The Rules of Pacers Digest
Hello everyone,
Whether your are a long standing forum member or whether you have just registered today, it's a good idea to read and review the rules below so that you have a very good idea of what to expect when you come to Pacers Digest.
A quick note to new members: Your posts will not immediately show up when you make them. An administrator has to approve at least your first post before the forum software will later upgrade your account to the status of a fully-registered member. This usually happens within a couple of hours or so after your post(s) is/are approved, so you may need to be a little patient at first.
Why do we do this? So that it's more difficult for spammers (be they human or robot) to post, and so users who are banned cannot immediately re-register and start dousing people with verbal flames.
Below are the rules of Pacers Digest. After you have read them, you will have a very good sense of where we are coming from, what we expect, what we don't want to see, and how we react to things.
Rule #1
Pacers Digest is intended to be a place to discuss basketball without having to deal with the kinds of behaviors or attitudes that distract people from sticking with the discussion of the topics at hand. These unwanted distractions can come in many forms, and admittedly it can sometimes be tricky to pin down each and every kind that can rear its ugly head, but we feel that the following examples and explanations cover at least a good portion of that ground and should at least give people a pretty good idea of the kinds of things we actively discourage:
"Anyone who __________ is a liar / a fool / an idiot / a blind homer / has their head buried in the sand / a blind hater / doesn't know basketball / doesn't watch the games"
"People with intelligence will agree with me when I say that __________"
"Only stupid people think / believe / do ___________"
"I can't wait to hear something from PosterX when he/she sees that **insert a given incident or current event that will have probably upset or disappointed PosterX here**"
"He/she is just delusional"
"This thread is stupid / worthless / embarrassing"
"I'm going to take a moment to point and
/ laugh at PosterX / GroupOfPeopleY who thought / believed *insert though/belief here*"
"Remember when PosterX said OldCommentY that no longer looks good?"
In general, if a comment goes from purely on topic to something 'ad hominem' (personal jabs, personal shots, attacks, flames, however you want to call it, towards a person, or a group of people, or a given city/state/country of people), those are most likely going to be found intolerable.
We also dissuade passive aggressive behavior. This can be various things, but common examples include statements that are basically meant to imply someone is either stupid or otherwise incapable of holding a rational conversation. This can include (but is not limited to) laughing at someone's conclusions rather than offering an honest rebuttal, asking people what game they were watching, or another common problem is Poster X will say "that player isn't that bad" and then Poster Y will say something akin to "LOL you think that player is good". We're not going to tolerate those kinds of comments out of respect for the community at large and for the sake of trying to just have an honest conversation.
Now, does the above cover absolutely every single kind of distraction that is unwanted? Probably not, but you should by now have a good idea of the general types of things we will be discouraging. The above examples are meant to give you a good feel for / idea of what we're looking for. If something new or different than the above happens to come along and results in the same problem (that being, any other attitude or behavior that ultimately distracts from actually just discussing the topic at hand, or that is otherwise disrespectful to other posters), we can and we will take action to curb this as well, so please don't take this to mean that if you managed to technically avoid saying something exactly like one of the above examples that you are then somehow off the hook.
That all having been said, our goal is to do so in a generally kind and respectful way, and that doesn't mean the moment we see something we don't like that somebody is going to be suspended or banned, either. It just means that at the very least we will probably say something about it, quite possibly snipping out the distracting parts of the post in question while leaving alone the parts that are actually just discussing the topics, and in the event of a repeating or excessive problem, then we will start issuing infractions to try to further discourage further repeat problems, and if it just never seems to improve, then finally suspensions or bans will come into play. We would prefer it never went that far, and most of the time for most of our posters, it won't ever have to.
A slip up every once and a while is pretty normal, but, again, when it becomes repetitive or excessive, something will be done. Something occasional is probably going to be let go (within reason), but when it starts to become habitual or otherwise a pattern, odds are very good that we will step in.
There's always a small minority that like to push people's buttons and/or test their own boundaries with regards to the administrators, and in the case of someone acting like that, please be aware that this is not a court of law, but a private website run by people who are simply trying to do the right thing as they see it. If we feel that you are a special case that needs to be dealt with in an exceptional way because your behavior isn't explicitly mirroring one of our above examples of what we generally discourage, we can and we will take atypical action to prevent this from continuing if you are not cooperative with us.
Also please be aware that you will not be given a pass simply by claiming that you were 'only joking,' because quite honestly, when someone really is just joking, for one thing most people tend to pick up on the joke, including the person or group that is the target of the joke, and for another thing, in the event where an honest joke gets taken seriously and it upsets or angers someone, the person who is truly 'only joking' will quite commonly go out of his / her way to apologize and will try to mend fences. People who are dishonest about their statements being 'jokes' do not do so, and in turn that becomes a clear sign of what is really going on. It's nothing new.
In any case, quite frankly, the overall quality and health of the entire forum's community is more important than any one troublesome user will ever be, regardless of exactly how a problem is exhibiting itself, and if it comes down to us having to make a choice between you versus the greater health and happiness of the entire community, the community of this forum will win every time.
Lastly, there are also some posters, who are generally great contributors and do not otherwise cause any problems, who sometimes feel it's their place to provoke or to otherwise 'mess with' that small minority of people described in the last paragraph, and while we possibly might understand why you might feel you WANT to do something like that, the truth is we can't actually tolerate that kind of behavior from you any more than we can tolerate the behavior from them. So if we feel that you are trying to provoke those other posters into doing or saying something that will get themselves into trouble, then we will start to view you as a problem as well, because of the same reason as before: The overall health of the forum comes first, and trying to stir the pot with someone like that doesn't help, it just makes it worse. Some will simply disagree with this philosophy, but if so, then so be it because ultimately we have to do what we think is best so long as it's up to us.
If you see a problem that we haven't addressed, the best and most appropriate course for a forum member to take here is to look over to the left of the post in question. See underneath that poster's name, avatar, and other info, down where there's a little triangle with an exclamation point (!) in it? Click that. That allows you to report the post to the admins so we can definitely notice it and give it a look to see what we feel we should do about it. Beyond that, obviously it's human nature sometimes to want to speak up to the poster in question who has bothered you, but we would ask that you try to refrain from doing so because quite often what happens is two or more posters all start going back and forth about the original offending post, and suddenly the entire thread is off topic or otherwise derailed. So while the urge to police it yourself is understandable, it's best to just report it to us and let us handle it. Thank you!
All of the above is going to be subject to a case by case basis, but generally and broadly speaking, this should give everyone a pretty good idea of how things will typically / most often be handled.
Rule #2
If the actions of an administrator inspire you to make a comment, criticism, or express a concern about it, there is a wrong place and a couple of right places to do so.
The wrong place is to do so in the original thread in which the administrator took action. For example, if a post gets an infraction, or a post gets deleted, or a comment within a larger post gets clipped out, in a thread discussing Paul George, the wrong thing to do is to distract from the discussion of Paul George by adding your off topic thoughts on what the administrator did.
The right places to do so are:
A) Start a thread about the specific incident you want to talk about on the Feedback board. This way you are able to express yourself in an area that doesn't throw another thread off topic, and this way others can add their two cents as well if they wish, and additionally if there's something that needs to be said by the administrators, that is where they will respond to it.
B) Send a private message to the administrators, and they can respond to you that way.
If this is done the wrong way, those comments will be deleted, and if it's a repeating problem then it may also receive an infraction as well.
Rule #3
If a poster is bothering you, and an administrator has not or will not deal with that poster to the extent that you would prefer, you have a powerful tool at your disposal, one that has recently been upgraded and is now better than ever: The ability to ignore a user.
When you ignore a user, you will unfortunately still see some hints of their existence (nothing we can do about that), however, it does the following key things:
A) Any post they make will be completely invisible as you scroll through a thread.
B) The new addition to this feature: If someone QUOTES a user you are ignoring, you do not have to read who it was, or what that poster said, unless you go out of your way to click on a link to find out who it is and what they said.
To utilize this feature, from any page on Pacers Digest, scroll to the top of the page, look to the top right where it says 'Settings' and click that. From the settings page, look to the left side of the page where it says 'My Settings', and look down from there until you see 'Edit Ignore List' and click that. From here, it will say 'Add a Member to Your List...' Beneath that, click in the text box to the right of 'User Name', type in or copy & paste the username of the poster you are ignoring, and once their name is in the box, look over to the far right and click the 'Okay' button. All done!
Rule #4
Regarding infractions, currently they carry a value of one point each, and that point will expire in 31 days. If at any point a poster is carrying three points at the same time, that poster will be suspended until the oldest of the three points expires.
Rule #5
When you share or paste content or articles from another website, you must include the URL/link back to where you found it, who wrote it, and what website it's from. Said content will be removed if this doesn't happen.
An example:
If I copy and paste an article from the Indianapolis Star website, I would post something like this:
http://www.linktothearticlegoeshere.com/article
Title of the Article
Author's Name
Indianapolis Star
Rule #6
We cannot tolerate illegal videos on Pacers Digest. This means do not share any links to them, do not mention any websites that host them or link to them, do not describe how to find them in any way, and do not ask about them. Posts doing anything of the sort will be removed, the offenders will be contacted privately, and if the problem becomes habitual, you will be suspended, and if it still persists, you will probably be banned.
The legal means of watching or listening to NBA games are NBA League Pass Broadband (for US, or for International; both cost money) and NBA Audio League Pass (which is free). Look for them on NBA.com.
Rule #7
Provocative statements in a signature, or as an avatar, or as the 'tagline' beneath a poster's username (where it says 'Member' or 'Administrator' by default, if it is not altered) are an unwanted distraction that will more than likely be removed on sight. There can be shades of gray to this, but in general this could be something political or religious that is likely going to provoke or upset people, or otherwise something that is mean-spirited at the expense of a poster, a group of people, or a population.
It may or may not go without saying, but this goes for threads and posts as well, particularly when it's not made on the off-topic board (Market Square).
We do make exceptions if we feel the content is both innocuous and unlikely to cause social problems on the forum (such as wishing someone a Merry Christmas or a Happy Easter), and we also also make exceptions if such topics come up with regards to a sports figure (such as the Lance Stephenson situation bringing up discussions of domestic abuse and the law, or when Jason Collins came out as gay and how that lead to some discussion about gay rights).
However, once the discussion seems to be more/mostly about the political issues instead of the sports figure or his specific situation, the thread is usually closed.
Rule #8
We prefer self-restraint and/or modesty when making jokes or off topic comments in a sports discussion thread. They can be fun, but sometimes they derail or distract from a topic, and we don't want to see that happen. If we feel it is a problem, we will either delete or move those posts from the thread.
Rule #9
Generally speaking, we try to be a "PG-13" rated board, and we don't want to see sexual content or similarly suggestive content. Vulgarity is a more muddled issue, though again we prefer things to lean more towards "PG-13" than "R". If we feel things have gone too far, we will step in.
Rule #10
We like small signatures, not big signatures. The bigger the signature, the more likely it is an annoying or distracting signature.
Rule #11
Do not advertise anything without talking about it with the administrators first. This includes advertising with your signature, with your avatar, through private messaging, and/or by making a thread or post.
Whether your are a long standing forum member or whether you have just registered today, it's a good idea to read and review the rules below so that you have a very good idea of what to expect when you come to Pacers Digest.
A quick note to new members: Your posts will not immediately show up when you make them. An administrator has to approve at least your first post before the forum software will later upgrade your account to the status of a fully-registered member. This usually happens within a couple of hours or so after your post(s) is/are approved, so you may need to be a little patient at first.
Why do we do this? So that it's more difficult for spammers (be they human or robot) to post, and so users who are banned cannot immediately re-register and start dousing people with verbal flames.
Below are the rules of Pacers Digest. After you have read them, you will have a very good sense of where we are coming from, what we expect, what we don't want to see, and how we react to things.
Rule #1
Pacers Digest is intended to be a place to discuss basketball without having to deal with the kinds of behaviors or attitudes that distract people from sticking with the discussion of the topics at hand. These unwanted distractions can come in many forms, and admittedly it can sometimes be tricky to pin down each and every kind that can rear its ugly head, but we feel that the following examples and explanations cover at least a good portion of that ground and should at least give people a pretty good idea of the kinds of things we actively discourage:
"Anyone who __________ is a liar / a fool / an idiot / a blind homer / has their head buried in the sand / a blind hater / doesn't know basketball / doesn't watch the games"
"People with intelligence will agree with me when I say that __________"
"Only stupid people think / believe / do ___________"
"I can't wait to hear something from PosterX when he/she sees that **insert a given incident or current event that will have probably upset or disappointed PosterX here**"
"He/she is just delusional"
"This thread is stupid / worthless / embarrassing"
"I'm going to take a moment to point and
/ laugh at PosterX / GroupOfPeopleY who thought / believed *insert though/belief here*""Remember when PosterX said OldCommentY that no longer looks good?
"In general, if a comment goes from purely on topic to something 'ad hominem' (personal jabs, personal shots, attacks, flames, however you want to call it, towards a person, or a group of people, or a given city/state/country of people), those are most likely going to be found intolerable.
We also dissuade passive aggressive behavior. This can be various things, but common examples include statements that are basically meant to imply someone is either stupid or otherwise incapable of holding a rational conversation. This can include (but is not limited to) laughing at someone's conclusions rather than offering an honest rebuttal, asking people what game they were watching, or another common problem is Poster X will say "that player isn't that bad" and then Poster Y will say something akin to "LOL you think that player is good". We're not going to tolerate those kinds of comments out of respect for the community at large and for the sake of trying to just have an honest conversation.
Now, does the above cover absolutely every single kind of distraction that is unwanted? Probably not, but you should by now have a good idea of the general types of things we will be discouraging. The above examples are meant to give you a good feel for / idea of what we're looking for. If something new or different than the above happens to come along and results in the same problem (that being, any other attitude or behavior that ultimately distracts from actually just discussing the topic at hand, or that is otherwise disrespectful to other posters), we can and we will take action to curb this as well, so please don't take this to mean that if you managed to technically avoid saying something exactly like one of the above examples that you are then somehow off the hook.
That all having been said, our goal is to do so in a generally kind and respectful way, and that doesn't mean the moment we see something we don't like that somebody is going to be suspended or banned, either. It just means that at the very least we will probably say something about it, quite possibly snipping out the distracting parts of the post in question while leaving alone the parts that are actually just discussing the topics, and in the event of a repeating or excessive problem, then we will start issuing infractions to try to further discourage further repeat problems, and if it just never seems to improve, then finally suspensions or bans will come into play. We would prefer it never went that far, and most of the time for most of our posters, it won't ever have to.
A slip up every once and a while is pretty normal, but, again, when it becomes repetitive or excessive, something will be done. Something occasional is probably going to be let go (within reason), but when it starts to become habitual or otherwise a pattern, odds are very good that we will step in.
There's always a small minority that like to push people's buttons and/or test their own boundaries with regards to the administrators, and in the case of someone acting like that, please be aware that this is not a court of law, but a private website run by people who are simply trying to do the right thing as they see it. If we feel that you are a special case that needs to be dealt with in an exceptional way because your behavior isn't explicitly mirroring one of our above examples of what we generally discourage, we can and we will take atypical action to prevent this from continuing if you are not cooperative with us.
Also please be aware that you will not be given a pass simply by claiming that you were 'only joking,' because quite honestly, when someone really is just joking, for one thing most people tend to pick up on the joke, including the person or group that is the target of the joke, and for another thing, in the event where an honest joke gets taken seriously and it upsets or angers someone, the person who is truly 'only joking' will quite commonly go out of his / her way to apologize and will try to mend fences. People who are dishonest about their statements being 'jokes' do not do so, and in turn that becomes a clear sign of what is really going on. It's nothing new.
In any case, quite frankly, the overall quality and health of the entire forum's community is more important than any one troublesome user will ever be, regardless of exactly how a problem is exhibiting itself, and if it comes down to us having to make a choice between you versus the greater health and happiness of the entire community, the community of this forum will win every time.
Lastly, there are also some posters, who are generally great contributors and do not otherwise cause any problems, who sometimes feel it's their place to provoke or to otherwise 'mess with' that small minority of people described in the last paragraph, and while we possibly might understand why you might feel you WANT to do something like that, the truth is we can't actually tolerate that kind of behavior from you any more than we can tolerate the behavior from them. So if we feel that you are trying to provoke those other posters into doing or saying something that will get themselves into trouble, then we will start to view you as a problem as well, because of the same reason as before: The overall health of the forum comes first, and trying to stir the pot with someone like that doesn't help, it just makes it worse. Some will simply disagree with this philosophy, but if so, then so be it because ultimately we have to do what we think is best so long as it's up to us.
If you see a problem that we haven't addressed, the best and most appropriate course for a forum member to take here is to look over to the left of the post in question. See underneath that poster's name, avatar, and other info, down where there's a little triangle with an exclamation point (!) in it? Click that. That allows you to report the post to the admins so we can definitely notice it and give it a look to see what we feel we should do about it. Beyond that, obviously it's human nature sometimes to want to speak up to the poster in question who has bothered you, but we would ask that you try to refrain from doing so because quite often what happens is two or more posters all start going back and forth about the original offending post, and suddenly the entire thread is off topic or otherwise derailed. So while the urge to police it yourself is understandable, it's best to just report it to us and let us handle it. Thank you!
All of the above is going to be subject to a case by case basis, but generally and broadly speaking, this should give everyone a pretty good idea of how things will typically / most often be handled.
Rule #2
If the actions of an administrator inspire you to make a comment, criticism, or express a concern about it, there is a wrong place and a couple of right places to do so.
The wrong place is to do so in the original thread in which the administrator took action. For example, if a post gets an infraction, or a post gets deleted, or a comment within a larger post gets clipped out, in a thread discussing Paul George, the wrong thing to do is to distract from the discussion of Paul George by adding your off topic thoughts on what the administrator did.
The right places to do so are:
A) Start a thread about the specific incident you want to talk about on the Feedback board. This way you are able to express yourself in an area that doesn't throw another thread off topic, and this way others can add their two cents as well if they wish, and additionally if there's something that needs to be said by the administrators, that is where they will respond to it.
B) Send a private message to the administrators, and they can respond to you that way.
If this is done the wrong way, those comments will be deleted, and if it's a repeating problem then it may also receive an infraction as well.
Rule #3
If a poster is bothering you, and an administrator has not or will not deal with that poster to the extent that you would prefer, you have a powerful tool at your disposal, one that has recently been upgraded and is now better than ever: The ability to ignore a user.
When you ignore a user, you will unfortunately still see some hints of their existence (nothing we can do about that), however, it does the following key things:
A) Any post they make will be completely invisible as you scroll through a thread.
B) The new addition to this feature: If someone QUOTES a user you are ignoring, you do not have to read who it was, or what that poster said, unless you go out of your way to click on a link to find out who it is and what they said.
To utilize this feature, from any page on Pacers Digest, scroll to the top of the page, look to the top right where it says 'Settings' and click that. From the settings page, look to the left side of the page where it says 'My Settings', and look down from there until you see 'Edit Ignore List' and click that. From here, it will say 'Add a Member to Your List...' Beneath that, click in the text box to the right of 'User Name', type in or copy & paste the username of the poster you are ignoring, and once their name is in the box, look over to the far right and click the 'Okay' button. All done!
Rule #4
Regarding infractions, currently they carry a value of one point each, and that point will expire in 31 days. If at any point a poster is carrying three points at the same time, that poster will be suspended until the oldest of the three points expires.
Rule #5
When you share or paste content or articles from another website, you must include the URL/link back to where you found it, who wrote it, and what website it's from. Said content will be removed if this doesn't happen.
An example:
If I copy and paste an article from the Indianapolis Star website, I would post something like this:
http://www.linktothearticlegoeshere.com/article
Title of the Article
Author's Name
Indianapolis Star
Rule #6
We cannot tolerate illegal videos on Pacers Digest. This means do not share any links to them, do not mention any websites that host them or link to them, do not describe how to find them in any way, and do not ask about them. Posts doing anything of the sort will be removed, the offenders will be contacted privately, and if the problem becomes habitual, you will be suspended, and if it still persists, you will probably be banned.
The legal means of watching or listening to NBA games are NBA League Pass Broadband (for US, or for International; both cost money) and NBA Audio League Pass (which is free). Look for them on NBA.com.
Rule #7
Provocative statements in a signature, or as an avatar, or as the 'tagline' beneath a poster's username (where it says 'Member' or 'Administrator' by default, if it is not altered) are an unwanted distraction that will more than likely be removed on sight. There can be shades of gray to this, but in general this could be something political or religious that is likely going to provoke or upset people, or otherwise something that is mean-spirited at the expense of a poster, a group of people, or a population.
It may or may not go without saying, but this goes for threads and posts as well, particularly when it's not made on the off-topic board (Market Square).
We do make exceptions if we feel the content is both innocuous and unlikely to cause social problems on the forum (such as wishing someone a Merry Christmas or a Happy Easter), and we also also make exceptions if such topics come up with regards to a sports figure (such as the Lance Stephenson situation bringing up discussions of domestic abuse and the law, or when Jason Collins came out as gay and how that lead to some discussion about gay rights).
However, once the discussion seems to be more/mostly about the political issues instead of the sports figure or his specific situation, the thread is usually closed.
Rule #8
We prefer self-restraint and/or modesty when making jokes or off topic comments in a sports discussion thread. They can be fun, but sometimes they derail or distract from a topic, and we don't want to see that happen. If we feel it is a problem, we will either delete or move those posts from the thread.
Rule #9
Generally speaking, we try to be a "PG-13" rated board, and we don't want to see sexual content or similarly suggestive content. Vulgarity is a more muddled issue, though again we prefer things to lean more towards "PG-13" than "R". If we feel things have gone too far, we will step in.
Rule #10
We like small signatures, not big signatures. The bigger the signature, the more likely it is an annoying or distracting signature.
Rule #11
Do not advertise anything without talking about it with the administrators first. This includes advertising with your signature, with your avatar, through private messaging, and/or by making a thread or post.
See more
See less
-
-
Re: Chad Ford Offseason Grades (Pacers rank near top)
http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/story...on-grades-east
Grading a team's offseason has, increasingly, become a difficult exercise. Once upon a time, you just counted up who acquired (or kept) the best players and that was that.
But the new collective bargaining agreement has changed the financial realities for most teams in the league. Now, acquiring cap flexibility has proved to be equally valuable to teams. Just ask the Houston Rockets.
This year, another complication has arisen. The 2014 NBA draft is shaping up to be the best since 2003. In other words, it's a once-in-a-decade occurrence.
That reality has dramatically altered the strategy of a number of teams this summer. A handful of general managers are deliberately gutting their rosters to get a chance at Andrew Wiggins and a host of other elite prospects next summer.
So these grades take into account how each team in the league has performed so far in remaking itself while considering both the opportunities it had and the moves it has made. Each team's grade considers the draft, free agency, trades, front office and coaching moves as well as positioning for future drafts and free-agent opportunities.
ATLANTA HAWKS | GRADE: C+
Additions: Paul Millsap (free agent), Jeff Teague (re-sign), Kyle Korver (re-sign), Dennis Schroeder (draft), Elton Brand (FA), DeMarre Carroll (FA), Gustavo Ayon (waiver claim), Lucas Nogueira (draft), Jared Cunningham (trade), Pero Antic (FA), Mike Muscala (draft), Mike Budenholzer (coach)
Key subtractions: Josh Smith (Pistons), Larry Drew (Bucks), Zaza Pachulia (Bucks)
The Hawks, with their loads of cap room, were poised to make a big splash this summer. Instead, it was a fairly quiet affair.
They lost their second-best player, Smith, via free agency but made up for the loss in large part with the signing of Millsap, whose two-year, $19 million deal was widely regarded as one of the better values of the summer. While Millsap doesn't provide the athletic sizzle of Smith, he plays a mistake-free game that Hawks fans will appreciate.
The situation at point guard may be the most interesting this season. The team drafted Schroeder, a super quick German who reminds scouts of a young Rajon Rondo. Schroeder isn't ready to take the reins right away though, and the Hawks reluctantly matched the Bucks' offer sheet for Teague. Atlanta tried to work a sign-and-trade with the Bucks for about week, but the Hawks' demands were high. If Schroeder is the player the Hawks believe he is, Teague could be moving on as soon as next summer.
The hiring of Budenholzer was regarded as a steal. While Drew did an admirable job in Atlanta the past few years, Budenholzer is a Spur and GM Danny Ferry is trying to re-create the San Antonio culture in Atlanta.
Overall the Hawks didn't do a lot to move the needle in either direction. I doubt they crack the top five in the East next season, but they should still be in the playoff hunt. Atlanta should have cap room again next year to make a substantial offer to another free agent, and if Schroeder progresses, they'll have a trade chip in Teague. So while the future is not incredibly bright, there are still opportunities to get better.
BOSTON CELTICS | GRADE: B-
Additions: Gerald Wallace (trade), Kelly Olynyk (draft), Kris Humphries (trade), MarShon Brooks (trade), Keith Bogans (trade), Phil Pressey (FA), Vitor Faverani (FA), Brad Stevens (coach), Nets' first-round draft picks in 2014, 2016 and 2018, and the right to swap first-round picks in 2017
Subtractions: Kevin Garnett (Nets), Paul Pierce (Nets), Jason Terry (Nets), Doc Rivers (Clippers), D.J. White, Kris Joseph, Terrence Williams
While it may be painful for fans to lose the heart and soul of the franchise, it was clear that the Celtics had to begin rebuilding sooner or later. And with an exceptional draft coming next summer, now was the time to do it.
Danny Ainge didn't get a lot in return for Garnett and Pierce. In fact, he had to swallow the remaining $30 million on Wallace's deal to make the trade work. But he did get three future first-round picks from the Nets. The pick in 2014 will be marginal, but with the Nets mortgaging their future to win now, the hope in Boston is the picks in 2016, 2017 and 2018 will be much higher.
With Rivers now in Los Angeles, the Celtics brought on Stevens, who was the brightest young mind in college hoops and is the perfect fit for a rebuilding team. I met him in Maui last November at a tournament and I don't think I've ever been as impressed with a young coach. College coaches often struggle to make the transition to the NBA, but I think Stevens is going to be great.
Olynyk was one of the sharpest players in the Orlando Summer League in July and may become a fixture on the new-look Celtics. The 22-year-old is one of the most skilled big guys you'll come across, but don't blow all your money on his rookie card just yet. Olynyk still lacks both elite athletic abilities and length. I'm skeptical he produces at the level he showed this summer as a rookie in the NBA.
The Celtics' real future will likely be determined by how bad they are this season. While Ainge might insist that his teams don't tank, it's in Boston's best interest to lose a lot of games this season. The 2014 draft is stacked, and if the Celtics can land a top-five pick, they'll likely get their hands on a franchise cornerstone to jump-start the rebuilding process.
BROOKLYN NETS | GRADE: B+
Additions: Kevin Garnett (trade), Paul Pierce (trade), Andrei Kirilenko (FA), Andray Blatche (re-sign), Jason Terry (trade), Shaun Livingston (FA), Alan Anderson (FA), Mason Plumlee (draft), Jason Kidd (coach)
Subtractions: Gerald Wallace (Celtics), Kris Humphries (Celtics), MarShon Brooks (Celtics), Keith Bogans (Celtics), C.J. Watson (Pacers), P.J. Carlesimo (coach)
The Nets are clearly going for it. And they went all-in to get there.
Adding Garnett, Pierce and Kirilenko gives Brooklyn huge upgrades at critical positions. Should KG's and Pierce's health hold up, the Nets will sport one of the most devastating and experienced starting fives in the league. This team can compete with anyone in the East or West.
But two big questions remain: Will the chemistry come together, and how long they can keep the title window open?
Having this many alpha dogs could cause problems. The Celtics' vaunted chemistry was overrated, as anyone with a Rajon Rondo versus Ray Allen story can tell you. In Brooklyn, it's going to take some selflessness on the part of everyone for this to work. Will a rookie head coach like Kidd be able to keep everyone together at the first sign of trouble?
They won't have long to figure it out. Garnett is 37. Pierce and Terry are 35. Joe Johnson and Kirilenko are 32. They have depth and will use it to keep Garnett's and Pierce's minutes down, but clearly this isn't a roster that's been put together for the long haul. In fact, some doubt it can last through next season.
If the Nets can get two great title runs out of this team, it was probably worth the risk. If they don't, the Nets are stuck in salary-cap hell for a while with very little wiggle room to fix it.
CHARLOTTE BOBCATS | GRADE: C-
Additions: Al Jefferson (FA), Cody Zeller (draft), Gerald Henderson (re-sign), Josh McRoberts (re-sign), Steve Clifford (coach)
Subtractions: Tyrus Thomas, Byron Mullens (Clippers), Reggie Williams (Rockets), DeSagana Diop, Mike Dunlap (coach)
Good news, Bobcats fans. You are no longer the favorite to be the worst team in the NBA.
The bad news? That it has more to do with the historic tank job happening in Philly than anything Charlotte did this summer.
Adding Jefferson gives the Bobcats the strong low-post scoring option that they have lacked the past few years. Zeller gives them a young stretch 4 who could be a terrific complement for a player like Jefferson -- if Clifford can become the first coach in the NBA to persuade Big Al to pass the ball out of the block.
But the Jazz let Jefferson walk this summer exactly because their young players couldn't make the next leap with him on the floor. And while he and Zeller, combined with the handful of East teams in bad shape, should equal a few more wins this season, it will come at a cost. Getting marginally better won't push the Bobcats into the playoffs, but it will take away pingpong balls in the best draft of the next decade.
What the Bobcats really need is a star to build around. No one on the current roster is up for the challenge and their summer strategy appears to be hurting their odds of adding that guy next year.
CHICAGO BULLS | GRADE: C
Additions: Mike Dunleavy (FA), Tony Snell (draft), Nazr Mohammed (re-sign), Erik Murphy (draft)
Subtractions: Marco Belinelli (Spurs), Nate Robinson (Nuggets), Richard Hamilton
The Bulls' biggest addition was already under contract. A healthy Derrick Rose will do wonders for the Bulls next season. The rest of Chicago's approach to the summer can be summed up as such: Stay the course and add some shooters.
Dunleavy has shot at or very close to 40 percent from 3 the past two seasons. Snell is a streakier shooter, but his length and athleticism could make him a potent backcourt partner in the future for Rose. Murphy is a stretch 4 who shot a sizzling 45 percent from 3 during his senior season at Florida.
If Rose, Joakim Noah, Carlos Boozer and Luol Deng all stay healthy this season, the Bulls will contend for the Eastern Conference crown. I'm just not sold they did anything to move the needle much this summer, hence the grade.
CLEVELAND CAVALIERS | GRADE: B+
Additions: Anthony Bennett (draft), Andrew Bynum (FA), Jarrett Jack (FA), Earl Clark (FA), Sergey Karasev (draft), Carrick Felix (draft), Mike Brown (coach)
Subtractions: Shaun Livingston (Nets), Wayne Ellington (Mavericks), Marreese Speights (Warriors), Omri Casspi (Rockets), Kevin Jones, Chris Quinn, Byron Scott (coach)
For the second time in three years, the Cavs had the No. 1 pick in the draft. Unfortunately, this one wasn't full of future All-Stars and the guy they selected didn't exactly set Cleveland on fire with anticipation.
I'm a Bennett fan. He's a versatile forward who can do everything. The Larry Johnson comp seems just about right. But he was a compromise pick for the Cavs.
Nerlens Noel and Ben McLemore had more upside than Bennett but neither was ready. Others like Victor Oladipo and Otto Porter were better fits, but had lower ceilings. Ultimately, the Cavs tried to thread the needle to get a guy with both upside and the ability to play right now, which serves the mandate from owner Dan Gilbert to make a push for the playoffs this season.
The rest of their summer followed that edict, too. If Bynum is healthy and motivated -- which he should be, given that his contract is filled with incentives -- he and Anderson Varejao, along with Tristan Thompson and Bennett, should give the Cavs a formidable front line.
Jack gives them a stellar backup for Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters who can play both positions and provide instant offense off the bench. Clark had a solid season in L.A. before flaming out in the playoffs. Karasev, likely the future at the 3, is a deadly shooter who has significant experience playing in the Russian pro league. Karasev's defense needs work, but he can score and has a very high basketball IQ.
Overall, the Cavs should seriously contend with the Hawks, Wizards, Bucks and possibly the Pistons for one of the last three playoff spots in the East. While they are likely out of the running for another high draft pick, they should have enough flexibility next summer to make a run at a certain Akron native if he feels so inclined to return home.
DETROIT PISTONS | GRADE: B
Additions: Josh Smith (FA), Brandon Jennings (S&T), Chauncey Billups (FA), Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (draft), Will Bynum (re-sign), Luigi Datome (FA), Tony Mitchell (draft), Maurice Cheeks (coach)
Subtractions: Brandon Knight (Bucks), Jose Calderon (Mavericks), Jason Maxiell (Magic), Slava Kravtsov (Bucks), Khris Middleton (Bucks), Kim English, Lawrence Frank (coach)
The Pistons have been in lottery purgatory for the past four seasons and Joe Dumars has had enough. The team signed Smith to a huge contract, added Jennings as its new starting point guard, brought back Billups and added two intriguing shooters in Caldwell-Pope and Datome. The hope is the new additions, combined with the emerging talents of Andre Drummond and Greg Monroe, will be enough to crack the top eight in the East.
That hope waxes or wanes depending on how you feel about Smith and Jennings. Defensively, Smith should give the Pistons one of the biggest, most athletic front lines in the league. Offensively, the concern is he exacerbates Detroit's spacing issues. If Smith is jacking up long 2s, he can hurt the Pistons as much as help them.
Jennings has his fair share of issues as well. He still can play out of control despite the fact that he's been in the league four years and his maturity level still hasn't caught up to the talent. But the Pistons felt he was an upgrade over Knight and desperately wanted to add a true point guard to the team. Jennings is blessed with remarkable athleticism and talent, and the Pistons acquired him at a fair price. If new head coach Maurice Cheeks can get through to him, he suddenly make this team much more dangerous.
The Pistons' spacing issues should somewhat be mitigated by the addition of Pope and Datome (an Italian sharpshooter who won the MVP of the Italian League last season). If both players can sink shots, they should be in pretty good shape.
I understand the push to end the rebuilding phase (especially so since they're obligated to send next year's first-round pick to the Bobcats if it falls outside of the top eight). I think the Pistons probably should've waited one more year to make the push, but if the team really does jell with Smith and Jennings and makes a run in the playoffs, then it was clearly worth it to try to make the leap now.
INDIANA PACERS | GRADE: A-
Key additions: David West (re-sign), Luis Scola (trade), C.J. Watson (FA), Chris Copeland (FA), Solomon Hill (draft), Donald Sloan (FA), Larry Bird (president)
Subtractions: Tyler Hansbrough (Raptors), D.J. Augustin (Raptors), Gerald Green (Suns), Miles Plumlee (Suns), Jeff Pendergraph (Spurs)
After pushing the Miami Heat to the brink in the Eastern Conference finals, the Pacers had a clear agenda: Re-sign David West and shore up a woefully ineffective bench.
They receive mixed reviews here on the first count. Given West's age (33 in August), a three-year, $36 million deal is a bit much. But their window for winning is now and West is their leader. The deal shouldn't really come back to bite them until its final year.
On the bench front, the Pacers landed a huge score in Scola, who, while also aging, is a massive upgrade over what the Pacers had coming off the bench last season. The fact that they were able to send out Green as part of the deal was a bonus.
Watson is a slightly better version of Augustin and came on a reasonable deal. Copeland, they are hoping, is more than just a one-season wonder. And Danny Granger is expected to make a full recovery, allowing Lance Stephenson to give their reserve unit additional help.
They weren't as successful in the draft, though. The Pacers passed on a number of players with more upside in the draft to get their hands on Arizona's Solomon Hill, and they also traded away their 2012 first-round pick, Plumlee, and their 2014 first-round pick to Phoenix to land Scola.
But overall, the Pacers have gotten stronger this summer. Whether they've gotten strong enough to get by four other teams with significantly larger payrolls is the only real question remaining for the lone small-market team left among the elite in the East.
MIAMI HEAT | GRADE: C-
Additions: Chris Andersen (re-sign), James Ennis (draft)
Subtractions: Mike Miller (Grizzlies)
After winning back-to-back NBA titles, Heat president Pat Riley is tripling down on the idea that this Heat roster has enough juice to pull off a third straight NBA title. To date, the only real change the Heat made was waiving Miller.
While it's difficult to second-guess a team that has made it to three straight NBA Finals, the Heat's decision to sit on their hands is mildly surprising given the moves the Pacers and Nets have made this summer.
Of course, when you have LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, you don't have to sweat too much. But with Wade slowing down with age and injuries and the Heat looking vulnerable to teams that can pound them inside, Miami is far from a forgone conclusion to make it back to the Eastern Conference finals.
Riley's faith in his Big Three is admirable. He also has an eye on the summer of 2014, when the Heat will be flush with serious cap space to make adjustments if they need to. So instead of panicking, the Heat will try to ride this out one more season knowing that in 2014, if they can retain LeBron, they can build another superteam to last for the next three or four years.
MILWAUKEE BUCKS | GRADE: C+
Additions: O.J. Mayo (FA), Brandon Knight (trade), Giannis Antetokounmpo (draft), Gary Neal (FA), Zaza Pachulia (FA), Carlos Delfino (FA), Luke Ridnour (trade), Slava Kravtsov (trade), Khris Middleton (trade), Miroslav Raduljica (FA), Nate Wolters (draft)
Subtractions: Monta Ellis (Mavericks), Brandon Jennings (Pistons), J.J. Redick (Clippers), Samuel Dalembert (Mavericks), Mike Dunleavy (Bulls), Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (Kings), Drew Gooden, Gustavo Ayon (Hawks), Jim Boylan (coach)
The Bucks continue to be stuck in NBA purgatory -- good enough to eke into the playoffs from time to time, but never good enough to make a leap to contender. Don't blame GM John Hammond. His owner, Herb Kohl, hates the rebuilding process and has given the Bucks marching orders to make the playoffs every year.
What the Bucks need is a star, but the only way they'll get one is through the draft, and their draft position has been too low from year to year to get a real shot at one. That's why Hammond swung for the fences this time around with Antetokounmpo at No. 15. He is one of the rawest prospects to come into the NBA in a decade, but the tools he has are tremendous. He's long, athletic, can shoot and really passes it well for a player his size (6-foot-9, 295 pounds). If he ever develops, Antetokounmpo, Larry Sanders and John Henson will be one of the best front lines in the NBA.
The Bucks' biggest move outside of the draft was the trade of Jennings to the Pistons for Knight, Kravtsov and Middleton. Jennings privately told the team he either wanted the max or out of Milwaukee, prompting Milwaukee to sign Jeff Teague to an offer sheet, which the Hawks matched. Jennings didn't want to play there and the Bucks didn't really see him as their point guard of the future, so a trade was inevitable.
Knight, his replacement, is a high-character player who can really shoot and defend. But the Pistons had serious issues with him as their point guard, and with Mayo locked in at the 2, the Bucks are likely going to have to keep him at the 1. Knight has talent, but trading for him doesn't totally seem to jibe with some of their other moves, which fit the Bucks' playoff goals.
Mayo isn't the scorer that Ellis is, but he's a better shooter and he'll offer far better chemistry. Neal isn't quite the shooter that Redick was, but he comes at a fraction of the cost. Pachulia takes the place of Dalembert backing up Sanders. Delfino gives the Bucks some shooting at the 3. Ridnour is insurance at the point. The team also picked up multiple second-round picks in several trades.
At the end of the day, I'm not sure if the Bucks didn't just score a wash this summer. The roster has better character guys on it, but I'm not sure the talent level is considerably higher. If Knight is good enough, the combination of him, Mayo, Ersan Ilyasova, Sanders, Henson, Neal and Delfino should put them in the running for the eighth seed in the East. But like the past few years, they're likely to get routed in the first round.
NEW YORK KNICKS | GRADE: D
Additions: J.R. Smith (re-sign), Andrea Bargnani (trade), Metta World Peace (FA), Kenyon Martin (re-sign), Tim Hardaway Jr. (draft), Pablo Prigioni (re-sign), C.J. Leslie (FA)
Subtractions: Jason Kidd, Marcus Camby (Rockets), Steve Novak (Raptors), Chris Copeland (Pacers), Quentin Richardson (Raptors), James White
Despite their finish with the second-best record in the East, an early exit at the hands of the Pacers in April combined with the strong summers of their rivals leaves the Knicks in a precarious situation. Capped out and without much in the way of assets, their only choice appears to be to double down on an old roster and hope that their veterans limp through the season. In some cases, that's literal.
Smith was their biggest signing of the summer and indicative of the problems in New York. There was no way to replace him on the open market given their cap situation, so the Knicks overpaid and then announced a few days later that he'll be out three to four months after patellar tendon surgery.
They also added Bargnani in a trade that didn't cost them much in the way of assets, but seems like a questionable fit. Soft big men who try to do most of their damage on the perimeter are not exactly what the Knicks are going to need to compete in the East.
World Peace isn't soft (I love that I just wrote that), but he adds another strong personality to a team filled with them. And though World Peace has been on his best behavior lately, his game is in serious decline.
Even their draft appeared to be more about show than substance. Hardaway Jr. is a solid wing player, but if his name wasn't Hardaway, I doubt he goes as high as he did on draft night.
The Knicks appear to be heading in the wrong direction and spending themselves into a deeper and deeper hole in the process. Knicks fans have seen this movie before. It doesn't end well.
ORLANDO MAGIC | GRADE: B-
Additions: Victor Oladipo (draft), Jason Maxiell (FA), Ronnie Price (FA), Romero Osby (draft)
Subtractions: None
The rebuilding Magic scored the potential star of this year's draft and then sat on their hands the rest of the summer. The goal is to be bad enough to grab a high draft pick in 2014, and to that end, they achieved their goal.
Oladipo, my favorite player in the draft, is both NBA ready and has huge potential. Defensively, he can lock down multiple positions. Offensively, he is still a work in progress (especially after the Magic decided to try him out at point guard in the summer league). But he's a very hard worker, has all the physical tools to succeed and has a track record of improving year to year.
The rest of the team is filled with young players with average to above-average potential and a handful of veterans -- Hedo Turkoglu, Al Harrington and Jameer Nelson -- who are likely in their last season with the team (if not less).
My only qualm with the Magic was that they missed an opportunity to land Eric Bledsoe. With the Clippers pushing for a trade for Arron Afflalo, the Magic balked and missed a chance to get a potential point guard of the future.
PHILADELPHIA 76ERS | GRADE: A
Additions: Nerlens Noel (trade), Michael Carter-Williams (draft), Royce White (trade), James Anderson (FA), Tim Ohlbrecht (FA), Sam Hinkie (GM), Pelicans' 2014 first-round draft pick
Subtractions: Jrue Holiday (Pelicans), Andrew Bynum (Cavaliers), Nick Young (Lakers), Doug Collins (coach), Tony DiLeo (GM)
If you've been watching the 76ers closely since Hinkie took over as GM, you've been given a front-row seat to one of the most blatant tanking jobs in the NBA. Over the past six weeks, they've traded away their young All-Star point guard, let their trade prize of last season (Bynum) walk and haven't really lifted a finger to field a more competitive team. They haven't even bothered to hire a coach.
And I love it.
If you are going to be bad, be really bad. Fill your roster with young guys with potential. Let them get the stuffing beat out of them. Position yourself to add cornerstone players quickly. And end the affair as quickly as it began.
The Sixers set the whole project in motion on draft night. They shipped Holiday to the Pelicans in return for the draft rights to Noel and the Pelicans' 2014 first-rounder. That one trade gave them the player with the most upside in the 2013 NBA draft and a shot at a second lottery pick in the coveted 2014 draft. Noel is a long, athletic big man who likely would've gone No. 1 had he not torn his ACL in February. If he recovers, he has the chance to be a dominant big man.
The team also got the point guard with the most upside of anyone in the draft in Carter-Williams. He needs to learn how to shoot, but he has elite size, athletic ability and court vision.
Add in the Sixers' own lottery pick (likely to be in the top four) and the Pelicans' (likely to be somewhere between seven and 15) and the Sixers can add two more young stars next summer and still have $30 million in cap room to add free agents.
By next summer the Sixers could potentially have FOUR young cornerstone players with the potential to add even more help. They could go from being the league doormat this season to a dangerous playoff team the next. Few teams can pull off that feat, that fast. If everything goes right for Philly, the Sixers are perfectly poised to pull it off.
TORONTO RAPTORS | GRADE: D+
Additions: Tyler Hansbrough (FA), D.J. Augustin (FA), Steve Novak (trade), Dwight Buycks (FA), Quentin Richardson (trade), Masai Ujiri (GM), Knicks' 2016 first-round draft pick
Subtractions: Andrea Bargnani (Knicks), Linas Kleiza, Alan Anderson (Nets), John Lucas III (Jazz), Bryan Colangelo (GM)
The Raptors' biggest moves this summer came in the front office. After years at the helm, Bryan Colangelo is out and his former protégé, Masai Ujiri, has come to help turn things around. It was a tough few years for Colangelo. The Raptors really never recovered from losing Chris Bosh and have been perpetually in the "bad, but not bad enough" category the past few years.
Based on his moves, or lack thereof, this summer, it appears Ujiri isn't in any hurry to make the playoffs. Toronto's two biggest acquisitions, Hansbrough and Augustin, were both part of a much maligned Pacers bench last season, and thrusting them into bigger roles in Toronto doesn't exactly scream "We're going for it!"
The problem for the Raptors is that they aren't bad enough to grab a lion's share of pingpong balls, nor are they good enough to compete for a playoff spot. And next year, they aren't likely to have much in the way of cap room. So either Ujiri waits this out until the 2015 season, or someone like Rudy Gay, DeMar DeRozan or Kyle Lowry should keep his bags packed this season.
WASHINGTON WIZARDS | GRADE: B
Additions: Otto Porter (draft), Martell Webster (re-sign), Eric Maynor (FA), Glen Rice Jr. (draft), Garrett Temple (re-sign)
Subtractions: None
The Wizards were woeful coming out of the gate last season, but caught fire once everyone got healthy and looked like a potential playoff team. GM Ernie Grunfeld clearly agrees.
Their biggest addition was Porter, the type of all-around player who can impact a game without taking 20 shots a night. No, he wasn't great in summer league, but his game wasn't suited to the environment. He can do a little of everything and is an unselfish, high-character player. He's not going to put up huge numbers, but he's a perfect fit in an offense that has plenty of gunners. Pair him with an emerging John Wall and Bradley Beal and the Wizards have quietly built one of the better young cores in the East.
Other additions, including re-signing Webster and drafting Rice (who dominated the D-League last season), shore up their wing positions.
The problem is that as strong as the Wizards' backcourt and wings are, their frontcourt is shaky. Any real success this season will rely on the perpetually injured Nene and an aging Emeka Okafor to anchor that front line. Their backups, Jan Vesely, Trevor Booker and Kevin Seraphin, don't inspire much confidence, either.
As hard as it is to say, it might be a blessing in disguise if Nene goes down yet again. Next year they could land another top draft pick in a draft filled with intriguing bigs. Okafor and Ariza come off the books and they don't have to pick up Vesely's option. Even after a Wall extension, they should have enough cap room to try to add a big-time power forward next summer. -
Re: Chad Ford Offseason Grades (Pacers rank near top)
I'll take the Pacers moves to try to win it all, over the 76'ers total tank and hope approach.
IF Carter-Williams and Noel become stars and Sixers get 2 top 5 pick they could rebuild quickly. But it could also blow up in their faces as the Andruw Bynum deal didComment
-
Re: Chad Ford Offseason Grades (Pacers rank near top)
Eh, that was the best that the Sixers could do. They really didn't have the tools to do serious damage in the playoffs after the Iggy trade.Originally posted by diamonddave00 View PostOriginally posted by IrishPacer
Empty vessels make the most noise.Comment
-
Re: Chad Ford Offseason Grades (Pacers rank near top)
2nd highest grade in the east! I love how analysts are giving us so much (deserved) credit as a savvy organization. As a smaller market team it is really important to build that image.Comment
-
Re: Chad Ford Offseason Grades (Pacers rank near top)
And the team with a better grade, is the one tanking. Awesome analysis from Ford, like we've come to expect.Originally posted by Jrod Jones View Post“Just because you're offended, doesn't mean you're right.” ― Ricky Gervais.Comment
-
Re: Chad Ford Offseason Grades (Pacers rank near top)
I like Phillys approach I think they took the wrong players though. I think they should of waited and drafted Exum next year if they want a big pg. I think MCW will set them back a few years. Funny they reach for a pg this year when the strength of next years class is pgs. There should be 3 elite pgs out there.
I think Holiday is overrated only an all star due to the injuries, but I will need to see what else Philly does. I would of took Giannis Adetokunbo, Goodwin, or Schroeder instead of MCW (obviously the latter two would trade back for). I think Evan Turner and MCW don't fit together well would of let Evan played the pg most of the time without MCW. I also would of traded Turner if I got a good offer on draft night. The only guy on that roster I really like is Thad Young.Last edited by pacer4ever; 07-31-2013, 02:33 PM.Comment
-
Re: Chad Ford Offseason Grades (Pacers rank near top)
I understand what Philly is doing but IMO it isn't worth an A. Tanking is equally as like to blow up in their faces as it is to build a winner. A's should be for moves that actually improve your team (in theory anyway) as opposed to trades that make you worse with the hopes of one day improving if everything goes well.
However this is good physical evidence though for some of my fellow non-tankers out there that there are equally as many (if not more) educated basketball minds that believe the best way to get better is to blow it up and start over. I think it can work (on occasion) but I also can point to several clubs where they are in their X number of years of rebuilding and are still looking to tank again.
Basketball isn't played with computers, spreadsheets, and simulations. ChicagoJ 4/21/13Comment
-
Re: Chad Ford Offseason Grades (Pacers rank near top)
By the way, Giannis signed with Milwaukee yesterdayOriginally posted by pacer4ever View Post
Originally posted by IrishPacer
Empty vessels make the most noise.Comment
-
Re: Chad Ford Offseason Grades (Pacers rank near top)
Originally posted by Peck View Post
I agree. If we would have tanked in the miserable 09-10 season like many (such as myself) wanted, the irony is that we might not have drafted Paul George, who ended up being the best player in the draft for the time being. Tanking is just as likely to blowup in your face as it is to help you out. In 1998, Nowitzki was drafted 9th and Paul Pierce 10th. Obviously the legendary players are more likely to be drafted at the top, but you can get superstars around the 10th pick and later if you get lucky/do your homework. The early returns show that Paul George has a great shot at giving us Nowitzki/Pierce-type value at the 10th pick.
It's obviously easier said than done, but the key is to draft smart and then use cap space for a couple of icing on the cake additions. The Pacers have aced drafts with modest picks such as 10th (George) and 17th (Granger, Hibbert). It also appears that we hit a home run on a second rounder in Stephenson. They then traded a pick for a player in George Hill who we knew could immediately produce. Furthermore, we used cap space to bring in an awesome veteran in D West. Finally, we found a team in Phoenix whose main concern next season is getting in good lottery position, and convinced them to give us Scola for Gerald Green, Plumlee, and what will likely be a very late first rounder. From 2008-present, Bird has for the most part made the most of every asset at his disposal.
Maybe Bird has made it look too easy, but the bottom line is that he could write the book on how to build a serious contender without tanking every single season. Legend really has cemented himself as one of the best GM's in the entire league. So many other teams would kill to have him running their franchise.Last edited by Sollozzo; 07-31-2013, 03:06 PM.Comment
-
Re: Chad Ford Offseason Grades (Pacers rank near top)
8/30 teams in the NBA aren't even trying to win games next year haha. Maybe even more. Tanking is getting too popular for my likingOriginally posted by Peck View PostComment
-
Re: Chad Ford Offseason Grades (Pacers rank near top)
There's really no way to prevent it without really altering the free agency landscape. (cough)get rid of max contracts(cough)Originally posted by brownjake43 View PostComment
-
Re: Chad Ford Offseason Grades (Pacers rank near top)
heres how to prevent tanking, just like they did in the older days.... teams in the lottery all get a card one card in the spinner thing and it is done just like it was back thenComment
-
Re: Chad Ford Offseason Grades (Pacers rank near top)
Which would create the situation of the teams in the bottom 2-3 seeds in each conference tanking games to get a 1/15 chance (or whatever) of getting the top pick as opposed to being first round fodder for one of the top seeds. I suspect the reasoning is more in line with keeping "competitive balance" than that, though.Originally posted by PacerPenguins View PostComment
-
Re: Chad Ford Offseason Grades (Pacers rank near top)
Someone on here brought up the idea of a weighted average of the past 3-4 seasons to determine your lottery odds. I think that's the best solution I've heard to slow down tanking. A team might be willing to tank for 1 season but I doubt if they'd tank for 3.Why do teams tank? Ask a Spurs fan.Comment
Tweet
Comment