FNG wrote: ↑Mon Feb 16, 2026 8:40 am
Lip and Monster make some good points, but I am far more concerned with tanking than they are. They are correct that finishing last doesn't ensure the top pick, and they are also correct that players are always going to play hard even if their team has made lineup changes in an attempt to lose...just look at Utah beating Miami after resting their 3 best players in the 4th quarter.
So what is my problem with it? Some of it is personal as a Wolves fan. As I did my playoff prediction spreadsheet yesterday, it was apparent that the Wolves have far fewer games remaining against teams trying to lose than our competitors...I'm going to be really pissed on the last day of the regular season when a Lakers team we are trying to finish ahead of beats the Jazz by 60. But more it's just that I find it distasteful and an insult to the fans. It's not fair to the fan who shells out a lot of money to watch an NBA game and instead gets a G League game because one of the teams is resting its stars.
I don't have a solution, but I do think it is huge issue for the NBA.
Over the years I've seen plenty of g-league talent rosters win against full NBA rosters. Meanwhile many sports have the last game or 2 where one team is in the playoffs and they rest guys to keep them from injury etc. What are you gonna do about that?
Should the NBA be worried about tanking etc? Yes. How drastic of measures should they take? Idk it seems like they have done a lot already there just isn't a way to eliminate it.
Monster, I don't dispute that a G League team will sometimes beat an NBA team...but it's not what the crowd paid to see. Think of the 12 year old boy in Salt Lake City whose favorite player is Lauri. His dad worked a couple extra shifts at the plant to get enough money to take his boy to see his hero...and then Utah sits him, uninjured, in the 4th quarter. It's a huge problem, and they need to find a way to solve it.
I get that it may be challenging at times to discern whether a team is tanking or not, but I liken it to what the Supreme Court justice said about pornography...I may not be able to define it, but I know it when I see it! It's the same with tanking...we and Adam Silver know it when we see it.
FNG wrote: ↑Mon Feb 16, 2026 8:40 am
Lip and Monster make some good points, but I am far more concerned with tanking than they are. They are correct that finishing last doesn't ensure the top pick, and they are also correct that players are always going to play hard even if their team has made lineup changes in an attempt to lose...just look at Utah beating Miami after resting their 3 best players in the 4th quarter.
So what is my problem with it? Some of it is personal as a Wolves fan. As I did my playoff prediction spreadsheet yesterday, it was apparent that the Wolves have far fewer games remaining against teams trying to lose than our competitors...I'm going to be really pissed on the last day of the regular season when a Lakers team we are trying to finish ahead of beats the Jazz by 60. But more it's just that I find it distasteful and an insult to the fans. It's not fair to the fan who shells out a lot of money to watch an NBA game and instead gets a G League game because one of the teams is resting its stars.
I don't have a solution, but I do think it is huge issue for the NBA.
Over the years I've seen plenty of g-league talent rosters win against full NBA rosters. Meanwhile many sports have the last game or 2 where one team is in the playoffs and they rest guys to keep them from injury etc. What are you gonna do about that?
Should the NBA be worried about tanking etc? Yes. How drastic of measures should they take? Idk it seems like they have done a lot already there just isn't a way to eliminate it.
Monster, I don't dispute that a G League team will sometimes beat an NBA team...but it's not what the crowd paid to see. Think of the 12 year old boy in Salt Lake City whose favorite player is Lauri. His dad worked a couple extra shifts at the plant to get enough money to take his boy to see his hero...and then Utah sits him, uninjured, in the 4th quarter. It's a huge problem, and they need to find a way to solve it.
I get that it may be challenging at times to discern whether a team is tanking or not, but I liken it to what the Supreme Court justice said about pornography...I may not be able to define it, but I know it when I see it! It's the same with tanking...we and Adam Silver know it when we see it.
I mean I feel bad for the kid I guess but what kind of tickets were they getting that someone had to work multiple extra shifts to get them? The Jazz suck I would guess tickets to the game aren't that expensive. I paid like $20 each for plenty decent tickets for the Hawks vs Nets. Your favorite player could get sick or get hit by a bus or dozens of other things. At least he played in the game. Is this kid swearing off the NBA and never watching again?
Personally I think the 500k fine isn't gonna make a very big difference in terms of the money. I do think every time the NBA says yep you did actually did shit like that and we are going to acknowledge it with a fine etc that's going to reflect poorly on that franchise. If they get fined and basically slapped on the wrist enough time there is gonna be some negative blowback from that. Will it be enough? Probably not. Heck there will be fans celebrating it or even joking about sending in money to cover the fine because they think tanking is the best thing long term for their favorite team. They may not be wrong. Let's be honest there are a lot of fans out there that are VERY much in favor of tanking.
Again this is a business. It's not about the purity of the sport or any of that stuff. Obviously that has to be considered too (I mean I think the NBA does care about it) because if that goes too far out the window the business aspect is in trouble too.
Does anyone know where that fine money goes? I think I read about it a couple years ago where all the NBA fines go but I don't remember. I think it might all go to charity so basically you get fined for tanking and basically it's a donation to a charity. Oh how terrible.
Monster, good question about where the fines go. I don't know, but I do know that Adam Silver drives a really nice car.
I will also admit that I am a complete phony when it comes to tanking. I say that I hate seeing teams do it, but I have a different view when it comes to the Wolves when they are having a bad year. I wanted Madsen to jack up all those 3's. And I remember cheering for the Wolves to lose the last game of 2017-18 to the Nuggets when we were battling for that last playoff spot, because I thought being in the lottery would be better for our future than getting our asses kicked by Houston in the playoffs. I think I was loudly condemned by everyone on the board and threatened with being thrown out permanently!
FNG wrote: ↑Tue Feb 17, 2026 7:31 am
Monster, good question about where the fines go. I don't know, but I do know that Adam Silver drives a really nice car.
I will also admit that I am a complete phony when it comes to tanking. I say that I hate seeing teams do it, but I have a different view when it comes to the Wolves when they are having a bad year. I wanted Madsen to jack up all those 3's. And I remember cheering for the Wolves to lose the last game of 2017-18 to the Nuggets when we were battling for that last playoff spot, because I thought being in the lottery would be better for our future than getting our asses kicked by Houston in the playoffs. I think I was loudly condemned by everyone on the board and threatened with being thrown out permanently!
We recently learned our CEO drives a 2008 Chevy Impala. They do make a few bucks less than Mr Silver.
See...people like tanking!!! I'm not completely against it but I also think plenty of teams just aren't interested in doing that. The Vikings definitely are a franchise that is interested in tanking. Also football seems like a bad sport to just try to mail it in. Players could really get hurt. It's also such an intricate team sport.
DNatagal wrote: ↑Wed Feb 18, 2026 6:08 am
Relagation is the answer. The top 15 college bb teams plus 15 G league teams become the 2nd league. 2 teams go down, 2 teams go up every season.
That's an interesting idea but the G-league teams are all tied to an NBA team and I think severing that developmental aspect of the G-league hurts the players possible development and the league as well. On the other hand it would give those G-league franchises and players something to play for. Owners would likely never go for it though...unless they were selling or having people buying in for those franchises for significant portions of money... Ok yeah it's an interesting idea to think about.
DNatagal wrote: ↑Wed Feb 18, 2026 6:08 am
Relagation is the answer. The top 15 college bb teams plus 15 G league teams become the 2nd league. 2 teams go down, 2 teams go up every season.
That's an interesting idea but the G-league teams are all tied to an NBA team and I think severing that developmental aspect of the G-league hurts the players possible development and the league as well. On the other hand it would give those G-league franchises and players something to play for. Owners would likely never go for it though...unless they were selling or having people buying in for those franchises for significant portions of money... Ok yeah it's an interesting idea to think about.
The G league teams that are owned by a current NBA squad would be sold, for a lot more than they are currently worth! The owners would love it.
DNatagal wrote: ↑Wed Feb 18, 2026 6:08 am
Relagation is the answer. The top 15 college bb teams plus 15 G league teams become the 2nd league. 2 teams go down, 2 teams go up every season.
As much as I don't care about soccer anymore they do most things pretty well. We'd really just need those G league teams sold to other parties and it'd be possible and maybe even expand the league a little, but then we wouldn't be able to send players down or up. I don't think most soccer leagues even draft, everyone is a FA / grow up in the clubs system from a young age. Players contracts are sold or even lent I think to other teams at times. It's more of a free market. More rules just make things worse usually like tanking for picks!
I guess the downside is the bigger richer clubs dominate like baseball, but then the little guy does win once in a great while. Leciester for example was a 5000-1 betting odds to win the league and took it down. Odds were they'd get relegated but won the thing.
I kind of just want the NBA to give 14 ping pong balls to the last place team, 13 to the second worst, all the way to 1 ball for the 14th lottery team and draw the balls live for picks 1-14.
That would give the worst team a 14 in 105 chance, 13.3%. When the 2 expansion teams are added it would be a 16 in 136 chance, 11.8%.
Odds are similar but slightly less for the worst teams but drawing all lottery spots and drawing them live would just be fun to see.
I've also heard an idea of drawing 15-30 as well. That would also increase the fun factor for me.
I think they should just put every team in the lottery with equal odds. So much of our recent success was because of slowly changing out our management personnel and eventually ownership to a competent group. We draft James Wiseman and we are still tanking. Teams get good because of their infrastructure. Having the #1 pick can help pour gasoline on a good infrastructure, but I am kind of tired of rewarding incompetence and failure.
I'm not completely against it but I also think plenty of teams just aren't interested in doing that. The Vikings definitely are a franchise that is interested in tanking. Also football seems like a bad sport to just try to mail it in. Players could really get hurt. It's also such an intricate team sport.
