Game #64 Raptors (46-17) @ Pistons (29-31); Sunday Mar. 3rd at 6pm EDT on TSN4

[DogeLover1234]

I would argue the Warriors 5 yr run had almost nothing to do with Barnes.

They definitely wouldnt have won 72 games in a season, and probably wouldnt have the first championship. Maybe KD still comes over and they still have a dynesty, but early GS wouldnt have been as good. They could make it work without Barnes and would have still been really good, but tanking to draft and develop a cheap two way wing makes for the difference between a legit contender and being the Pelicans.

[MixxAOR]

Imagine taking a bus to Detroit and Kawhi sits out. God damn

[LJ2]

From Raptors: Kawhi Leonard (load management) is OUT today vs Detroit

— Eric Smith (@Eric__Smith) March 3, 2019

Ahhh not again!

Toronto is at a disadvantage when trying to attract top tier talent in free agency due to weather, customs, being a non-American city etc. But what we do have is extremely player friendly load management plans. Can Masai actually sell this as a thing to top free agents? Cause that th only way this makes any sense.

[Demographic Shift]

Kawhi Leonard: "There’s 82 games and for me these are just practices and playoffs is when it’s time to lace them up."

— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) March 2, 2019

I love this quote but I also hope we set a rotation soon enough to build chemistry for the playoffs. That is our one glaring weakness imo.

The first round of the playoffs is usually an extended run... I remember instances of 3 days between games.... When the second and third rounds get going its usually every other day ...

FWIW it doesn't matter how much Leonard plays to the end of the year. Its mathematically tough to see the Raps making up 3 games on the Bucks with 19 to go...

We are very very much likely to finish 2nd regardless. So have to continue to trust in Alex McKechnie and whomever is representing Leonard from a medical perspective to keep doing what they are doing to have him in as good a physical state as he can be come mid April....Also expect to see the medical guys and staff start to rest up Serge's knees as well as making sure 34 year old Marc Gasol gets the time he needs to be primed and ready to go as well...

This is the benefit of having a playoff spot locked up....

[DogeLover1234]

According to so-called Load Management Theory, the intensity of his workload is supposed to start ramping up in preparation for more strenous loading (i.e. playoffs).

Yeah I was for rest on back to backs and the occasional game, but this is getting ridiculous.

[slaw]

Imagine taking a bus to Detroit and Kawhi sits out. God damn

Hey fans, Fuck You! If the Raps win or get to the Finals, every team will be going this in short order. You’ll have Disney paying $5 billion for the privilege of broadcasting games featuring Terry Rozier vs OG Anunoby. Wonder how long that will last?

[3inthekeon]

Not happy about Kawhi sitting out, but it is what it is.

[Jangles]

It's March and his load is still being managed?

[golden]

Hey fans, Fuck You! If the Raps win or get to the Finals, every team will be going this in short order. You’ll have Disney paying $5 billion for the privilege of broadcasting games featuring Terry Rozier vs OG Anunoby. Wonder how long that will last?

It will last as long as stupid fans continue to buy tickets or pay attention to the NBA. Hey, it’s Sunday afternoon and you’re so addicted to the NBA that you’re posting about Raptors load management. Lol. This is just the beginning.

[MixxAOR]

Casey is going to say to his team: "You should feel disrespected that they are resting Kawhi" smh

[planetmars]

Sure, lottery picks are useful, but what you're describing is more good scouting and good intelligence than needing the picks. The Lowry pick was a good TRADE. The poeltl and demar was a good TRADE, not like Poeltl was some stud. Ross for Ibaka was a good TRADE. I THINK Gasol was a good trade...

Warriors don't get enough credit for their drafting. And the trades they didn't make. Remember when they turned down Thompson for Love? How many more trades that like that have we not even heard of? Yes, alas, what each of these top 5 teams have in common is their ability to find franchise players outside of the top 5 or top 10, and elite level trading. Heck, Masai's imprints are still on the Nuggets, when you trace the lineage back.

Tanking is overrated. The "genius" Hinkie basically sold off every possible decent asset, got as bad as possible, then basically would only draft highest ceiling available or euro stash guys. Wow what a genius . 4 years of absolute brutal pain to become the Easts 4th seed. Hooray.

Don't want to go into tanking into too much here to derail this thread.. but doesn't every NBA team sort of have to go through a rebuild? I mean father time is a thing. Dynasties end. Players only get 4-5 year deals max and need to make decisions for themselves. Even the Warriors have to look themselves in the mirror soon. Curry will be 31 in a couple of weeks. When he's 34/35 he's not going to be the same Curry.

Losing because you have a bad team is essentially tanking. I mean if you can pull off sucking while keeping good players all the power to you. Dallas never wanted to tank but they still sucked.. and were able to get Doncic because they had a bad team. They then traded one of their lottery level prospects (and a future pick) for another star in Porzingis. I doubt BC wanted to be really bad... but he built a lousy team around Bosh and just became bad when he left. It was a good strategy because it worked out well for Masai.

Ultimately I guess it's how you define "tanking". Philly was obvious when they traded Holiday and then drafted Noel despite being hurt.. and then Embiid despite being hurt. But in my opinion teams that try but suck are also tanking. Like Washington this year who held on to Beal and made a move to get Ariza who was older than Oubre.

GM's love the "unknown". A pick in today's NBA is worth so much more than it has in previous years. That's why you see 2nd rounders being moved now more than ever. And if you have a lottery pick.. in many cases that seems to have more value than an actual all-star level player.

Anytime tanking comes up it becomes a discussion about semantics. There is the Philly style tank which nobody likes. But then there is the Memphis or Wizards style tank that nobody talks about. Memphis is giving heavy minutes to Conley and Noah.. but they still suck. And will get a good pick out of it.

[3inthekeon]

Tanking is a term that came into being to separate teams that are trying to win but lose and teams the FO's set themselves up to lose. Otherwise the term tanking is just a synonym for losing, essentially pointless to call it tanking. .

[3inthekeon]

Raptors go from 4 pt favourites down to 2 already.

[KeonClark]

Kyle's battled injuries, quite a bit older, leads league in charges, and has a history of battling fatigue and injury in playoffs, takes no load maintenance. Kawhi now taking one out of every 3rd game..

[planetmars]

Tanking is a term that came into being to separate teams that are trying to win but lose and teams the FO's set themselves up to lose. Otherwise the term tanking is just a synonym for losing, essentially pointless to call it tanking. .

If that's true than yeah I don't believe in tanking. And don't know if it will always work. Losing because you suck though.. I can hang my hat on that. And I see Masai doing this over the other if we have to go through a rebuild in a year or two.

Although would you consider the Gasol trade a tank move for Memphis? I would say that it is technically yet I don't think anybody would object to that trade from a Memphis perspective.. even if you are an anti-tanker.