The Ditch part deux

You can't fault teams for going full rebuild, the problem is that not every team can survive it. What would you expect LA and Anaheim to do going forward?
I suspect they'll trade away their vets for picks and prospects with putting a few on an untouchable list.

 

C'mon.....name a jersey that honestly looks better than the Chief .

There are a lot of other jerseys I like a lot.....I've always liked the Mapleleafs...especially the white sweater. I hate the St. Louis Cardinals but their home uniform is a classic. The old school Bulls red uni with Chicago written in cursive is great. Redwings, Fightin Irish football uniform, Cowboys, Yankees, and Cubs home uniform.....all classic.

But there's only 1 that ever deserves to be called the best.

 

Impossible call...

Even if you limited it down to one sport, at one level, I'd still struggle to pick just one.

 

I already made the decision for you. Just go with it.

I have to do the same for my wife when we eat out anywhere.

 

Tanking for picks and building through the draft is tough in any sport, especially if you have a non-committal owner or you are constantly making changes to the front office.

You have to be patient, know that you will suck and deal with the media/fan fallout.

Most owners don't have the stones for it.

It actually works better with owners that are clueless to the day to day activities of the team, because they can't meddle with the process, lol.

 

ok VV. I just don't think this current flyers team could beat any team that makes the playoffs. im talking a 4-0, 4-1 series ass kicking. i know it's a lottery. i know the flyers made an insane jump to get the great Nolan Patrick (jk). to me winning all these games is great. for this season, i would rather have the higher draft pick no matter what pick it is.

 

The biggest issue I have with tanking teams is that some teams tank with a purpose and a goal....see the Cubs when they brought in Theo Epstein. They definitely tanked...but with a future goal of winning again and it worked.

And while some teams may not reach that goal....they do have the goal in mind and work towards it...they get better over time.

Other teams (See - Chicago Bulls for a good example) simply tank with no clear no goals...no clear path to reach any goals...and simply pocket a lot of profits while the on the field/court/ice product simply sucks.

 

I cannot agree to these terms.

I could probably rattle off 5 jerseys from any of the 4 major sports in under 30 seconds, and give the era that I prefer.

And that's before I get to the Jacksonville Bulls...

 

I don't think the Blackhawks can honestly win a 7 game series against any team in the West.

But I'm 100% on board with them making a playoff push like they are currently doing.

The fear of losing in the playoffs shouldn't deter you from wanting your team to be there.

 

One of the best football helmets ever.

 

And at the time, most of the fans in Chicago were screaming that the Cubs were tanking for cash, not for purpose.

It takes a lot of intestinal fortitude to see that through, knowing that it may never pay off.

 

The coyotes survive on just spending to the cap floor and cbj just can't afford to tank.. Tanking is not what it was in 1984 when the pens took mario. The lottery has kind of made it a shitty thing to attempt.
You need to bottom feed talent a few years to get strong quality. Most times it's not by design, the team just sucks. The only question is do you draft at #5 or #10.

 

You also have to leverage your cap so that when you do get the opportunity to put young, talented players on the ice you can parlay the money you saved into talented, veteran free agents that round out the roster and make you competitive quickly.

 

Theo also drafted well and reaped huge benefits by trading Chapman to the Yankees and other deals he made. He was able to turn the Cubs around quickly and stock them for years to come with some swift and bold moves. In Boston, he acquired key FA and had buckets of money to spend. In Chicago, he had to work to change the team's fortunes around. It wasn't overnight either. He is the master at making a trade and finding that coal prospect turn into a gem!

 

The problem is with top nhl free agents is they usually won't sign with a non- playoff team. No way JT signs if matthews and marner aren't there. So, you sign mediocre free agents that might help you finish #23 instead of #29th.

 

to me and the Flyers, Hughes is not a generational talent to change the Flyers success if they were to draft him like Mario, McDavid, Crosby, Lindros or Matthews. However, knowing the team as I do, they have a lot of holes in their 3rd and 4th lines. A player like Hughes, after some maturing and growth, could only help the Flyers. that's why i wanted him or the hope and chance of drafting him. maybe my wishing on tanking was wrong and this was Will's and VV's stance yesterday. to me their current win streak is a nice story, but they still have a lot of ground to make up to even make the playoffs and get their asses handed to them when and if they make it.

 

Yes a lot of us said that and when your team essentially tanks for the good part of a century....you will too.

But there's really no doubt, in hindsight for many, that the team brass had a goal. They had a path for that goal and they took it.

I don't think every team that tanks....and not all teams that lose a lot are tanking....has those same goals. And some that do have goals have no clear structured path or idea on how to achieve them.

 

Epstein is definitely a Hall of Fame executive.

 

You can add quality veteran talent without chasing down high priced unicorns, and if you drafted well you should be able to add complimentary pieces instead of going all in on one or two big names.

 

It all starts with drafting really well.

Outside of the NBA....I think this is true in every sport.

Baseball, football, and hockey...if you can't draft, you're screwed.