NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, just like all the other execs, know that the league has a serious tanking problem, and it’s not going away anytime soon.
Given the league’s lottery system, this is no surprise, as teams that finish with poor records have a greater chance of landing a higher pick.
It’s a tough problem to have, given that it’s probably the most fair system, with the bottom-feeders deserving a chance to improve. Look at teams like the Warriors and Sixers, that used those high-draft picks during seasons when they finished with an abysmal record, and now they’re legitimate contenders. Silver spoke about the subject at a recent media conference, and here’s what he had to say about it (via ASAP Sports).
“I recognize that the incentives are not aligned right now, that there’s a huge incentive to increase your chances in the Draft Lottery, especially under the old system,” Silver said. “As I said, we’re switching the system for next year. We’ll see how much of an impact that has, but my sense is we’re still going to have some work to do.”
He continued:
“We recognize that our goal was to put the best competition on the floor, and it’s balanced against legitimate rebuilding of some teams,” Silver said. “But I know we’re not there yet, and I certainly wasn’t satisfied.
“There can only be so much cajoling out of the league office. It’s one of those things that the last place I want to go as the commissioner of the league office is to start dictating minutes and which particular players should be playing at what points in the game.”
Silver is right, it’s not like he’s really in a position to reach out to individual teams and tell them who to play on any given night. And right now, that’s what teams are doing to tank — just look at the Mavericks.
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