NBA Tank Watch: Adam Silver complicates matters while Jazz pull off a season-defining loss

Adam Silver’s anti-tanking crusade continues. Deep sigh. 

Last week, Silver insisted that “we’re going to fix it — full stop” and promised that, beginning next season, the incentives regarding tanking “will be completely different than they are now.”

As part of that pledge, the league submitted three proposals during last week’s board of governors meeting. Adopting any of the following changes would require 23 of 30 teams to vote in favor. 

1. Expanding to an 18-team lottery by including the Play-In losers in both conferences. Flat odds of 8% for the teams with the 10 worst records. Every pick would be selected in the lottery instead of only the top four. 

2. Expanding to a 22-team lottery by including the Play-In losers in both conferences and teams that lose in the first round of the playoffs. Lottery order would be determined by the organization’s overall record over a two-year period. In this model, adopted from the format currently used in the WNBA, a minimum win total would be established. For example, if the win-total floor is 25, and a team wins 20, it is credited with 25 victories. In this format, only the top four picks would be selected in the lottery. 

3. What the league is calling a “5 x 5” system. The lottery would be expanded to 18 teams by including the Play-In losers in both conferences. The five teams with the worst records would have equal odds at the top pick, with the lottery determining the first five picks. The five worst teams would pick no lower than 10th. Teams that fall out of the top five would be entered into a second lottery to determine the remaining 13 picks. 

Got all that? Need a second? Is your nose bleeding yet?

In the league’s haste to “fix” tanking, it seems that not much consideration was given to how digestible the aforementioned proposals might be for fans. Judging by the ensuing social media conversation, the answer appeared to be not very. Between the current CBA, the first and second aprons, pick protections and now the new anti-tanking proposals, the NBA has done a pretty good job of turning its off-court product into fairly dense homework.

Of course, there was a simpler solution, which was also floated along with the three aforementioned options. Under the new rules, if a team is deemed to be tanking by the commissioner, Silver would have the power to move that franchise’s pick to the end of the lottery or the first round, take it away entirely, and/or fine that organization millions of dollars, according to The Athletic. If that’s the case, why are the other proposals even necessary? Couldn’t Silver and the league office just eyeball the tanking teams and mete out whatever justice they deem necessary?

That is, plainly, a lot of power for the commissioner to wield, and it would likely result in backlash from teams subjected to that kind of arbitrary discipline. My guess is the commish probably wouldn’t want to be the Tanking Punishment Czar and would instead prefer to adopt new anti-tanking measures as the primary line of defense. 

But as I’ve written many times in this space, all this feels like solving for a problem that isn’t much of one. Eight teams are pretty obviously tanking in a year that features an absolutely loaded draft. These things happen. But they didn’t happen a couple years ago when Zaccharie Risacher went first overall. (Sorry if you’re reading this, Zach!) There weren’t teams falling all over themselves to improve their draft position back then in the way they are now. 

What the league is trying to do feels like a gross overcorrection and mainly an attempt to clean up the optics that Silver and company find disagreeable. Someone really should have had a long talk with the commish about the Streisand effect. Pity. 

◦ Note:  Teams are rated based on who’s doing the best job of being bad in a given week. Teams that lose and find innovative ways to get around the league’s player participation policy will rise in the rankings. Teams that accidentally win a game they wish they would have lost will fall. 

NBA Tank Rankings — March 31

1. Utah Jazz (21-55)

Last week: 5

The Jazz have lost six in a row and 10 of their last 11, including getting blown out by 23 at home courtesy of the Wizards last week. In the process, Washington had its 16-game losing streak snapped. That’s a season-defining L for Utah. 

The box score from that game was a masterpiece of Who He Play Play For?  

2. Washington Wizards (17-58)

Last week: 1

After winning a basketball game for the first time in well over a month, the Wizards have lost three in a row. That includes a 19-point defeat against the Luka Dončić-less Lakers on Monday night and a 35-point blowout prior to that in Portland. 

That makes 19 losses in their last 20 games for the Wiz, who are once again tied with the Pacers for the worst record in the NBA.

3. Sacramento Kings (19-57)

Last week: 4

For a team that keeps insisting it isn’t trying to tank, the Kings have put up some truly terrible results in the last week. Sacramento lost the first four games of the current five-game road trip, including a 17-point drubbing by fellow bottom-feeders Brooklyn and a 44-point beatdown in Charlotte. 

The Hornets loss was especially ugly in all the ways we love here at Tank Watch. Max Raynaud, Devin Carter and Daeqwon Plowden were the only Kings in double figures. The Hornets took 55 threes (!), at least five or six of which Sacramento pretended to defend. And Coby White went off for 27 points in 18 minutes. 

It was the Kings’ third 40-point loss of the season. Imagine what they could (not) achieve if they were actually trying to tank. 

4. Brooklyn Nets (18-57)

Last week: 3 

If the Nets hadn’t beaten the Kings, they’d be tied with the Wizards and Pacers for the worst record in the NBA. Even with that win, they’ve lost 10 of their last 11. And, no doubt after seeing Tank Watch repeatedly call for Michael Porter Jr. to play fewer minutes, the Nets have held MPJ out with a hamstring injury for the last 10 games. He has no timetable to return.

Keep doing what you’re not doing, Brooklyn. 

5. Chicago Bulls (29-46)

Last week: 8

The Bulls got admonished in last week’s Tank Watch for an ill-advised home win over the Rockets. Then Chicago set out on a four-game road trip and promptly lost all of them. Over that stretch, the Bulls gave up 157 points to the Sixers and also fell by one in Memphis. That’s good tanking range right there. 

One more Chicago note: dunk king Mac McClung became the G-League’s all-time leading scorer last week. Tank Watch is once again calling for the Bulls to give McClung a promotion and let him cook the rest of the season away. 

6. Memphis Grizzlies (25-50)

Last week: 7

The Grizzlies took a tough one-point home win against the Bulls over the weekend. Even with that unfortunate W, Memphis has dropped 13 of its last 15. They’re just one game up on the Mavs in the West. 

And as we all suspected, the Grizzlies finally made it official last week and shut down Ja Morant for the remainder of the season with an elbow injury. Has Morant played his last game in Memphis? Considering the Grizzlies tried to trade him at the deadline but couldn’t find any takers, they almost certainly hope so.  

7. Dallas Mavericks (24-51)

Last week: 6

The Mavericks were starting to feel a little try-hard. Dallas had won three of its last 10 — all of which were tough road victories in Portland, Cleveland and Memphis. Then the Mavs lost by 30 at home against the Wolves on Monday night. Anthony Edwards went for 17 points in 23 minutes in his first game back after missing the previous six outings with a knee injury, while Ayo Dosunmu torched the Mavs and recorded his second career triple-double. That’s more like it, Dallas. 

8. Indiana Pacers (17-58)

Last week: 2

What are we doing here, Indiana? After dropping 16 straight, the Pacers have won two of their last four, beating the reeling Magic in Orlando and thumping the Heat at home. It could have been worse. Indiana narrowly avoided a humiliating home win over the Clippers thanks to Kawhi Leonard hitting a game-winner with 0.4 seconds left. 

The Pacers should send that man a fruit basket (apples only) and a thank you card. 

Tank Watch Game(s) of the Week

Mavericks at Bucks, Tuesday, 8 p.m. ET

Not technically a full-on Tank Watch game since the Bucks were excommunicated from this space weeks ago for dereliction of duty. But we’ll make an exception since Milwaukee has dropped its last four and looks as lost as ever. 

Wizards at Nets, Sunday, 3:30 p.m. ET

Possibly a matchup for the worst record in the league. Who wants it less?

The Nets, Wizards, Jazz and especially Bulls would be thrilled with this outcome. Indiana would not. The Pacers owe a first-round pick to the Clippers, protected 1-4 and 10-30. Falling to fifth is the disaster scenario for Indiana.