The difference in wins between fourth and ninth in the Western Conference is only 1.5 games. While the top half teams on both sides are vying for the playoffs, the bottom half teams are also vying for the "squad leader" position. But there is no way, after all, Ayton, Bamba and Doncic are too tempting. For the future of the team, these weak teams have to mess around to obtain high draft picks to select the future cornerstone of the team. However, the bad teams this season can be described as "blatant", so much so that many teams have been fined by the league for publicly admitting that they are bad. So what kind of tricks have these bad teams used to let go of their problems this season?
When the Bulls enter the rebuilding period, the most common method is to let one of the best players in the team, Robin Lopez, only play the first quarter of the game, and then let him sit on the bench to support his teammates. Shout and cheer. As for the Grizzlies, they often let fans watch three-quarters of very close games in the first three quarters, and then directly hide Gasol in the final quarter. The Magic are trapped in their own chaotic state. After a brief rise in the offseason, they were instantly knocked back to their original shape and they had to choose to fail. There are also the Kings and Nets. They actually want to win the game from the bottom of their hearts, but there is no way they are really rotten to the core.
In fact, the harm to the team is very great if things like this go wrong. A poor record means that home attendance will inevitably be greatly affected, and the loss of a certain number of fans will also cause the team's commercial value to decline. Although high-ranking draft picks seem very tempting, confused management often selects unexpected players. The Grizzlies' Thabeet, the Cavaliers' Bennett and the Pistons' Milicic are living examples. Once you choose parallel imports, it means that a whole year of losses has been wasted, and maybe another year will be lost. The other party who suffers the damage is the team's coach. You must know that it is not uncommon for coaches to take the blame for poor results. The coach guides the management not to win, but he has to prove his worth by winning. When the team is reorganized, the coach is often fired before he gets a chance to show off his skills and becomes the victim.
Lost performance is not the original sin. After all, when the team is in a small market and has little attraction for star players, poor performance is their only way to rebuild. But there must be a proper way to show off the bad. For example, the Grizzlies this season have no problem hiding Gasol, who is in his thirties, but why don't you let young players get more training opportunities? Does it really feel good to lose by more than 60 points in a single game?
Many fans say that the 76ers' path to failure is a classic, but do you know how many years the 76ers have been bad? Six whole years. Look at the Rockets, even if the team's future is bleak, they will never fail. Do you still remember the limerick that mocked Rockets fans at that time, big trades every month, championships every year. But with this attitude, the Rockets acquired James Harden in one fell swoop, quickly completed their rebuilding, and have become the league's leader this season. So, you guys, the belly team, should be more careful! Even if you act, let's act decently!