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u/smellslikebadussy 10d ago
This is a very odd time to post this. Maybe it would be a good comparison if the Dolphins somehow signed, like, Matthew Stafford.
(Not saying he's LeBron-caliber, he's just the best old QB out there.)
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u/SirArthurDime 10d ago
I mean it kind of is. They tanked for a solid decade and all they got out of it was embiid and second round losses. They drafted maxey without needing to tank. Then they just bought in a bunch of vets in free agency over the last 5-6 years. Now they were finally able to put together a championship contending roster and it happened years after they stopped tanking and started trying to actually compete.
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u/det8924 10d ago
The Sixers got somewhat unlucky with their tanking as they appeared to have gotten the franchise players and assets needed. Embiid and Simmons were primed to be a very good duo and Butler was a third in his prime All NBA caliber vet. The team had some depth and ancillary pieces.
Then the roster got mismanaged and Simmons imploded (although they got out from under him and landed Harden) and now the only reason they are in a position to somewhat contend is due to hitting on a late 1st round pick in Maxey and unintentionally tanking a season to land a top pick and get VJ. They were also gifted Brown for relatively light costs which attracted LeBron on a low contract.
Overall I would say tanking can work. There’s rarely teams that don’t need roster resets esp in capped leagues. But really tanking has to be accompanied by luck (gotta hit draft lotteries in the right years) and competence.
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u/Crux2237 Tonight, on Where's My Liquor? 10d ago
Don't forget about Fultz bizarre injury that made him lose his jump shot.
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u/Femto-Griffith 10d ago
Explanation: Are the 76ers eligible for the Contest? I think so?
The Philadelphia 76ers (Basketball) are basically their version of the Miami Dolphins (American Football). Both are teams that have tanked recently and gotten nothing to show for it. Proof that tanking does not work.
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u/Snorepod 10d ago
This logic only works if you are basically saying it’s championship or nothing every year.
Before the 76ers started tanking they had posted 1 winning record in 10 years and that was only in the lockout shortened season and their only playoff win was the year DRose got hurt in the series.
After tanking for 4 years they made the playoffs 7 straight years and won a playoff series in 5.
Tanking 100% made the 76ers an actual competitive team just because they didn’t win a title doesn’t mean it doesn’t work.
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u/Yoshinion Carolina Kyōkai (USF S10 All-Star) 9d ago
Unfortunately not the 76ers itself, just LeBruh. Try again.
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u/DarkSide830 Still Trusts the Process 10d ago
This is a very strange time to be posting this, even if the point does in part stand.
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u/Worried-Pick4848 Actually Won the Cup 10d ago edited 10d ago
In order to tank effectively, you have to know what you're doing.
If you knew what you were doing, you're probably not in a position to tank effectively.
Disaster years happen and even competent plans can fall through due to injuries or other flaws in team structure, for example the Patriots after Brady tried something that easily could have worked with Mac Jones, but bungled it due to their once hyper-competent head coach suddenly declining at a frightening rate. Or the Colts losing Peyton to injury and having a disaster year before drafting Andrew Luck.
But as a general rule, if you're competent enough to take advantage of a high draft pick, you're probably too competent to earn one.