How does the NBA address the massive amount of tanking going on in their league?

[Mr. Friscus]

Tanking in the NBA has always been a thing, but often times it was at least attempted to be concealed to an extent, but also it was maybe 1 team that went all in (The 76ers and "the process" comes to mind). But right now, the NBA currently has 7-9 teams that are clearly, and unapologetically, tanking to try to get higher draft picks.

So, how do you address "tanking"? Well, a few things need to be stated:
1. There will always be bad teams.
2. Currently, if you stink, there's an incentive to continue to lose to get a generational player. Nearly all NBA Champions in the past 50 years have involved an MVP player.

I think there are a few immediate changes you could make:
1. Make a rule that a team cannot draft in the top 4 in consecutive, or even within 3, years. If you get the #2 pick in 2026, you can't pick in the top 4 until 2029. So, you might as well try to get good in other ways.
2. Get rid of protected draft picks. They are largely used in concert with tanking to try to get a quick turnaround.
3. The league should press to get contracts more performance based... with large money being left on the table by a player if they take lots of games off. I'd be fine with a process of proving an injury at times, with an independent doctor validating obvious things like a fracture, a sprain, etc., and having time-tables for return.
4. A true "day off" by a player should have to be announced well in advance of the game. That way, fans can know that even though the Lakers are coming to town, it's on the back end of a road-trip and neither Lebron or Luka are playing.
5. Heavy sanctions if any team is found to be trying to work the system.. such as taking away draft picks, salary cap penalties, etc.

This is all to address not only teams tanking, but the whole "load management" phenomenon. All of it just harms the league, and is a horrible look for the NBA. Anyone else have any ideas?

 

[Couchpotato]

Tanking in the NBA has always been a thing, but often times it was at least attempted to be concealed to an extent, but also it was maybe 1 team that went all in (The 76ers and "the process" comes to mind). But right now, the NBA currently has 7-9 teams that are clearly, and unapologetically, tanking to try to get higher draft picks.

So, how do you address "tanking"? Well, a few things need to be stated:
1. There will always be bad teams.
2. Currently, if you stink, there's an incentive to continue to lose to get a generational player. Nearly all NBA Champions in the past 50 years have involved an MVP player.

I think there are a few immediate changes you could make:
1. Make a rule that a team cannot draft in the top 4 in consecutive, or even within 3, years. If you get the #2 pick in 2026, you can't pick in the top 4 until 2029. So, you might as well try to get good in other ways.
2. Get rid of protected draft picks. They are largely used in concert with tanking to try to get a quick turnaround.
3. The league should press to get contracts more performance based... with large money being left on the table by a player if they take lots of games off. I'd be fine with a process of proving an injury at times, with an independent doctor validating obvious things like a fracture, a sprain, etc., and having time-tables for return.
4. A true "day off" by a player should have to be announced well in advance of the game. That way, fans can know that even though the Lakers are coming to town, it's on the back end of a road-trip and neither Lebron or Luka are playing.
5. Heavy sanctions if any team is found to be trying to work the system.. such as taking away draft picks, salary cap penalties, etc.

This is all to address not only teams tanking, but the whole "load management" phenomenon. All of it just harms the league, and is a horrible look for the NBA. Anyone else have any ideas?

What if the lottery ran in reverse order. So the team with the valets record who didn’t make the POs gets the best chance to score the #1 draft pick.

Also cuts the number of games by 1/3 to 1/2. Every game instantly means more and players wouldn’t have to take games off. Load management is built in.

 

[my2¢]

I'm not a basketball fan but as with our other professional sport leagues, I've longed thought that teams on the bottom should be penalized when it comes to league revenue sharing. Being a fan of the both the Cleveland Browns and Arizona Cardinals, I've had plenty of opportunity to view these teams as league parasites.

According to Google the NBA gets almost $7 billion annually for television rights and there are a total of 1230 games in the season. My thought is split almost half of that money evenly between all teams along with each team getting an additional $2.5million for each of its wins.

While tanking is NOT a major concern in the NFL, such a plan would provide me hope that owners of teams which year-after-year are at the bottom of the barrel would have greater incentive to give up and get out by selling their team. Could it also help in regard to tanking?

 

[Couchpotato]

I'm not a basketball fan but as with our other professional sport leagues, I've longed thought that teams on the bottom should be penalized when it comes to league revenue sharing. Being a fan of the both the Cleveland Browns and Arizona Cardinals, I've had plenty of opportunity to view these teams as league parasites.

According to Google the NBA gets almost $7 billion annually for television rights and there are a total of 1230 games in the season. My thought is split almost half of that money evenly between all teams along with each team getting an additional $2.5million for each of its wins.

While tanking is NOT a major concern in the NFL, such a plan would provide me hope that owners of teams which year-after-year are at the bottom of the barrel would have greater incentive to give up and get out by selling their team. Could it also help in regard to tanking?

The problem with that would be that teams at the bottom would be less likely to get better if they have fewer resources at their disposal. The NFL has transitioned from an asset that generates the owners wealth (Rooney's in Pittsburgh) to a toy an exceedingly wealthy owner spends money on (NE, Rams and Eagles). That is if you want to win.

 

[Augustine_]

The NBA makes record profits every year so there is little incentive for shareholders to care about tanking

 

[Couchpotato]

The NBA makes record profits every year so there is little incentive for shareholders to care about tanking

That’s fine until they aren’t. If they don’t change something they are just leaving money on the table for no reason other than laziness.

 

[Mr. Friscus]

What if the lottery ran in reverse order. So the team with the valets record who didn’t make the POs gets the best chance to score the #1 draft pick.

I get the immediate idea, but the idea is also to get teams that suck to not suck to some extent. This, I think, would create a subclass of teams that would be untouchable for most free agents to consider. At least the draft allows free agents to go to bad teams that just had a high draft pick phenom come in.

Also cuts the number of games by 1/3 to 1/2. Every game instantly means more and players wouldn’t have to take games off. Load management is built in.

You're 100% correct, but you also know that's not possible.

 

[Mr. Friscus]

I'm not a basketball fan but as with our other professional sport leagues, I've longed thought that teams on the bottom should be penalized when it comes to league revenue sharing. Being a fan of the both the Cleveland Browns and Arizona Cardinals, I've had plenty of opportunity to view these teams as league parasites.

According to Google the NBA gets almost $7 billion annually for television rights and there are a total of 1230 games in the season. My thought is split almost half of that money evenly between all teams along with each team getting an additional $2.5million for each of its wins.

While tanking is NOT a major concern in the NFL, such a plan would provide me hope that owners of teams which year-after-year are at the bottom of the barrel would have greater incentive to give up and get out by selling their team. Could it also help in regard to tanking?

Tanking is a concern in the NFL, but the different factors in football ensure that it won't happen to the extent that it's happening in the NBA. Basketball only has 5 players on the floor at a time, and they can initiate scoring and plays on their own without relying on an O-line, a Wideout, a quarterback, etc. They even play defense, and can effect the game on both ends.

A generational NBA prospect is worth far more than a generational NFL prospect, and NBA teams know that.

Nearly all of the last 50 NBA champions and NBA Finals teams have had a player who was, or was at one time, an MVP of the league. Teams need the best, generational talent, and they know how to get it.. by losing. However, the pretense is gone. Certain teams are just straight sitting their starters in the 4th for no reason. You can but tickets for an NBA product where both teams would rather lose than win..

 

[my2¢]

The problem with that would be that teams at the bottom would be less likely to get better if they have fewer resources at their disposal. The NFL has transitioned from an asset that generates the owners wealth (Rooney's in Pittsburgh) to a toy an exceedingly wealthy owner spends money on (NE, Rams and Eagles). That is if you want to win.

That's the trouble. It is a toy and instead needs to be a game for the owners. A game such as poker, where the winners are pulling in the majority of chips with losers suffering the financial humiliation.

 

[leftwinger]

A lot of this goes on. A lot.


TRAVELING, PALMING, STEPS

Oh I could get more of these and will.

Crazy foul calls when driving anywhere near the paint.

 

[Mr. Friscus]

That's the trouble. It is a toy and instead needs to be a game for the owners. A game such as poker, where the winners are pulling in the majority of chips with losers suffering the financial humiliation.

Indeed. When teams make money, they think they are successful. Their win/loss record isn't much important if they're making money.

 

[Mr. Friscus]

I stopped watching regular season 25 years ago (refs cheating for LA). The players don't try I won't try.

Then I began to turn on playoff elimination games last 5 min Now I will partially watch playoffs only and fool around on the bet site pages.

James hasn't done much of anything to destroy the league, stay off the MJ worshipping sites. Both are a product of their generation, and MJ was a dramatic diva for his time anyways.

 

[leftwinger]

They handout "free timeouts" in NCAABB all during the last 5 min (breaking momentum). The refs are afraid to make a decision on obvious calls?

Player driving around a screen with another player guarding. Guy driving flags his off ball arm smacking defender right in the nose. Clear as day not a basketball play. 5 min looking, they call flagrant 1. Crowd gets restless at the first min. They all saw it. Maybe 5 of these in end game? 10 per game?

Calls favor big market vs small market. Not as bad as the 90s since replay and TV but yes, still.

 

[leftwinger]

 

[leftwinger]

Dont forget off charts flopping. Yes, they are supposed to call technical on the flipper? It's a traveling circus vs. Good basketball in many cases. Uh too bad its LeBron again. I don't pick him.

 

[Mr. Friscus]

leftwinger I see you have quite an issue with how the modern game is officiated (some of which I can agree on), but that's not what the thread is about.

 

[Couchpotato]

That's the trouble. It is a toy and instead needs to be a game for the owners. A game such as poker, where the winners are pulling in the majority of chips with losers suffering the financial humiliation.

That will do nothing other than exacerbate the problem. Look at baseball.

 

[leftwinger]

leftwinger I see you have quite an issue with how the modern game is officiated (some of which I can agree on), but that's not what the thread is about.

I thought it was why is NBA dying? Why are we not watching? Tanking is one reason. They TANK all regular season in some cases?

Only the playoffs for me. Then most of them play hard and the refs are better too.

 

[Mr. Friscus]

I thought it was why is NBA dying? Why are we not watching? Tanking is one reason. They TANK all regular season in some cases?

Only the playoffs for me. Then most of them play hard and the refs are better too.

If you took the time to look at the OP and even the title.. it's not "why aren't people watching the NBA" or "why is the nba dying". It's how do we deal with tanking (and I threw a little load management in there).

You came in a hi-jacked with your own narrative. I'm talking about how to shift the system to prevent tanking. You're complaining about traveling and 3's. I complain about those things, but that's not what this thread is about.

 

[leftwinger]

If you took the time to look at the OP and even the title.. it's not "why aren't people watching the NBA" or "why is the nba dying". It's how do we deal with tanking (and I threw a little load management in there).

You came in a hi-jacked with your own narrative. I'm talking about how to shift the system to prevent tanking. You're complaining about traveling and 3's. I complain about those things, but that's not what this thread is about.

Yeah I read it. A long time ago, it seems. I'm not watching it and TANKING is only one reason. Sorry I got you off track. Apologize.

We are not paid millions to help the league fix their problems. I literally don't know without working hard at an answer.

$50 million dollars with 7 months off and they can't play 2 games a week? There's your tanking. The league, coaches and medical built it in.