Welcome to the 1st edition of Talking Tank. Today we have GM Tani here to bring you some of his thoughts before the first sim of the 2003-2004 SLOe season. I'll ask Tani about some teams and he will give his thoughts if they should tank or not.
So Tani, what do you think about the idea of the Indiana Pacers tanking this season?
Tani: "I don't think this team should tank, as I think they could secure a decent playoff seeding. Paul Pierce is the man, and Magloire had a great camp and looks like the established C I felt the Pacers needed. Okur can play the stretch PF position now as well, so I feel they have a starting lineup that can compete. It will require tinkering with the gameplan, but Pauly is an underrated GM, who is near the top of total wins by a GM in the league. I think this team can fly under the radar and claim a spot in the Eastern playoffs."
I also agree that Pauly is a very underrated GM and the Pacers are on the track back up. So now give us your thoughts on the Denver Nuggets Tani.
Tani: "There is Wade and Korver, and after that a whole lot of nothing. Korver exploded in preseason, leading the team in PPG, and Wade showed off his passing ability. Superstar-in-waiting Wade is still raw, so this team won't find many wins easily available, which is what the Nuggets prefer. After seasons of trading future assets for win-now pieces, the GM decided to rebuild slowly through the drafts. This team will compete with the Pistons for the worst overall record."
Wade should end up with another alpha after this season. Next up Tani we have the Minnesota Timberwolves, please give us your thoughts.
Tani: "This team is so young and full of talent up front. Bosh, Scola and Prince will be a headache down the road, but for now they are really undeveloped. The Wolves also have the Hornets pick this season, so they are sitting pretty heading into the 2004 draft. A team like the Wolves could try to compete, but they won't go far due to their lack of present talent in the frontcourt. The Wolves will be a team likely to end in the bottom 3, unless their newly acquired PG Watson can help the offense score."
I will say this much, it will be exciting to see this team play. Ok well moving on we have the much talked about Detroit Pistons.
Tani: "Probably the worst team in terms of talent currently, the new GM Runningback has a lot of work to do. Unfortunately, this isn't all on the lack of activity from the previous owner. The new GM quickly gained the league's attention when he traded away Posey for basically the Suns 04 pick. This was a poor trade, as the chances the Pistons get a talent like posey with that pick just to make this an equal trade are slim. To be fair, the Suns didn't look that great in preseason, but.... it's preseason. This team should tank, only because there isn't another choice to not be this bad."
Sorry Pistons fans but TrayWithAnA isn't walking through those doors anytime soon, just pray for a reappearance of Ballsohard. And finally Tani we have a controversial team, the Seattle Supersonics under the leadership of the always outspoken Darth.
Tani: "This is tough, not because of the team, but because of the owner. Darth can do whatever he wants to plan on doing, and he is one of the best at flipping a team, either by destroying it or building it. He has dropped hints that Alonzo will be on the move, but nothing else has been mentioned in terms of what he wants to get in return. Anything is possible with the team, as the talent is still there. However, with the moving of Van Exel, I took that as the first step of a rebuild. The preseason made the team look much worse than it is, and Darth is an experienced gameplanner-on-the-fly thanks to his activity in trades. If Darth wants to tank, it will be glorious, and I think that's what will happen."Well there you have it folks, I hope you enjoyed the 1st edition of Tank Tank. I want to thank Tani for putting up with me and my questions. Take care and God Bless the United States of America.
