ESPN insiders make laughable prediction for Spurs next season

The word 'tank' is overused in sports and needs to be exiled from usage unless the situation is undeniably obvious. People have a never-ending desire for a rational explanation when things don't make sense. Sometimes the simplest answer is the correct one. It's been said repeatedly that last season, the San Antonio Spurs did not intend to lose on purpose. They had higher expectations for the season, and Brian Wright said as much.

The Spurs just miscalculated how good the team would be and the season went awry from the very beginning. The Jeremy Sochan point guard experiment was not intentional sabotage. It was to see if the team could develop Sochan's playmaking ability and build an advantage in size with pieces already on the roster. It just didn't work out, and the result of these missteps was a terrible season, but people seem to think that San Antonio was content with losing last season and will continue to be.

The Spurs are making efforts to improve the team right now

If San Antonio wanted to tank, they would have used the eighth pick in the draft on a young player who probably wouldn't be ready to contribute to winning basketball at any significant level. Instead, they added vets that can help the team right now. The Spurs were in a lot of games last year. Veterans help you close the deal in late-game situations. Closing was a problem for the team for the majority of the season; adding Chris Paul makes a radical difference in how your team will look at the end of games.

Harrison Barnes is a steady player, and knowing what you'll get from a guy on a night-to-night basis is valuable. These guys are also forgetting a major factor here, and that's Coach Gregg Popovich. He'll have to remind everyone what happens when you give him a good team. He was the steward of a 20-year run of playoff appearances. Acting like he is going to be okay with more losing is an absurdity.

Everyone keeps talking about how good next year's draft is supposed to be, but there are no guarantees in sports. It's unlikely the Spurs would be bad enough to get the top pick, and if the draft is as deep as people say it is, a potential four first-round picks should get the job done next summer without sacrificing another season. Not to mention, this offseason isn't over. The Silver and Black can still make more additions to the roster, so let's pump the brakes on declaring that a tank year is incoming.