick for worthless Ilyasova.
MEM - Tyreke Evans sits for about the 15th time in their last 18 games, with a "rib injury". Conley Jr isn't playing because a bone spur costs you a season now... Hmmmm... never heard of that before. Parsons sits last night with an "illness"... They're playing Boston & getting their ass kicked the whole time, so they play Gasol his regular minutes & get a few young guys some minutes. Any time games get close for Memphis, Gasol plays less, gets less touches & young players minutes go up.
NYK - Jarrett Jack gets a DNP-CD. Here's a novel idea, the Knicks head coach Jeff Hornacek said "we're going to play the young PGs & see what they have the second half", and guess what? That's what the Knicks have been doing. Last night, Mudiay 31 min, Ntilikina 28 min, Burke 25 min. They've been getting minutes. It's not like the Knicks owner says something in the media & Hornacek has a god damn temper-tantrum & says fuck the plan! Jack you get in there for 40 min tonight & win us this game!!! Jesus H. Christ... Knicks were actually making a game of it w/ Golden State, so they limited Kanter's minutes, and Hardaway Jr & Beasley last night.
PHX - Tyson Chandler has missed 6 of the last 7 games with a neck "injury", and is currently "without a time table to return". Btw, the only game he did play in was vs Golden State in a 46 point loss. Last night vs NO in a tight game. Jared Dudley with a DNP-CD. I mean credit the Suns, they have young guys like Booker, Warren, Bender, Chriss, and Jackson, and they're letting them play & seeing what they have. Novel idea. They're not letting Tyson Chandler or Jared Dudley stand in the way of their development because they've been "good soldiers" or even lower their chances at adding a difference maker to the mix.
ORL - Mo Speights records a DNP-Personel and Aaron Afflalo has a DNP-CD in a tight game with OKC.
SAC - Zach Randolph, Vince Carter, and Garrett Temple all with DNP-CDs, and this is in a home game vs Minnesota who's trying to figure things out now without Jimmy Butler. A 3 point game at half time. All of SAC's young guys saw minutes.
And then you have our Dallas Mavericks...
Basically, in a very lose-able game, Carlisle plays a 8 man rotation. Starters all heavy minutes, only starting young player is our rookie. Other than that, no young players see the floor excepts for Maxi Kleber who plays 5 min in the 1st half, and then sits the 2nd half. Collinsworth 0 min, Hopson 0 min, and I guess Jones & Motley aren't even up with the team right now because they're not even listed in the box score.
We are the only team that should be tanking that is not. That is Rick Carlisle's awesome choice!!! You don't see Jeff Hornacek, Dave Joerger, Jay Triano, J.B. Bickerstaff, or Frank Vogel making the choices Rick Carlisle makes. And yet the posters on this forum say do not blame Carlisle. He's the only dumbass head coach with a tanking team making "coach's decisions" not to tank, but don't blame the dumbass. Don't blame him. Never mind no other tanking team is pissing away their chance at a top draft pick, no other coach is doing that----just Rick Carlisle. But whatever you do, do not blame Rick Carlisle. In fact, blame the owner, the only sane, logical one who clearly wants the team to do the smart thing. Yeah, blame him
Oh & forget about Friday @ CHI, that's a Win. Forget about Sat March 10th vs MEM, that's a Win. Forget about Tues March 13th @ NYK, that's a Win. Hell, Barea will probably have a field day in that one & put up 30 vs Mudiay/Ntilikina/Burke. It'll be great to see the little soldier have a big game & lead us to victory!!
Forget about Sat March 17th @ BKN, that's a Win. Forget about Tues March 27th @ SAC, that's a win. Hell, the only film Barea will need to watch is highlights from his +17 performance vs SAC back on Feb 3rd. Maybe he'll go for +30 in this one!
Forget about April 4th @ ORL, that's a Win. And forget about April 10th vs PHX, that's a Win too!
There's 7 wins. Because we are not going to lose to teams that are turning losing into an art form when Carlisle turns this into a dick waving contest between him & Cuban and insists on going with an 8 man rotation full of 7 veterans. It's not going to happen.
That puts us at 26 wins + whatever we happen to pick up like the W last night vs Indiana in games you figure we'd lose. We seriously could finish with more wins than the Knicks. It's not saying the sky is falling. It's looking at what the other tanking teams are doing and comparing that to what Carlisle is doing. The tea leaves are super easy to read, actually.