Tanking is killing the NBA and changes need to be made. I say this as a Toronto Raptors fan whose team tried to blatantly lose the the last three games. To their credit, the players out there refused to lose and won the last two games. However, watching your favorite team battle all game long only for the coach to put in two g-league players, a 10 day player whom they signed for the rest of the year and two rookies to play the last five minutes of the game against the other teams starters is frustrating to say the least. Yes, I get it, our team needs to tank for Cooper Flagg or one of the other top picks. I see why management does it but the NBA is slowly shooting itself in the foot by allow it to happen.
It is true , they have implemented the play-in tournament as a way to curb tanking. It has had a little success but it is not enough as there are at least seven or eight teams tanking and a couple more thinking about it. Sure it might be good for the team if they strike gold on a generational talent but it has a negative impact on the league as a whole. In what ways? I can think of two.
Tanking is Killing the NBA – Tanking is Cheating
In a nutshell, tanking is cheating. Now that might sound strong but is it? What makes it different than players trying to affect outcomes of games for gambling purposes? We all remember Jontay Porter (who ironically played for the Raptors) who received a lifetime ban from the NBA. Why, because his actions were affecting the integrity of the game. So, the Raptors for the last three games, played their best players (for the most part) until crunch time and then put in rookies and g-league players. For what purpose, if you asked coach, I am sure he would say development and there is some truth to it. For example, he is still running some interesting plays to get a good shot. But the ultimate goal is to lose the game to help the tank.
Isn’t that compromising the integrity of the game? It is because one team’s goal is the win the game and the other team’s goal is to lose. And what about the fans that come to watch the game? Maybe it is their only chance to see their favorite team play and imagine seeing your team playing gritty basketball only for the team to change tactics and creatively try to lose the game. Would you pay to watch them again, probably not as long as they are tanking.
What about watching them? You might still watch them from time to time but you are not as invested and as a result, you might sometimes decide to watch something else. If your team does this for multiple seasons, your fanbase might start to erode because your team is trying to lose again. It is like why invest in something that you know is fixed? You wouldn’t as it would be a waste of money. This is cheating the fans and the league of competitive basketball.
Tanking is Killing the NBA – It is Creating an Inferior Product
Tanking is creating an inferior product. Why? Think of other leagues. The NFL comes to mind. There is little tanking in the NFL. It is true that some teams in the last game or two might play their back ups. But in general, the teams play to win. Same with hockey, good and bad teams play hard and they try to win. I have never been to a game live where I felt the teams I was watching were tanking. Now it is true that unlike the NBA, drafting a top player in the NFL and NHL doesn’t have the same impact as both leagues use more players in their games and the impact of a top player is generally less than in the NBA.
But teams are not trying to throw the game away by putting in their practice roster players or farm team players in crunch time. That is why I also enjoy college basketball. The players and teams are trying and their is no tanking. I enjoy their games and love March Madness! The point is, if your product is inferior, people tend to look for other products or sports to watch. Some might watch golf as there is no tanking. There is no tanking in tennis or even curling. People have alternatives and the NBA needs to be mindful of that. However, how do you curb tanking? Two ways.
Give Equal Odds to All Lottery Teams
Yes, give all 14 teams that do not make the playoffs a six percent change of getting the top pick. This should dampen blatant tanking for a lot of teams as it reduces the odds. However, you might get some teams still trying to tank, but instead of trying to be in the worst five teams they try to be in the worst 14 teams. And, at that point, it might be more worth it to try to make the play-in tournament. It immediately increases competition.
What about teams who are really bad but repeatedly do not get a top five pick? It could happen but then it comes down to a good front office and scouting who can recognize talent. Front offices can no longer just tank and be bad to get talent but instead they will have to do their homework as talent can always be found in different places in the draft.
Punish Blatant Tanking
You have to because it is the integrity of the game at stake. And the punishment has to be pretty stiff to send a message to discourage teams from doing it. You might have to levy a heavy fine to a team say a million dollars for a first offense. If it happens again then maybe five million and if it happens after that, taking away a first round draft pick and so on. Teams need to realize that the integrity of the game must come first and foremost and tanking won’t be tolerated.
Tanking is Killing the NBA – Conclusion
It seems in my opinion that slowly, tanking is killing the NBA. Do I think anything will change. No, at least for the short term. However, as the NBA enters it’s new TV deal, the companies that are paying will expect that people will watch the NBA. If the NBA continues it’s downward trend, these companies will not be happy and will expect the NBA to fix it. If that time comes, than perhaps it will be looked at then. But for now, I will have to grin and bear it. At least until March Madness comes anyway.