And the winner is...???

[Ryan, Patrick S Maj RES USAFR 439 MSG]

Ugh.  Hey, look it's 1997 redux. So what's the consensus around these here
parts - not that we have much choice as the injuries have killed our little
gained momentum of just over a week ago.  The question du jour, same as the
question then - which is nobler - failure through which acquiring success
MAY be had or failure through which success MAY be had?  Sounds like I'm
repeating myself, but the choices are actually different.

 

The first is the aspect of trading at the deadline because perhaps the
Atlantic Division could be won with a 30 and 52 record.  Who is expendable
NOW? Do we keep Jefferson after his productive streak? Green? Have they
shown enough to 1) keep or 2) gain enough trade value to be worth anything
seen as an upgrade?

 

The second is a total tank job - heck even potentially trading El Capitan -
to maximize that "MAY" word in the Oden/Noah sweepstakes. Are the top 3
picks good enough to be game changers a la Duncan (wherein the third pick
WAS NOT for another 7 years or so worthy of MVP and Title consideration)? 

 

I frankly don't know.  I voted to tank that year - wholeheartedly championed
the "Lose to Win" mentality and was left bereft at the behest of a ping ball
(For want of a ball, the Duncan was lost?).  I dunno if I could sit through
such shenanigans again.  I was so drained of any "fanaticism" that year I
almost didn't watch the Cs again (living in San Antonio at the time and
watching the Spurs title from the Alamo Dome was a nice diversion), I came
back thinking my twisted allegiance an affront to true fandom (that and I
moved back to New England - Bill Simmons "real" fan rules be damned).

 

And now I'm stuck having to make the same damn decision again after long
years of no change.  So what is a tortured fan to do - do I root to lose or
root to win what may be a pyrrhic victory? Decisions like these simply suck.