Locke's Tone: Tank on The Horizon?

[Saint Cy of JFC]

I listened to Locked On this morning and it's probably the first episode where it really felt like Locke was preparing the audience for the Jazz to trade both Rudy and Don.

Of course Locke kind of covers all his bases so he can spin anything in the direction needed when the thing actually happens or doesn't happen, but it definitely sounded like he thinks the team is likely stuck and tanking will be the route the team ultimately chooses.

 

[gomretat]

Tanking is a good fit with our new jerseys because no one will be watching and no one will care how bad they are. Perhaps the best aligned decision in the Ryan Smith era.

 

[Saint Cy of JFC]

Tanking is a good fit with our new jerseys because no one will be watching and no one will care how bad they are. Perhaps the best aligned decision in the Ryan Smith era.

Also some recent interviews with Andy Larsen or Eric Walden (can't remember who said) basically eluded to Smith being a broke boy after buying the team and the initial LT payments (hints why Utah wasn't willing to buy into the 2nd round). He might not really love the idea of tanking and looking like a failure, but it would ultimately save him money.

 

[YoungJefe]

The only thing that gives me optimism about a potential tank job is that Donovan should bring back a ton of draft capital and we've seen teams like Memphis, Dallas, Atlanta bounce back fast. And Houston looked dead in the water after they traded Harden and now they have Jabari/Jalen to build around.

 

[Nate505]

I agree, if they're going to tank they picked the right jerseys for it. And apparently they're stuck with these abominations for...5 years...for some incomprehensible reason, like screen printers overseas need a ton of time to print stuff I guess.

So a 5 year tank it is. Great, at least when I'm 50 they might be good again. Or at the very least, they might have good uniforms again.

 

[YoungJefe]

Also some recent interviews with Andy Larsen or Eric Walden (can't remember who said) basically eluded to Smith being a broke boy after buying the team and the initial LT payments (hints why Utah wasn't willing to buy into the 2nd round). He might not really love the idea of tanking and looking like a failure, but it would ultimately save him money.

He might be the most hated man in Utah if he ships out Rudy/Don for a tank job after the jersey fiasco, lol.

 

[Nate505]

So the Millers sold the team to a guy who couldn't afford to run it.

Fantastic.

 

[Saint Cy of JFC]

I agree, if they're going to tank they picked the right jerseys for it. And apparently they're stuck with these abominations for...5 years...for some incomprehensible reason, like screen printers overseas need a ton of time to print stuff I guess.

So a 5 year tank it is. Great, at least when I'm 50 they might be good again. Or at the very least, they might have good uniforms again.

Because no one else wants to sit on a ton of unused product that cost millions to designs manufacture, market, etc.

Again, Ryan Smith is a poverty owner by NBA standards.

 

[Nate505]

Because no one else wants to sit on a ton of unused product that cost millions to designs manufacture, market, etc.

Again, Ryan Smith is a poverty owner by NBA standards.

Hopefully nobody buys it and it continues to go unused. Maybe then he could donate it to kids in Mozambique or Sri Lanka and could at least get a tax write off from it.

 

[Handlogten's Heros]

I agree, if they're going to tank they picked the right jerseys for it. And apparently they're stuck with these abominations for...5 years...for some incomprehensible reason, like screen printers overseas need a ton of time to print stuff I guess.

So a 5 year tank it is. Great, at least when I'm 50 they might be good again. Or at the very least, they might have good uniforms again.

If you sell off parts and hit on a pick or two it can be a two or three year process. You need some luck as well. Selling off pieces means you are less reliant on luck. Memphis got lucky and the rebuild was like 1.5 seasons. OKC has had two bad years... might have one more.

 

[Saint Cy of JFC]

Hopefully nobody buys it and it continues to go unused. Maybe then he could donate it to kids in Mozambique or Sri Lanka and could at least get a tax write off from it.

People will buy anything. You take your family to that one game per year you walk into the fan store, a lot of people are going to buy something. You got to think of all the merch that is tied to this era of the rebrand. It's not as simple as "lol new designs scrap the ones we just made". Then think of the massive supply chain issues the entire world is currently facing.

 

[Saint Cy of JFC]

If you sell off parts and hit on a pick or two it can be a two or three year process. You need some luck as well. Selling off pieces means you are less reliant on luck. Memphis got lucky and the rebuild was like 1.5 seasons. OKC has had two bad years... might have one more.

You get into the top 5 of next year's draft and you likely have a cornerstone piece for a rebuild. That's my biggest hope for Smith being convinced. Yeah, Vik would be great, but next year isn't a one prospect draft. A lot of people think Scoot Henderson is best PG prospect since Derrick Rose.

 

[Mongoose]

So the Millers sold the team to a guy who couldn't afford to run it.

Fantastic.

In most of the pictures I've seen of him, He cant even afford socks...

 

[YoungJefe]

You get into the top 5 of next year's draft and you likely have a cornerstone piece for a rebuild. That's my biggest hope for Smith being convinced. Yeah, Vik would be great, but next year isn't a one prospect draft. A lot of people think Scoot Henderson is best PG prospect since Derrick Rose.

Scoot Henderson, Nick Smith, and Dariq Whitehead are all fantastic prospects.

 

[Saint Cy of JFC]

Scoot Henderson, Nick Smith, and Dariq Whitehead are all fantastic prospects.

Whitmore and the twins in Overtime Elite. This draft is going to be one of the most athletic of all time potentially.

 

[infection]

So the Millers sold the team to a guy who couldn't afford to run it.

Fantastic.

The Millers need to step back in and buy for less than they sold it. They’ve got some leverage here. If Ryan sells to someone who moves it out of state, he’ll be the most hated man in Utah for quite some time. Decades.

 

[Handlogten's Heros]

Also some recent interviews with Andy Larsen or Eric Walden (can't remember who said) basically eluded to Smith being a broke boy after buying the team and the initial LT payments (hints why Utah wasn't willing to buy into the 2nd round). He might not really love the idea of tanking and looking like a failure, but it would ultimately save him money.

Just dropping out of the tax might be like a $30-40M proposition for Ryan this year... maybe more if he drops salary further. The tax distribution could be monstrous with GS and others digging to depths we have not seen before. How long does our playoff run have to be to net 30-40M?

The crazy **** is we still don't understand the math on buying a second rounder i guess. If you are in the tax the difference in salary and tax is $3M+ in savings and you don't look like a broke boy. Those picks changed hands for less than that.... and you give yourself a chance to hit on a pick. If it helps you duck the tax its worth so much more. We are a couple moves away from being under the tax and that was an easy one to help provide some margin.

The business of tanking was always something I thought would appeal to Ryan. The arena will still have fans... you can still sell hope and watching the next young player... saving $40-50M in salary covers for a lot of the decline in ticket sales. Valuation on the franchise still goes through the roof when the next tv deal hits.

 

[Handlogten's Heros]

The Millers need to step back in and buy for less than they sold it. They’ve got some leverage here. If Ryan sells to someone who moves it out of state, he’ll be the most hated man in Utah for quite some time. Decades.

He'd make a ton of money if he sold. He won't. The next tv deal hits and he makes a bunch more than he would have.

 

[Saint Cy of JFC]

Just dropping out of the tax might be like a $30-40M proposition for Ryan this year... maybe more if he drops salary further. The tax distribution could be monstrous with GS and others digging to depths we have not seen before. How long does our playoff run have to be to net 30-40M?

The crazy **** is we still don't understand the math on buying a second rounder i guess. If you are in the tax the difference in salary and tax is $3M+ in savings and you don't look like a broke boy. Those picks changed hands for less than that.... and you give yourself a chance to hit on a pick. If it helps you duck the tax its worth so much more. We are a couple moves away from being under the tax and that was an easy one to help provide some margin.

The business of tanking was always something I thought would appeal to Ryan. The arena will still have fans... you can still sell hope and watching the next young player... saving $40-50M in salary covers for a lot of the decline in ticket sales. Valuation on the franchise still goes through the roof when the next tv deal hits.

Doesn't help you save money if you just plan on tanking tho

 

[Saint Cy of JFC]

He'd make a ton of money if he sold. He won't. The next tv deal hits and he makes a bunch more than he would have.

NBA teams are cash cows. We don't even know the true extent of how much, but you can guarantee it's more than they let on with how much these teams sell for.