2 hours ago
(3 hours ago)Winter Wrote: I don't think they can eliminate it either. Teams know who will be the top college players in the draft. At some point, maybe 2-3 weeks before the season ends, teams will begin to jockey for position. They can see mock drafts just like we do, and their analytics probably tell them who to shoot for in regards to position.
I think at this point, "tanking" really just looks like a lack of won-loss concern. Dallas of course, doesn't have to do anything. They have so many injuries that they can only play the players they have. But at this point I don't think you can signal to your players that you want less effort. I've said this before, but I don't think season ticket holders would appreciate some kind of conspicuous tanking at this point in the season. Filling the seats still matter.
My axioms re tanking:
1 Tanking is a part of the NBA landscape. Every league plan to make it go away is a fantasy (or window-dressing), and will bring thoughtless unintended consequences that can make it even worse. Until the next "fix."
2 There is another aspect re tanking that the NBA doesn't want to say aloud. But the reality is that for every win there will be a loss, and to have teams who win a lot, you must have teams who lose a lot. There are a massive number of losses to dole out - 1230 each season - to teams and fans who all want to win big. Having a team or 3 (or 10) who will embrace taking more L's than their share, with a plan to make those losses helpful, is a service in a way.
3 Coaches and FO are the ones who decide, and it is part of their job to make it work. Figure it out.
4 Teams never say they are tanking (unless they are stupid and want to get fined). But we can see it.
5 "Bad" coaching, lineups, combos is key. But coaches don't want to lose respect (with team, with league). Tough tightrope.
6 Injuries can be a part of tanking, and some are merely "injuries." You must sit better players, to lose more games. A team snake-bitten by injuries might not be as unlucky as they want you to think.
7 Players are never told to tank or give less than 100%. Ever. But they know the direction. It is what it is.
8 Fans want good play, and most want wins. Winning sells tickets. But many know the direction. If you suck, you suck. That's life.
* Dumont reportedly "has no problem going into next year with a healthy AD and a healthy Kyrie with Cooper Flagg and seeing what it looks like."