The Grizzlies' slaughter of the Warriors was no longer enough to be treated as major news by the media.
After all, the Warriors' 2-12 record before facing the Grizzlies had already made clear their level and position this season.
Before the Grizzlies, the Warriors had already been battered bloody by the Spurs, Thunder, Clippers, and several other teams. This was hardly their first heavy defeat of the season.
The Warriors losing badly to the Grizzlies was perfectly normal. If the Grizzlies had struggled to win and the game had been fiercely contested, that would have been abnormal instead.
Besides, there was nothing particularly shameful about the Warriors losing to the Grizzlies this season.
In fact, choosing to tank this season was the option that best maximized the Warriors' interests.
The Warriors' tanking was different from that of a true rebuilding team.
Their core was still there; they simply could not play for the time being. Once Curry and Thompson returned next season, the Warriors would immediately rejoin the title race.
Therefore, the Warriors did not need to go through a long tanking and rebuilding process. They only needed to secure a high draft pick this season to strengthen their roster right away.
Indeed, not every high draft pick could produce results in his first year, much less perform directly in the playoffs.
However, high draft picks had another use: their enormous trade value could be exchanged for proven talent.
If the Warriors could use that pick to acquire a near-superstar, their roster would become terrifying once again.
Next season, after Link was gone, the Warriors would absolutely have the ability to set their sights directly on the championship!
So, the Warriors choosing to tank this season brought more benefits than drawbacks. Since they could not compete with Link, they might