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Deng trade shakes up tanking raceWhich way will Bulls, Cavaliers go after All-Star forward shipped to Cleveland?
With Luol Deng in the fold, the Cavaliers may have booked a one-way ticket off the tanking landscape.
한 주에서 한 주로 넘어갈 때마다 Tank Rank가 좀 변덕스러운 면이 있다. 긴 원정 시리즈의 말미에 혹은 소속 스타 플레이어가 부상 당한 상황에서 강팀들을 연속으로 잡아낼 경우는 그 팀이 으례 있어야 할 성적보다 뻥튀기시켜 줄 수 있다.
이번 주의 경우 탱킹이 제대로 먹힌 경우가 있었다. 우리 랭킹의 탑 4가 합쳐서 0-15를 기록했던 것이다. 바로 이런 식의 일도 있을 수 있다.
그런데 이와는 반대로, 시카고 불스 같은 경우도 있다. 샐러리 구제를 위해 루올 뎅을 트레이드했고 부상으로 지미 버틀러를 잃은 후에도 이들은 꾸역꾸역 3-0 전적을 만들었다. 어디에선가 불스 GM 가 포맨과 랩터스 GM 마사이 유지리가 이렇게 외치고 있을 것이다, "우리가 지려면 무엇을 해야 한단 말인가?"
여기 NBA 최약체 10 팀들이 드래프트 넘버 원 픽을 향한 퀘스트에서 어디에 위치했는지 주간 관찰을 보도록 하자.
1. Milwaukee Bucks | Status: Tanking | Record: 7-29 (0-3 past week)
(Last week: 1 ) 2. Orlando Magic | Status: Tanking | Record: 10-27 (0-4)
매직은 일곱 경기 연속으로 패했고 아직도 맵스와의 원정 경기가 하나 더 남았다. 그래도 이것이 지나면 불스, 밥캣츠, 셀틱스를 상대하는 이길 만한 홈 경기들이 연속으로 배치돼 있다. 8 연패를 당할 수 있다는 점은 이 팀의 정신적 지주가 될 스타를 원하는 매직 팬들에겐 좋은 뉴스다. 나쁜 뉴스라면? 루키 빅터 올라디포가 3점슛에서 29 퍼센트를 성공시키고 있고 경기 당 턴오버에서 팀 선두라는 점. 이런 점은 당신이 (프랜차이즈 주춧돌은 커녕) 슈팅 가드라든가 포인트 가드에게서 바라는 사항이 아니다.
(Last week: 2 ) 3. Philadelphia 76ers | Status: Tanking | Record: 12-25 (0-4)
식서스는 2 주 전에 4 승을 줄줄이 낚더니만, 지난 주에는 또 연속으로 4 패를 당했다. 지금 리그에서 이보다 오락가락 분열 증세를 보이고 있는 팀도 없을 것 같다. 전에는 히트, 로켓츠, 너겟츠, 블레이져스 같은 위닝 팀들을 깨트렸으나 지난 한 주에만 저 밑에 있는 캡스, 피스톤즈, 닉스에게 패배를 당했다. 식서스는 자기들이 완전 언더독이 돼야 부담없이 플레이할 수 있나 보다.
(Last week: 5 ) 4. Boston Celtics | Status: ??? | Record: 13-25 (0-4)
이들 앞에 있는 세 팀들 모두 중심축으로 놓고 리빌딩할 수 있을 법한 젊은 선수를 적어도 하나 이상은 데리고 있다. 그런데 셀틱스는? 라존 론도가 저 빌딩 블락이 될 수도 있다. 하지만 론도는 2 월에 28 세가 되며, 과거에 케미스트리 이슈들을 보였던 적이 있고, NBA 계에서는 GM 대니 에인지가 그가 건강해지면 여러가지 자산을 얻는 데 그를 이용할 것이라는 생각들이 늘어나고 있다. 따라서 론도가 셀틱스의 미래 주춧돌이 될 가능성은 희박해 보인다.
당신이 에이브리 브래들리 혹은 자레드 설린저를 구원자로 생각하지 않는 이상, 방법은 그다지 없다. 미래의 올스타를 들이게 될 가장 높은 가능성이 드래프트이며 에인지도 이를 알고 있다.
(Last week: 7 ) 5. Utah Jazz | Status: Tanking | Record: 12-26 (1-1)
(Last week: 6 ) 6. L.A. Lakers | Status: Rebuilding | Record: 14-23 (0-4)
(Last week: 8 ) 7. Cleveland Cavaliers | Status: Trying | Record: 13-24 (2-1)
구단주 댄 길버트는 지금 미래를 희생시키고 있고 따라서 지금 플레이오프는 갈 수 있겠으나, 뎅은 이들을 우승 후보로 만들어 주진 못한다 (근처에도 못간다). 그리고 앤써니 베넷, 트리스탄 탐슨 또는 디온 웨이터스 중에 누군가가 갑자기 스타로 변신하지 않는 이상 미래의 유동성도 클 수가 없다.
(Last week: 3 ) 8. Sacramento Kings | Status: Rebuilding | Record: 13-22 (3-0)
(Last week: 4 ) 9. Charlotte Bobcats | Status: Trying | Record: 15-23 (0-3)
(Last week: NR ) 10. Chicago Bulls | Status: Tanking? | Record: 17-18 (3-0)
불스는 이번에도 또 멋진 주간을 보냈고, 지난 일곱 경기 중 여섯 번을 이겼다. 바이넘 방출 권리를 위해 뎅을 내보내고 버틀러는 또 다시 부상으로 빠졌다는 사실이 있음에도 이런 일이 일어난 것이다. 프론트 오피스는 뜻이 명확해 보인다: 불스는 탑 픽을 위한 후보가 되고 싶어 한다. 하지만 탐 티보듀가 코치하는 상황과 함께라면? 시카고는 계속하여 플레이오프 권에서 달리게 될 것이다. |
(Last week: 9 )
원문은 아래 더보기 클릭
From week to week, Tank Rank can be a little volatile. Catching good teams on back-to-backs, at the end of a long road trip or with its star player injured can really inflate a record past where it should be. This week, the tanking for the most part played to form -- our top four was a combined 0-15. That's how it's done. On the other hand, there's the Chicago Bulls, who traded Luol Deng for cap relief, lostJimmy Butler to an injury and still managed to go 3-0. Somewhere Bulls GM Gar Forman and Raptors GM Masai Ujiri are screaming, "What do we have to do to lose?" Here's our weekly look at where the 10 worst teams in the NBA stand in their quest for the No. 1 pick in the draft. 1. Milwaukee Bucks | Status: Tanking | Record: 7-29 (0-3 past week)What do you have to do to lose? Be the Bucks. Combine injuries, mediocre talent and iffy chemistry and you've got a strong formula for tanking. Right now there are only two things Bucks fans can really be excited about. One, they are looking like the favorites to win the No. 1 pick -- regardless of what happens the rest of the season. Two, rookie Giannis Antetokounmpo may be the most talented player in this season's rookie class. Pair him with another potential superstar and the Bucks' future will start looking very promising for the first time in a long time. (Last week: 1 ) 2. Orlando Magic | Status: Tanking | Record: 10-27 (0-4)The Magic have lost seven straight and still have one more road game against the Mavs before getting a string of winnable home games against the Bulls, Bobcats and Celtics. Getting potentially eight straight losses is the good news for Magic fans who are hoping for a star to anchor this team. The bad news? Rookie Victor Oladipo is shooting 29 percent from 3 and leads the team in turnovers per game. That's not what you want from either a 2-guard or a point guard -- let alone your franchise cornerstone. (Last week: 2 ) 3. Philadelphia 76ers | Status: Tanking | Record: 12-25 (0-4)The Sixers rattled off four wins in a row two weeks ago, but they followed it up with four losses in a row this past week. Not sure there's any team in the league more schizophrenic right now. They've beaten winning teams like the Heat, Rockets, Nuggets and Blazers in the past but lost to the lowly Cavs, Pistons and Knicks this past week alone. The Sixers may play freer the heavier the underdogs they are. (Last week: 5 ) 4. Boston Celtics | Status: ??? | Record: 13-25 (0-4)The Celtics have lost eight straight and suddenly look back on the tanking track after making a surprising surge at the playoffs a few weeks ago. They need the losses more than any of the teams in the top four. All three of the teams ahead of them have at least one young player they can conceivably build around. The Celtics? Rajon Rondo could be that building block. But he turns 28 in February, has posed chemistry issues in the past and there is an increasing belief among NBA circles that GM Danny Ainge will use him, once healthy, to get multiple assets back. So the chances that he's the Celtics' cornerstone moving forward look slim. Unless you think Avery Bradley or Jared Sullinger is a savior, the cupboard is pretty bare. The draft is their best chance at landing a future All-Star and Ainge knows it. (Last week: 7 ) 5. Utah Jazz | Status: Tanking | Record: 12-26 (1-1)The Jazz are the worst team in the Western Conference but only rank fifth here. If that doesn't tell you something about the current state of the East, I'm not sure what does. Utah continues to clean up on the cellar dwellers and struggles against the league's elite. But given how inconsistent so many teams are this season, that could guarantee the Jazz a .500 record the rest of the way. (Last week: 6 ) 6. L.A. Lakers | Status: Rebuilding | Record: 14-23 (0-4)The Lakers are just 1-10 in their past 11. With the exception of a home win versus the Jazz, they've been beaten up by the contenders in the West, but also have bad losses to the Bucks and Sixers at home. The team starts a seven-game trip Wednesday, and while they do play a few bad teams during that stretch (the Celtics and Magic are the two most winnable games), it's totally conceivable that the Lakers could be on a 1-18 slide heading into the last day of January. (Last week: 8 ) 7. Cleveland Cavaliers | Status: Trying | Record: 13-24 (2-1)After rising to No. 3 in Tank Rank last week, the Cavs made their big move for the playoffs by trading Andrew Bynum to the Bulls for Luol Deng. The deal helps the Cavs in the short term. It probably puts them into the playoffs and off this Tank Rank in a month or two. Deng's a selfless, hardworking guy who is going help defensively. But as a long-term play, I'm less impressed. Deng turns 29 in April and is going to require the Cavs to fork over major dollars to re-sign him this summer, thus limiting their ability to make other moves. He's going to knock the Cavs from about an 8 percent chance of winning the lottery and a 90 percent chance of grabbing one of the top five picks, to a late lottery or mid-first round pick. Owner Dan Gilbert is sacrificing the future so he can get to the playoffs now, but Deng doesn't make them a championship contender -- not even close -- and doesn't leave them a lot of flexibility for the future unless Anthony Bennett, Tristan Thompson or Dion Waiterssuddenly turns into a star. (Last week: 3 ) 8. Sacramento Kings | Status: Rebuilding | Record: 13-22 (3-0)The last time the Kings won three in a row was during a three-game stretch in early December ... 2012. DeMarcus Cousins is playing great. Isaiah Thomas has been spectacular at times. Rudy Gay has shot 62 percent from the field and 46 percent from 3 in his five games. Nevertheless, the Kings' playoff goal is still woefully out of reach. Based on John Hollinger's Playoff Odds, the Kings, despite a 3-0 week, have less than a 1 percent chance of making the playoffs. (Last week: 4 ) 9. Charlotte Bobcats | Status: Trying | Record: 15-23 (0-3)A few weeks ago, some were lauding Bobcats coach Steve Clifford as a coach of the year candidate. Oops. The Bobcats have won just one game in their past nine. While the Bobcats still have a decent shot at making the playoffs (23.9 percent according to Hollinger's odds), there's nothing about this team that screams special. The top half of the lottery seems like such a better shot for the Bobcats to truly become a contender in the East. (Last week: NR ) 10. Chicago Bulls | Status: Tanking? | Record: 17-18 (3-0)The Bulls had a another great week, winning six of their past seven. This comes despite the fact that they swapped Deng for the right to waive Bynum and then lost Butler with another injury. The front office direction seems clear: The Bulls want to be contenders for the top pick. But with the way Tom Thibodeau coaches? Chicago may still make a run in the playoffs. (Last week: 9 )
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