Is Masai aritifially inflating the trade value of our players for the short term?

[2kfeen]

I don't think we are tanking.
I think Masai is letting ball movement get open looks to make our players look more efficient.
We will go on a tear in the near future, but this is all part of Masai's plan.

We are probably going to get Lowry's value at an all time high, get assets out of him.
Lowry is not a part of the future. By the time our rebuilding is done, he will be much older and a bench point guard like Barbosa. If we are getting a first rounder, plus another moveable asset, than we should click on the trade right away.

Make Amir look like a devestating P&R player with Vasquez setting him up. Make him look like an elite defender, get assets out of him.

Trade Hansbrough, Novak to contenders in February.

I think we should enjoy the fun for the next week (maybe until the 19th) and then watch the roster get dismantled for all tradable players (minus JV, DD and probably Ross).

[Superjudge]

er. No man, the team is simply playing a bit better.

addition by subtraction really.

[MACK11]

er. No man, the team is simply playing a bit better.

addition by subtraction really.

Yeah pretty much

[JimiCliff]

I don't think we are tanking.
I think Masai is letting ball movement get open looks to make our players look more efficient.
We will go on a tear in the near future, but this is all part of Masai's plan.

We are probably going to get Lowry's value at an all time high, get assets out of him.
Lowry is not a part of the future. By the time our rebuilding is done, he will be much older and a bench point guard like Barbosa. If we are getting a first rounder, plus another moveable asset, than we should click on the trade right away.

Make Amir look like a devestating P&R player with Vasquez setting him up. Make him look like an elite defender, get assets out of him.

Trade Hansbrough, Novak to contenders in February.

I think we should enjoy the fun for the next week (maybe until the 19th) and then watch the roster get dismantled for all tradable players (minus JV, DD and probably Ross).

Our players barely looked fit for the NBA when they lost to San Antonio.

[2kfeen]

We were playing without Rudy Gay, and without the latest addition of our bench pieces.
First quarter we were good, but our bench lost our momentum and we couldn't keep up after that.
Plus they are the Spurs, of course. 19-4 for a reason.
At least now, we have some decent players off the bench.
Vasquez, Patterson, Fields (great defender), Salmons, Hayes (Aaron Gray lite)

[Burnit482]

I think you make some good points in all honesty and have thought a similar thing. A lot is just no more dominant ball handler all-star passer rudy gay on the team (ha ha) but it would not surprise me if he had some of this planned. I think he sees a guy like vasquez in the future or the dude is just so confident he's staying… not really sure but lowry is gone and we will re assess after that imo.

[octothorp]

Artificially inflating? No. Artificially inflating would be playing a style of ball that might highlight a player's upside, but come at the expense of team results. (Ie. Force-feeding a guy minutes and touches to try to make his stats seem more impressive than they are.) Playing an effective style of basketball, distributing minutes in a logical way, sharing the ball, and having players look good doing it is not artificial.

And I don't believe Masai actually puts that much input into how the team plays; he doesn't seem like the type of GM (especially at this point in his time with Toronto) to tell the coach how to do his job, beyond some high level 'I'd like to see more ball movement' opinions, which is probably what he's been saying from the beginning of the year. And no, I don't believe that Masai acquired Vasquez because he figured that he could give Amir more pick-and-roll success and that this would in turn increase Amir's trade value. I think he just believes that Vasquez is a solid asset, whether to keep as a starter, keep as a backup, or flip.

Guys playing well is good for their trade value, no question. He's got loads of options that he can take advantage of. He could still blow it up, build to contend in the atlantic relatively quickly, or continue to wait and evaluate.

[ezz_bee]

I don't think we are tanking.

We are probably going to get Lowry's value at an all time high, get assets out of him.

Make Amir look like a devestating P&R player with Vasquez setting him up. Make him look like an elite defender, get assets out of him.

Trade Hansbrough, Novak to contenders in February.

I think we should enjoy the fun for the next week (maybe until the 19th) and then watch the roster get dismantled for all tradable players (minus JV, DD and probably Ross).

I'm confused, you say we aren't tanking, but then say how we are going to trade everyone to contenders for future assets. How is this not tanking?

Unless, you are saying that the team as constructed right now is playing too well to do a proper tank?

[mcHAPPY]

I get what you are saying and hope you are right.

[golden]

Increasing the asset value of 12 players through winning today (and playing the right way) is much better than decreasing the value of those same assets by losing and hoping to land that 1 player who 'might' help you win at some distant point in the future.

Also makes you a much less desperate negotiator when it comes time to fleece those teams that are.

[2kfeen]

A rebuild doesn't mean the team has to get the most losses and get a superstar, and repeat until you have 2 or 3 core players.
I think we are going to rebuild like the Nuggets or this years Celtics.

We already got rid of our chuckers (Anderson, Kleiza, Bargnani, Rudy Gay).
We are keeping Derozan (like how Nuggets kept Lawson).

Now, we are trying to get as much value as out of Johnson, Lowry (sort of like Nene, Billups being traded). For those two, Masai managed to trade them for young prospects ready to break out. Trading for 1st rounders outright is risky as you never how good your pick is, how good the player will be, etc.

If we lose games after getting young players and prospects, than so be it. But this is not an intentional process. If we make the playoffs with our youngings than that's fine.

All I'm saying is that our kind of play is not sustainable and Masai is taking advantage of our post-Rudy happiness to get good basketball out of our tradeable assets and ship them out for people with more upside.

[caccia]

Aritifially?

I have no idea. The team's recent success has more to do with the following statement by one of our players: "Just losing at home, man. I mean, I hate it. I hate it with a passion." He speaks for several guys on the team.

[GoingBig]

I hope so