Straight shooting Hinkie strategy not tanking
Let’s cut to the chase. There are two versions of rebuilding which are lumped into “tanking”. On one hand, there is a true “tank”. This is a team struggling to attain and maintain a record of wins and losses which achives a 50-50 plateau. The team is heavy on veterans with expensive contracts but limited upside in the future. And most of all, the team’s current trend is downwards.
On the other hand, there is a strategic future-focused team. The goal with this entity does not hinge on one draft class, but on draft picks. It’s the team’s willingness to “pan” the NBA draft and undrafted players for gold nugget elite players. While this panning for superstars often leaves a current roster less able to compete, that is not necessarily the case. It’s simply teams which had fallen to needing a rebuild which stand out as “tanking”. But they are not tanking. These teams pursue multiple draft picks in the future.
Houston and Boston trusted their process
If Sam Hinkie had some draft picks, some salary cap space, and some productive players, much like the Houston Rocket of his origins, or the Boston Celtics did after that Keven Garnett which crippled the Brooklyn Nets, no word would be spokent. In both cases, teams with a supply of resources converted those assets on a gamble. The Rockets traded picks and players for James Harden. The Celtics traded known veteran assets for a truckload of future draft picks.
They employed a similar strategy as Sam Hinkie. But they were already successful. They were already teams in the “haves” group. And in the NBA, they judge motivation based on the team’s win loss record. If you are playing poorly, they discourage trying to gamble your way to improvement. True tanking is tactical, not a strategic rapid auditioning of NBA talent.