There can be a lot of pointless discussion in sports today. I find the one spearheaded by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver on the league's "tanking" issue intriguing.
Every league somewhat deals with "rebuilding" strategies of its teams, often, which can be drastic enough that it is obvious winning isn't a priority within said strategy.
This discussion isn't new.
This problem isn't new.
It certainly has evolved over the years. And in a time where each league and its overall product are competing with other entertainment entities and devices for engagement, in addition to the constant discourse, criticism, and oversight that is social media, sports discussion, and fandom, we've reached this point.
In the old days, it was just sort of an understanding among partners in terms of behavior. I think what we're seeing is modern analytics where it's so clear that the incentives are misaligned. Are we seeing behavior that is worse this year than we've seen in recent memory? Yes, is my view. Which was what led to those fines, and not just those fines but to my statement that we're going to be looking more closely at the totality of all the circumstances this season in terms of teams' behavior, and very intentionally wanted teams to be on notice.
- NBA Commissioner, Adam Silver
How do you fix tanking?
There have been so many ideas and options thrown around the sports discussion ecosphere over the past few days. And to be fair, this problem isn't exclusive to the NBA.
As an NBA fan, I'll throw my idea into the space, and it's a pretty radical one in comparison to the norm, tradition, and really, what's out there.
Here it is:
Only Winning Teams Get Lottery Picks.
Yes, the teams that make the playoffs have equal odds for the #1 Overall pick, and the following thirteen picks through the lottery. The picks outside of the lottery are then determined by win-loss record. The worst team in the NBA guarantees you pick number 15.
Come on, man, that's crazy!
No, it's not. Franchises are worth billions of dollars. All teams now have significant exposure. Salary cap and revenue sharing is in place. Why do we incentivize losing? Why do we tolerate mediocre franchise development?
Well, what if the NBA Champions land the first-overall pick?
That's possible now without this system in place via pick swaps. While not a great possibility, I'm okay with that. Again, nothing bothers me more than teams not trying, or who receive top pick(s) after top pick(s) every year, and remain in a similar status.
Even worse, teams sit out players to increase their chances of losing. At times, star players.
Relegation just won't work in American sports. But it's time we flip the script and completely disincentivize the behaviors Adam Silver is discussing.
Winning organizations should reap the rewards of winning.
That's my idea. It's crazy, but I think the urgency to win heightens immediately.