The issue isn't the idea of getting the best lottery position we can get if we can't make the playoffs. I think everyone understands that the Lakers have a pick that is in serious jeopardy if we have a somewhat decent record. That is a negative come the end of the season. The issue is actively rooting to lose and/or throwing games. That is the issue as I see it. I am an optimist I rather believe in the slim chance we can win than watch believing we will lose. I want my team to play their best and finish with the best record they could have gotten. I hear people complaining when a team makes the 8th spot cause "we were just good enough to get in but not win a championship." That doesn't work for me. If we can get 8th then I want us to fight for 8th. If we are eliminated from playoff contention then I am all for giving the younger guys more burn to test them for next season if we keep them. I can be alone on this opinion and thats fine with me. I rather be a fan like this personally.
I think you're far from alone. I would say most fans don't WANT the team to do bad enough to get a Top 5 pick. I think there's just a rationality about it, that's all. We all know this team isn't a contender. From the couches and offices it's easy to say "well if you're not great, you should try to be awful" but I don't want my players to feel that way. My position all along has been: we're not very good, so we should get the pick if we can BUT I still want to see this team fight. I don't want to watch losers play basketball. That's not the Laker way. So sure, these guys might end up losing because they're not talented enough, but I want to see that team fight every single night to TRY to win. Scott included. If they give up during the season and stop trying to win, they're not worth keeping around here. I'd rather watch a team full of Derek Fishers than a team full of Carmelo Anthonys.
Magic: "Congrats on passing MJ on the scoring list Kobe, but dangit couldn't you have lost the game at the same time??"
