Adam Silver says NBA monitoring 'serious' tanking issue, claims they considered introducing relegation

[SchoolboyC]

yeah, that doesnt really work overall. It doesnt help TV (who is paying the lion's share of the money), nor your local fans (like season tickets holders like myself), nor anyone who is picking a one off game to see Zion or LeBron or Steph to play since they come to your town one time a year.

All of your local sponsors, and fans arent just going with 'whats the point'. The ticket prices that these teams are charging are not 'whats the point' pricing.
Then why does the teams play at all?

When you buy tickets is Zion Williamson’s name on it or the New Orleans Pelicans? Is Zion Williamson’s name on the TV deal or the New Orleans Pelicans?

Idk, to each their own but to me if a team season’s goes off the rails I don’t think there’s a problem with saying “We’re not going to make the playoffs, so let’s try to get our draft odds as high as possible”

Is it convenient for everyone in the short term, no. But is there a potential benefit down the line, yes.

 

[beenz]

Also it’s a bit ironic that when this thread was made OKC and Houston were the two tanking teams the basketball world was fed up with, now they’re the top two seeds in the West. You think their front offices regret tanking?

I don't recall OKC tanking. they went from & KD to and PG-13, then moved on from those assets to get SGA and a ton of picks. traded CP3 to the suns for a 1st rounder as well.

the years the thunder were bad, they were simply playing their young guys and stacking picks.

 

[beenz]

Celtics dynasty would continued into the 90s if #2 pick Bias aint OD.

also reggie lewis died of a heart attack in his prime and he was an all star at the time.

 

[beenz]

Whenever there's a perceived generational talent, this will be how the end of seasons look for a lot of teams with a lottery system in place.

if it were set up like the NFL, the bottom teams would really get flagrant with the tanking/load management/injuries.

they'd be pulling jontay porter's and what not.

 

[charknicks]

When you buy tickets is Zion Williamson’s name on it or the New Orleans Pelicans? Is Zion Williamson’s name on the TV deal or the New Orleans Pelicans?

Idk, to each their own but to me if a team season’s goes off the rails I don’t think there’s a problem with saying “We’re not going to make the playoffs, so let’s try to get our draft odds as high as possible”

Is it convenient for everyone in the short term, no. But is there a potential benefit down the line, yes.

I will let you answer your own unserious question. You are a Celtics fan. Are you paying the same to see Tatum and Brown play as you are to see the Celtics without Tatum and Brown play?

If we were paying for the team name, then every ticket, no matter the team, would cost the same price. But we all know thats not the case. Its based on the stars playing.

Also, when do fans/customers see this potential benefit? There is a finite end to a money train. Stars play less, advertising pays less cause less people watching. And so on, so forth.

 

[Dilltastic VolWon(derful)]

Whole Eastern Conference is tanking aside from the playoff teams Silver is awful

And have direct partnerships with betting companies.

David Stern is rolling over his grave

 

[Damnshow]

You can't fix tanking.

10 teams go to lottery. You give them equal chances at 1st pick they will still try losing games to stay out of 10th place. This years eastern conference is a prime example of that where raps and nets were losing games just so the bulls could not drop out of play-in places even though bulls themselves would've preferred a lotto pick.

 

[GoldenGlove]

if it were set up like the NFL, the bottom teams would really get flagrant with the tanking/load management/injuries.

they'd be pulling jontay porter's and what not.

That system would make tanking worse in the NBA, we'll have to see what they come up with tho

 

[SchoolboyC]

I don't recall OKC tanking. they went from & KD to and PG-13, then moved on from those assets to get SGA and a ton of picks. traded CP3 to the suns for a 1st rounder as well.

the years the thunder were bad, they were simply playing their young guys and stacking picks.

That 20-21 season they benched SGA & Al Horford after the ASG and were running lineups with Theo Maledon as the #1 option, in what world was that a team trying to win games

They were losing games by 50+ throwing out G-League caliber lineups

They were literally benching SGA with phantom injuries to increase their odds of losing no different than what Philly or Utah are doing this season

I will let you answer your own unserious question. You are a Celtics fan. Are you paying the same to see Tatum and Brown play as you are to see the Celtics without Tatum and Brown play?

If we were paying for the team name, then every ticket, no matter the team, would cost the same price. But we all know thats not the case. Its based on the stars playing.

Also, when do fans/customers see this potential benefit? There is a finite end to a money train. Stars play less, advertising pays less cause less people watching. And so on, so forth.

I pay to see the Celtics play every year they come to Houston regardless of who is in the lineup. Now sure as a fan am I more excited to see them the play the better that they are? Of course. I’m not discounting that.

They see the benefit when they get the draft pick/young player they wanted. You think Spurs fans look back at that 2022-23 season saying “I wish they tried harder to win games in March and April “

In a perfect world every team would go all out all 82. But under the current system it’s not practical for every team and as long as we have a draft that incentivizes losing that will be the case.

 

[Peruvian Connect]

You can't fix tanking.

10 teams go to lottery. You give them equal chances at 1st pick they will still try losing games to stay out of 10th place. This years eastern conference is a prime example of that where raps and nets were losing games just so the bulls could not drop out of play-in places even though bulls themselves would've preferred a lotto pick.

you can fix it, Stop rewarding losing, keep the lottery but the teams with the most wins gets the most balls. 15 wins a ball. You need at least 30 wins to get 2 balls.

 

[Nero Christ]

The way to stop tanking is simple…get rid of the draft and the age limit to enter the league.

Owners won’t go for that tho as that would put a dent in owning a sports team being a guaranteed money maker

 

[SchoolboyC]

The way to stop tanking is simple…get rid of the draft and the age limit to enter the league.

Owners won’t go for that tho as that would put a dent in owning a sports team being a guaranteed money maker

It’s the elephant in the room

Either make the draft order 1-30 completely random or eliminate it altogether

Other than that if losing more gets better draft position, teams will do that

 

[Mantis Toboggan M.D.]

The way to stop tanking is simple…get rid of the draft and the age limit to enter the league.

Owners won’t go for that tho as that would put a dent in owning a sports team being a guaranteed money maker

That 20-21 season they benched SGA & Al Horford after the ASG and were running lineups with Theo Maledon as the #1 option, in what world was that a team trying to win games

They were losing games by 50+ throwing out G-League caliber lineups

They were literally benching SGA with phantom injuries to increase their odds of losing no different than what Philly or Utah are doing this season



I pay to see the Celtics play every year they come to Houston regardless of who is in the lineup. Now sure as a fan am I more excited to see them the play the better that they are? Of course. I’m not discounting that.

They see the benefit when they get the draft pick/young player they wanted. You think Spurs fans look back at that 2022-23 season saying “I wish they tried harder to win games in March and April “

In a perfect world every team would go all out all 82. But under the current system it’s not practical for every team and as long as we have a draft that incentivizes losing that will be the case.

The issue is that a super high pick is almost the only way to get a guy who will become good enough to be the best player on a championship team and if you build a quality supporting cast first, then you aren’t going to have a shot at a high pick so unless you get that guy first, your ceiling is 45-48 wins and a 2nd round exit which is a waste of everyone’s time. No other sport is like that. The ravens got Lamar Jackson near the end of the first round. The packers got Aaron Rodgers near the end of the first round. Baseball is way more random and has international free agents while your best player still only gets 11% of your team’s plate appearances anyway so one guy alone can’t make the difference.

 

[Rasille]

The NBA relies on star power more than a league like the NFL. If Chase, Jefferson, Barkley, or other stars are out for a game, people will still tune in and watch, AND pay for tickets.

Many buy NBA tickets to see the stars. When they are not in the lineup and it’s not known well ahead of time, fans become pissed ofc because of how much they spent on tickets and never know what to expect in terms of who is playing.

I understand that but at this time of the season you’re paying at your own risk

 

[FTBS]

The issue is that a super high pick is almost the only way to get a guy who will become good enough to be the best player on a championship team and if you build a quality supporting cast first, then you aren’t going to have a shot at a high pick while unless you get that guy, your ceiling is 45-48 wins and a 2nd round exit which is a waste of everyone’s time. No other sport is like that. The ravens got Lamar Jackson near the end of the first round. The packers got Aaron Rodgers near the end of the first round. Baseball is way more random and has international free agents while your best player still only gets 11% of your team’s plate appearances anyway so one guy alone can’t make the difference.

Ravens got Lamar because of racism. Nuggets got Joker in rd 2. Milwaukee got Giannis late in the lottery. Steph wasnt considered a no brainer entering the league. Shai was the 12th pick I believe. Basketball is actually more random now due to ages and foreign born players. That said, I am with you that top picks shouldnt have to come in a save a shytty franchise all the time. Thats why I say give all non playoff teams equal odds.