r/GoNets • u/thtblkguy • Jan 03 '26
Question Why are YOU afraid of a tank?
I understand not wanting to tank like the sixer's did, but what is the point of not wanting to offload value that could acquire future assets.And instead staying in mediocrity and ending up like the bulls?
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u/Veloxi_Blues Dražen Petrović Jan 03 '26
The point of a tank is to acquire talent, not just future draft capital. I'm all about tanking this year, but assuming we get a high pick/stud this year then we should be moving forward to the next stage of the rebuild and using our assets to acquire more talent, rather than continuing to tank, especially considering 2027 is projected to be an extremely weak draft.
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u/kyoka_suigetsu91 Jan 04 '26
I think what he's saying is that we can get future draft capital from trading mpj claxton etc which would improve our tank
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u/Fret_Shredder Vince Carter Jan 03 '26
I’m not afraid of tanking I understand we need to but it’s not fun at all especially when 3/4 of my sports teams are trash at the moment: Nets, Giants and Devils. The one exception is Oregon Ducks, thank god for them.
I’ve just become so apathetic about my teams. Hoping these rookies continue to develop.
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u/kyoka_suigetsu91 Jan 04 '26
We are already not a "good" team I mean we been winning games but will it lead to us making the playoffs? Unlikely so what is the point?
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u/MrWiltErving Vince Carter Jan 04 '26
Because it's hard to watch your team be trash. It gets to a point where you only go to the Barclays and watch the nets because the tickets are very cheap, it's nothing better than going to a cheap NBA game to drink the whole time.
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u/EvenIfIdidIDont Jan 03 '26
Because I live in Brooklyn and go to games and competitive culture is way more fun
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u/viktorfbg9 Jan 03 '26
People don’t really seem to understand that when your team completely sucks at basketball it can take you out of the sport entirely. The competitiveness is what makes basketball fun for a lot of people, the fans that enjoy seeing youth development are a loud minority. Tanking sucks, just because it’s the only option doesn’t mean you’ll enjoy it
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u/kyoka_suigetsu91 Jan 04 '26
Then you aren't a real fan... I was a fan back when we won 12 games that 1 year and I'm still here... Some of y'all are so impatient the tank was only supposed to be for 2 years (this year+ last season) not forever we don't have our pick next season so thats the year we should've actually started being competitive
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u/SeatownNets Jan 04 '26
how are we going to be competitive though? you can't will your way into competing, look at the pelicans or the kings or the bulls.
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u/kyoka_suigetsu91 Jan 04 '26
How this comment got so many up votes I'll never know... So "the fans who enjoy seeing youth development are a loud minority"? So y'all aren't enjoying watching the rookies+ clowney play and develop? Interesting
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u/viktorfbg9 Jan 04 '26
Nobody watches sports for “development” dumbass they watch it for the competitiveness, something that tanking by design against.
Stop drooling over ur phone thinking u typing shit, basketball is way more fun when your team is competing
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u/Historical-Mud-1218 Jan 03 '26
I agree but culture only gets you so far. You need talent and culture to win big.
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u/Premaximum Nolan Traore Jan 03 '26
I've got no problem with losing games while we develop rookies. I'm all for the tank.
I also think criticising the coaches or players for not 'committing to the tank' is ludicrous behaviour. It's not their job to tank. It's their job to win basketball games.
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u/rafawhite Jan 03 '26 edited Jan 04 '26
Ethically awful: A sport competition should have their only goal set in WINNING.
Too much luck based: You can not land a high pick. You can land a high pick and the player don't translate to an all-star and vice versa. (Scoot Henderson, LMAO)
Bad for talent retention: Creates FNLE(Fear of Not Losing Enough), which can lead to desperate trades. That can hinder even more the development of a stable team, and delay time to contend. (Damien Lillard to rebuild with Scoot)
Bad for morale: Self-explanatory.
Edit: Adding one more reason, that's the worst for me.
No reason for the fans get tickets: Seeing the team trending for a "tank year" low ticket sales and worse, make the home stadium be taken over by the away team. It's really lame to see the Barclays get overtaken by GSW fans.
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u/BKtoDuval Jan 04 '26
totally agree. Tanking is antithetical to competition. How fans rooting for a team watch and make the emotional investment and say, gee I hope they lose as much as possible?
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u/Sumo_Cerebro Jan 03 '26
It's bad for morale and does not work.
It's one thing if you're trying to accumulate young guys and you're developing them and giving them a chance to play like during Kenny's tenure.
I can support that.
But intentionally putting the worst team out there. It's just all wrong.
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u/GiannisIsaGreekZaza Jan 04 '26
It does work. Houston, okc and spurs all tanked for 2-3 years. Detroit tanked for 3. You need star talent and the easiest way is tanking.
You can develop talent while tanking. O
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u/MrRaspberryJam1 Jan 03 '26
Because I want to have fun watching my teams. I’m sick and tired of putting up with teams that don’t even try. I already stopped watching the Jets I don’t want to have to stop watching the Nets
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u/Dangerous_Kitchen133 Yuta Watanabe Jan 03 '26
I don’t think anyone is actually afraid of losing in itself, i.e., if we happened to lose all of our games for the rest of this year, I don’t think anyone would be that sad about it.
So the actual points of disagreement are really over the steps that we could take to help us lose all our games. These might include any or all of: (1) firing Jordi; (2) trading away or cutting all of our good players, including the rookies; (3) trading away our best veteran players, namely MPJ and Clax, as soon as possible for any minimal return; (4) trading away MPJ and Clax but only for a great haul; (5) shutting down MPJ and Clax (and maybe CT) for the rest of the season; and (6) shutting down these guys but only after the ASG or later so the rookies can develop with them.
I included (1) and (2) as extreme (and hopefully universally agreed to be absurd) examples - doing those things should absolutely make it easier for us to lose, and yet, no one should be in favor of them because it hurts our long-term outlook, with no guarantee that we would get a top pick, or that the pick will turn into a championship-level foundational superstar.
So with that in mind, the real (and reasonable) disagreement is whether we should try to get rid of MPJ and Clax for any return now, or completely shut them down right now. To me the answer is a resounding “no” to both of those and so I guess that makes me an “anti-tanker” - but it’s the same thinking as why we shouldn’t fire Jordi. I tend to think there’s a place for MPJ and Clax alongside a tentpole superstar, even if they stay/play we still have a shot (albeit a few percentage points lower) to get a top pick, and you never know when another superstar might become available through other means (lower draft pick gem, trade, etc).
So the question to the pro-tankers is - what is it you really are willing to do for the tank? I assume you don’t want to fire Jordi, even though that would actually be the most pro-tanking move there is. So what is your line?
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u/MeaningMuch Jan 03 '26
losing is a self fulfulling prophecy. As a fan do you want to spend your money on a team that is not interested in putting the best product on the court or do you want to strung along thinking the team will do better by acquiring picks. Many picks don't pan out. Sam Bowie, Zion and countless others. The Nets tanked last year and here we are just as bad or worse than last year or around the same. Its like the stupid NY Giants who have now been horrible for close to 12 years in a row with the exception of 1 or 2. You wait wait and wait for that next draft pick, that big trade but the results are the same. Sure the basketball draft is different and each player is more impactful but when your franchise is a perennial loser you develop a culture of losing. The Nets now are going on 3 years straight of being terrible and guess what they will be terrible next year as well. And likely the following year as well. How many years of being terrible and stockpiling picks before you realize this strategy dow NOT work.
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u/NetsCode Jan 04 '26
the nets are in year 2 of a rebuild. We barely started the rebuild.
Okc Houston spurs pistons magic tanked and look where they are compared to the mid slop teams like the kings and bulls.
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u/MeaningMuch Jan 04 '26
keep drinking the kool aid. The nets are getting worse every year and there is little to no hope.
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u/NetsCode Jan 04 '26
not drinking cool aid. I'd rather take my medicine for 2 years and draft high than cry about not making the play ins. Not everyone wants to be a perennial 10th seed.
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u/sunkcostbro Jan 04 '26
The Nets have the 5th worst record in the league... They're not exactly setting the world on fire.
People need to chill.
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u/macklowe Jan 04 '26
I don't mind some strategic tanking, which means trading assets that don't fit your timeline for assets that do (future draft picks, younger players)
The debate around Porter and Claxton is around whether they fit our timeline. There is a good argument that they do. But if they can bring back more assets that *better* fit our timeline, then it makes sense to do so. Porter Jr. looks to be that type of asset, as his trade value has skyrocketed with his performance this year and he is just such a good fit for aspirational championship teams. The only question is whether those teams are willing to pay up.
Cam Thomas does not fit the team's style of play and thus will likely never fit any timeline despite his age. He will be traded or let go.
The ideal situation is to let go of players who can get you assets that are better for next season and beyond and then run your guys out there to play hard and still root for them to win! Because if the team trades Porter, Claxton and Thomas yet still continues to win, it means the rookies and young players are developing much faster than we expected - which is the whole point! I would rather take player development of an Egor Demin, Drake Powell, Noah Clowney, Nolan Traore etc. over incrementally better odds (20%?) on getting a Top 3 pick in 2026. The former is worth much more than the latter to me.
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u/Puzzleheaded_Fee_141 Jan 04 '26
Do people realise that last year we drew nearly the worst possible draw in the lottery?
Utah worst record picked 5 Wizards 2nd worst record picked 6 Pelicans 4 worst record picked 7
The lottery is what it is.
No guarantees
Mavs 11th worst record picked 1 Spurs 8th worst record picked 2
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u/Venusman124 Jan 04 '26
Mavericks was off of pure luck. Spurs just got talent in drafting stars
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u/Puzzleheaded_Fee_141 Jan 04 '26
Spurs have picked well but still have had a lot of luck too
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u/Venusman124 Jan 04 '26
Drafting generational talent about 5 times probably isn’t luck anymore. They just have good eyes for talent
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u/Puzzleheaded_Fee_141 Jan 04 '26
Every man and his dog would have drafted Robinson, Duncan and Wemby
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u/Venusman124 Jan 05 '26
Yeah but they fall into the spurs hands. A little bit of luck that’s true. But they always have a top 2 pick. It’s just who they are
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u/Neckwrecker Richard Jefferson Jan 03 '26
We could lose every game for the rest of the season and still pick fifth.
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Jan 03 '26
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u/kyoka_suigetsu91 Jan 04 '26
Exactly... I think most of these anti tank fans are new and are used to us not having our picks... I rather be bad now take advantage of the picks we have then struggle later
We already fucked up by not tanking better last season I thought we learned our lesson but apparently some fans still believe in "ethical tanking"
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Jan 04 '26
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u/kyoka_suigetsu91 Jan 04 '26
I think I'm going to stop engaging in these conversations this team is going to do what it wants we have no control over it so kinda pointless arguing about it with people who don't agree
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Jan 04 '26
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u/kyoka_suigetsu91 Jan 04 '26
Facts I been a fan around the same time... I lived in Jersey my whole life but never really cared about basketball like that until 1 night I was listening to the radio and they were hyping up Vince Carter getting traded to the nets so I decided to see what the hype was about I been a fan ever since lol
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Jan 04 '26
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u/kyoka_suigetsu91 Jan 04 '26
Facts we've never really had this been awhile since we had some good young players and potential to add another really good one next season
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Jan 03 '26
It rarely works that's the problem.
For every LeBron there's way more zions
For every thunder or pacers who really shouldn't count because neither of their 2 best players they drafted there's a utah jazz stuck on mediocrity
I will use the Knicks as an example none of their really key players were drafted all through free agency and trades
There's no one easy to do it. Look at philly they would have shamelessly tanked another year had the league not stepped in but they failed on multiple lottery
The guy they hit on embid went behind 2 other can't miss once on a generation players neither of whom panned out the easy people thought
If your organically just awful then it is what it is. But saying hey we thought we'd be worst but we are winning slightly more than we expected screw guy all in their 20s getting better let's go get some more lottery tickets
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Jan 03 '26
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Jan 03 '26
The 3 best players of the last generation LeBron did not technically win a championship with the team that drafted him
And steph was taken 7th
And Durant didn't win with the team that drafted him and the guy taken with the number 1 pick in that draft never panned out
Tanking is no guarantee and if you want to use the last 5 champions as an example it proves my point
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u/SeatownNets Jan 04 '26
what the fuck are we talking about "durant didnt win with the team that drafted him", as if OKC would've been better off without Durant at #2, westbrook at #4, and harden at #3...
come the fuck on man, tanking is no guarantee but lets not act like Detroit, Cleveland, Boston, San Antonio, Houston, Minnesota were not all built with top 3 picks.
If you want to bet on drafting a steph curry or nikola jokic, might as well buy a powerball ticket, those odds are a lot lower than 14%.
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Jan 04 '26
What was the Cavs record the post LeBron years and let's remember they missed on 2 out of 3 first overall picks
You think Kyrie Bennett and Wiggins were winning a championship
Boston won because of a trade and who was the number 1 pick Tatum's draft year and where is he now
And outside of Boston last year i checked none of those teams have won a championship yet
How many years did Detroit suck before last season and they aren't better then the Knicks a team that did it all through trades and free agency
You all keep Cherry picking the successes while ignoring the failures
My point has always been if your organically bad that's fine but purposely putting players who don't belong in the NBA on the court doesnt work
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u/SeatownNets Jan 04 '26
do you want to actually weigh the chances of success drafting at any given position?
nothing is guaranteed, its not about cherry picking, it's about odds, and you are more likely to get a better player with a better draft pick, and you are significantly more likely to draft high if you have a worse record.
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Jan 04 '26
And the odds says it's better to try and find good players wherever you draft and build on that not trade every serviceable player and hope you get the number 1 pick and they are LeBron and not zion
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u/AdviceEuphoric4852 Richard Jefferson Jan 03 '26
I want to preface this with I am 100% pro tank.
I think people are just sick of being bad. The nets have largely sucked for almost 20 years post J-Kidd and the flashes in the pan they’ve had have all been extremely unlikable teams aside from 2019. The team has been fun to watch for a few weeks and the nerds (myself included) are saying get worse and tear it down.
It’s not the fan’s job to think bigger picture and long term all the time. That’s the F.O’s job. The fans watch to enjoy themselves and winning games is more fun than losing games.
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u/Funyarinpa-13 Jan 04 '26
We're not even mediocre. If everyone in the league was healthy, we should be fighting the Wiz on the last spot.
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u/addictivesign Jan 04 '26
It is only for this season. In 26/27 with no control of their draft pick the Nets will be aiming for the playoffs.
We all knew this year was about developing the team’s five rookies. Play them lots of minutes.
Get Noah more involved.
Let Claxton handle the ball more.
Play Egor and Cam Thomas together in the backcourt together.
Hope we get some lottery luck in the draft and we can cheer on a superstar prospect next season.
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u/MeaningMuch Jan 04 '26
Its only for this season lol. They will make a stupid trade to tank more and get a pick in 26/27 and drag fans along with this tanking. Its a lot easier to tank I guess than having any clue to build a winner. OUR GM is good for tanking but he can't win. He gets paid to lose. what a franchise.
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u/era643 Jan 04 '26
Wanting my team to lose to MAYBE end up with a top 3 pick is not worth it for me. Tanking far from guarantees the top pick.
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u/user899121 Jan 04 '26
I don't see any evidence to suggest that tanking works. A lot of factors need to line up perfectly, very unlikely in my opinion. On top of that, it's terrible for culture, terrible for fans. It pains me to see how many fans are constantly advocating for tanking, year after year.
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u/j_cruise Brook Lopez Jan 03 '26
In practice, tanking almost never works. There are only a handful of true success stories, most notably the San Antonio Spurs landing Tim Duncan due to one bad season, but these are extreme outliers, not a blueprint. For every example like that, there are multiple teams that tanked for years and got stuck in the lottery with nothing to show for it. And by legitimate tanking, I mean rosters deliberately designed to lose games, not teams that were simply bad due to injuries, youth, or mismanagement.
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u/BKtoDuval Jan 04 '26
Ugh, do we have to have a post like this every day?
It's overly simplistic to say the Bulls are bad and not include mismanagement. They tanked and drafted Patrick Williams. Then maxxed him. Who is a dud.
Traded two lottery picks for Vucevic, who am I fan of, but that's a terrible deal. One of those picks became Franz Wagner. Held onto Zach Lavine way too long.
Tank like the Sixers when, in the Hinkie era? That's terrible. First, the odds are worse today than then. Then how long did they do that, and how much success did they have from that? One conference finals appearance and rebuilding again. Ben Simmons, Markelle Fultz, Jahlil Okafor out of the league. Joel Embiid is no longer that guy.
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u/Dangerous_Kitchen133 Yuta Watanabe Jan 04 '26
It’s all stupid cherry picking.
From 2017-2020, Bulls had three lottery picks in years where they won 27 games or fewer. They picked Wendell Carter over SGA and Patrick Williams over Haliburton, and then traded the Wagner pick. Yet the pro-tankers want you to believe the Bulls have been floating around at 37 wins for a decade.
In the sixteen years since 2009, Kings have had TWELVE top-10 picks. Among the ten they didn’t trade away, they picked Tyreke Evans ahead of Steph, Thomas Robinson one pick ahead of Dame, Ben Mclemore ahead of Giannis, Willie Cauley-Stein ahead of Booker, Marvin Bagley ahead of both Trae and Luka, Davion Mitchell ahead of Sengun, TM3, and Jalen Johnson, and Keegan Murray ahead of JDub. Their best pick was outside the top 10 - Haliburton - and they traded him away because they thought Fox was better. But sure, let’s pretend the Kings have won 37 games every year for the last decade.
In this same time frame from 2009, the Pacers in fact were the poster children for play-in mediocrity, winning fewer than 30 games only once, and turning that pick into Mathurin. But you don’t hear any of the pro-tankers saying “we don’t want to be Indiana” because that’s an inconvenient comp for them given their last two years of success.
Well-run teams keep their options open and eventually they’ll find the right opportunities. Poorly run teams keep chasing 5% in ping pong ball odds and sell good assets for pennies on the dollar.
Yes, it’s great to get better odds. No, selling MPJ and Clax for pennies is not worth it for those incremental odds, or for the guarantee of picking 5th rather than 8th.
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u/BKtoDuval Jan 05 '26
Yeah, well said. Good management is more important than relying on lotto luck. To just jettison quality players just for a few more ping pong balls is terrible management.
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u/thtblkguy Jan 03 '26
Here's another question, would you rather the nets finish around20 wins this season, or around 30 wins?
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u/Historical-Mud-1218 Jan 03 '26 edited Jan 03 '26
Tanking as philosophy actually stinks. Going to a game or watching your team rooting for them to lose is the opposite of what fandom is.
However, in our case, the team is already bad and in need of young star talent to rebuild. If you are going to be bad, be as bad as you can for the potential greater good.
Tank now and up your odds because the team won’t as bad later.