Raphael Gang

Personal account where you can hear about the @PelicansNBA, New Orleans (former home), and Minneapolis (new home). For education takes, follow @raphaelgangedu

[Raphael Gang @raphaelgang]

@DillySanders Had great experience with https://t.co/4qhZUHDQ5q

[Raphael Gang @raphaelgang]

My 7yo from the basement: CAN I HAVE STRAWBERRIES PLEASE??!!!

Me (thinking): This feels familiar.

[Raphael Gang @raphaelgang]

@SWV_Melissa @sarasfreeman123 @EdAlliesMN @StribLonetree @MaraKlecker

[Raphael Gang @raphaelgang]

Minneapolis and St. Paul

[Marc Porter Magee 🎓 @marcportermagee]

The NYT has a great tool out this morning where you can visualize the changes in reading in math scores in your district

[Raphael Gang @raphaelgang]

My plan to reduce tanking and incentivize winning.

@FearTheBrown @ZachLowe_NBA @RobMahoney @MoDakhil_NBA @NoTechBen @JustEsBaraheni @NateDuncanNBA @NekiasNBA @MichaelVPina @KeithSmithNBA @johnhollinger @ryenarussillo @DaveDuFourNBA @KevinOConnor @talkhoops @ProPelsTalk

[Raphael Gang @raphaelgang]

If the goal is a competitive product every night, here’s a different model:

Stop rewarding losing.

Start rewarding winning.

Across every tier of the standings.

7/n

[Raphael Gang @raphaelgang]

These are all bad options. Somehow, they actually widen the number of teams (#1 and 3) incentivized to tank over longer periods of time (#2). Very disappointing that the @nba still can't come up with solutions that incentivize winning, not just avoid tanking.

[Shams Charania @ShamsCharania]

The NBA presented three comprehensive anti-tanking concepts to its Board of Governors on Wednesday, with modifications expected to each before a formal vote in May, per ESPN sources.

1. 18 teams in draft lottery (seeds 7-15 in each conference) – flattened odds, with bottom 10 teams having an 8% chance, the remaining 20% odds distributed in decreasing order for 11 through 18, and and a lottery drawing for all 18 picks.

2) 22 teams in lottery using 2-year record (seeds 7-15, plus the four playoff first round exits in both conferences). Lottery teams would reach a minimum win total floor in each season, such as 25 wins. If a team falls short of the floor, it gets slotted to meet the floor. Top 4 drawn as part of lottery, as is currently.

3) 18 teams in a "5 by 5" lottery – bottom 5 teams have equal odds for the top pick, with lottery formed for picks 1-5. Bottom 5 teams have a floor at 10; those that fall out of top 5 get sorted in a separate drawing.

[Raphael Gang @raphaelgang]

Everyone keeps talking about the moves that the team needs to make. But every move they’ve made to date has been terrible (don’t get me started on giving Jose away). No more moves! Just keep what we have and let them be mediocre/average with internal improvement.

[Justin @ProPelsTalk]

Being mentioned twice in the top 4 is impressive

[Raphael Gang @raphaelgang]

PS. I say this as someone who worked in gov't and ran processes the exact same way. Respect to the City for having a nice website for the project though.

[Raphael Gang @raphaelgang]

I was talking to a friend about how @CityMinneapolis (like many gov's) does this thing where they ask for "feedback", but that that process is designed so that they can justify a decision they've already made. Case in point, the New Nicollet.

https://t.co/dCH3ivjEtZ

1/n

[Raphael Gang @raphaelgang]

Anyway, I liked the Trellis proposal better. More housing the retail plan seems better thought out.

8/8

[Raphael Gang @raphaelgang]

Such an incredibly fun team and Rondo was such a perfect fit for what they needed. I still have my @boogiecousins bobblehead.

[Brett Usher @UsherNBA]

Rajon Rondo Pelicans dime reel

[Raphael Gang @raphaelgang]

@ProPelsTalk @FearTheBrown @joelvenile @NOLAJake @adaniels33 @CoachCyp_NOLA @WillGuillory @FletcherWDSU @relmyers @RodWalkerNola

[Raphael Gang @raphaelgang]

I spent the last few hours talking to ChatGPT about various solutions for the tanking question, with a focus on solutions that incentivize organizational competence and all teams trying to win as many games as possible. Here's what we came up with:

1/n

[Raphael Gang @raphaelgang]

This is the best I could come up with.

Where am I wrong?

Am I just making my own set of bad assumptions about the behavior of teams?

19/19