The NBA has had a tanking problem for a long time, but this season, things have really gotten out of control. It’s a race to the bottom as non-contending teams try to accrue as many ping pong balls as possible for what most experts believe is a historic draft class that’s just overflowing with arguably the most talented group of college freshmen ever.
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Teams have done all kinds of things to help themselves lose, there by helping their draft odds, over the years. They’ve sat their stars with specious injury claims. They’ve run their offenses through rookies and G Leaguers who are not yet ready for prime time, while hiding behind the excuse that it’s being done in the name of player development.
The troubling new trend this year is for teams to play normally through three quarters, then yank their starters and get wrecked in the fourth. It’s obvious to everyone what is happening, and that only makes it more gross. Fans aren’t happy about it, teams aren’t happy about it, and neither is commissioner Adam Silver, who recently fined the Utah Jazz $500,000 and the Indiana Pacers $100,000 for what was called “conduct detrimental to the league.”
Silver also came out during All-Star Weekend and said that the league would hand down even more punitive punishments in the future for teams engaging in such obvious tanking, while also looking at potentially revamping the lottery system altogether.
His tough talk was applauded by fans and media members alike, who are all tired of seeing unwatchable basketball and uncompetitive strategies employed by teams trying to get a future edge.
Before everyone canonizes Silver for being the white knight who will save the league from this epidemic, former Washington Post basketball writer Ben Golliver cautioned people that the NBA Commissioner’s motivations are not as pure as they may seem to be.
Speaking on his Greatest of All Talk NBA podcast, Golliver said, “We know how much the NBA has gotten in bed with gambling. Over-unders are at stake, player props are at stake.”
“If coaches are just willy-nilly not playing guys the entire game and they’re not letting people know in advance that they plan to do that, you’re gonna have a lot of angry gamblers and a lot of angry gambling companies, as well. So I think that was one aspect of why [Silver] had to lay the smack down, so to speak, at All-Star Weekend,” he explained.
Gambling was long thought to be completely taboo in the sports world, something leagues and athletes were verboten from even acknowledging. In recent years, though, gambling has infiltrated every sport with alarming speed. It seems every league has a deal with DraftKings or FanDuel, and uncoincidentally, we’ve seen players become embroiled in betting scandals.
The NFL has suspended multiple players for gambling, and late last year, Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase was placed on the restricted list for allegedly manipulating outcomes by throwing balls intentionally to win bets for himself and others. Pro and college athletes have reported being harassed and receiving death threats by gamblers.
The NBA has its own share of headaches from gambling. Jontay Porter, Terry Rozier and Chauncey Billups are just some of the names caught up in gambling-related issues, and the problem doesn’t seem to be going away any time soon.
Something needs to be done about tanking, but if gambling is the reason that Silver was finally spurred into action, it’s a terrible look, especially for someone tasked with fighting for the integrity of the league he presides over.
Tanking is the most pressing issue facing the league right now, but it also looks like we’re headed for a tipping point on how synonymous gambling has become with sports. Perhaps that’s another issue for another time, but don’t be surprised if leagues begin rethinking these partnerships in the near future.
