NBA discussion creating a tourney for bad teams to avoid tanking & determine draft order

That's the best take I've seen on this topic.

Also, they need some rules to stop superstars forcing their ways out of small market teams to go to the big markets.

 

I like Rachel's idea plus this comment I saw in response to the proposed ideas...

"Among teams that don't make the playoffs, the one with the best record among them gets the most lottery balls."

Well, maybe not exactly that, but skew the odds more toward the top half of the non-playoff teams than the bottom. And maybe you make it so that a team can't have a top 5 pick multiple years in a row.

With this, if a team tries to tank, they
1. Will not get the best odds at a top 3 pick
2. Can't suck multiple years in a row and expect a high draft pick, and also have the threat being forced to sell if they sustain losing

 

All I know is, I just looked at the box score for the Wizards/Pacers game and I bet not many on here could name one player that actually played minuted without looking it up.

 

How are you going to confirm that a team is tanking though to fine them regularly? So a team barely missing the playoffs has a key player out to due to stress on his legs or whatnot and that's fine but a key player out for a bottom of the line team with the same issue could be fined?

Tanking is not the issue in sports. It gives the fans something to root for with hope on the future.

 

Also, does the league realize that since 2018 (new lottery rules) that 4 teams (outside of Utah last year and GS the Covid year) have had the worst record in the league in their given year and all are doing very well this year.

Det (2x) = 41-13
Hou (2x) = 34-20
NY = 35-21
Pho = 32-24

Even GS has a winning record if you wanted to count their Covid year.

What this does is create parity in the league which is exactly what they want. So why not allow a handful of teams (meaning 4 or 5) to blow a tire at the end of the season to go for a top 3 pick? It's good for the game.

In 2021 the worst 6 teams were Houston, Detroit, Orlando, Cleveland, OKC and Minnesota

All 6 of those teams right now are in playoff contention with home-court advantage

Houston = 34-20
Detroit = 41-13
Orlando = 29-25
Cleveland = 36-21
OKC = 43-14
Minnesota = 35-22

While the top 6 teams that year were Utah, Pho, Phil, LAC, Den, Mil

Only Utah is a bottom 6 team this year while the rest are at least fringe playoff teams still.

 

Am I slow or something. This is dumb.

Just make the lottery truly random. No weights whatsoever. 14 ping pong balls, one per non-playoff team. Draw it LIVE, no stupid envelopes.

Now there is no incentive to lose.

What am I missing?

 

This is what the top tier teams want and the NBA is catering to them. Imagine being the Bucks this year with Giannis injured and instead of bombing out to get a top pick all you have to do is miss the playoffs to have an equal shot at it. This would reward good teams on the fringe as they would normally do no better in the draft than mid teens but now have a great shot at a generational talent.

The losers of this would be the bad teams that can't catch a break to help rewrite their future.

Tanking was never the issue as it only effected a few teams a year (bottom feeding teams in that). However, the powers that be deemed it evil and have chosen to fix it at all costs. Kind of like a company deciding those who show up to work a minute late from lunch are now fined or fired because THAT is the issue they've chosen to fight. It's trivial at best and blindsidedly stupid.

 

lol

 

Ainge pulling up to Lauris place right now

 

Oh well.....too bad so sad.......I am for whatever it takes to ruin tanking.

DD

 

Link

We are going to fix it, full stop," said Silver during Wednesday's press conference.

"Incentives need to be fixed and we will fix them."

Silver said that while the competition committee will discuss reforms, the decision on how to reduce tanking will be made at an ownership level as there are economic ramifications along with on-court ones.

"It has become almost impossible to distinguish between a tank and a rebuild," said Silver. "There's such a subtlety when incentives don't match."

Silver is expecting more dramatic changes to the lottery system than the incremental changes the league has previously made.

 

I still have similar opinion. Unless your own team is the tanking team, I don't think most actual fans care much if ANOTHER team is tanking. Fans just see those bad teams as "easy tune-up win for MY team"

Even when your own team is tanking, its generally understood as an intentional strategy. And not as "not giving a f**k" about the sport itself. Even the statistically worst ever loser coach Stephen Silas with zero ability was following a plan.

But as long as records determine draft odds, what stops a team from just intentionally signing bad players who have no chance of winning even with best effort?

The only way to motivate a team from not wanting to lose, is make all players and coaches contracts NOT GUARANTEED. That they only get paid if they win, and they don't get paid when they lose. Real financial pain. Or a relegation system where if your team loses too much, its sent down the G-League & not eligible for bigger honors. Detention hall that you can't even be a part of the league at all.

 

Before SCHN+ when I watched more teams, it just can be brutal trying to watch tanking teams. I typically like watching young players, but it can be tough when one of those guys is on a tanking team. Also, tanking isn't even. It sucks when a team is in a tight race, and your opponents' opponents decide the season is over and tank. People made fun of the Process, but at least they tanked all year...or at least it seemed like they did.

I like watching basketball. When I go to a game, I typically avoid tanking teams. Sometimes it's difficult to fit in going to a game into my schedule that is a good game.

 

Priorities are clearly in the right place...sarcasm.