“NBA Tanking Silver Issue” is the Commissioner’s latest shout in a bid to ensure that no team is tanking. Albeit it is solutionism at best.
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The NBA is entering a unique season, where the best teams will elevate to new levels and the bad ones are decidedly on a race to the bottom. And it might be the first time teams scramble to the worst. We’ve never heard that before but this scenario is unique.
Because for the first time since a certain LeBron James, the NBA has a “once in a generation” prospect on its hands. Victor Wembanyama.
And Adam Silver is fearing that this will lead to teams playing worse and giving up games. A bad outlook for the NBA. To this avail, he is threatening to relegate teams if they perform too badly.
REPORT: Adam Silver says the NBA has thought about ‘relegation’ as a potential solution to tanking.
(via ESPN, https://t.co/1YOxhrtwkv) pic.twitter.com/M5RZ0TViPR
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) October 22, 2022
Is this the right decision? Adam Silver’s “relegation” idea is met with a lukewarm response
Adam Silver has been trying to ensure that the NBA stays competitive. However, the luster of a prospect like Victor Wembanyama is a threat!
When a 7’3-7’4 guy rolls around, and he can dunk, shoot, and make passes, NBA teams will salivate. And because of that the tank, this season might be worse than ever. Adam Silver does not want to see that.
The NBA and Adam Silver have considered “relegation” as a punishment for tanking teams, where two of the worst NBA teams would be demoted to the G-League and two of the best G-League teams would be put in the NBA.
(via @Baxter, https://t.co/H4DDgFZutw) pic.twitter.com/Jo0yc3iHE5
— ProCity Hoops (@ProCityHoops) October 22, 2022
NBA Twitter does not think it will work. Because even if the decision to relegate teams comes into effect the G-league teams cannot possibly be better than the ones that are relegated.
Adam Silver deserves jail time if he ever decides to serve up the Ft Wayne Mad Ants to the Golden State Warriors. Those men have families Mr Silver.
— 🎃👻America Is Musty👻🎃 (@DragonflyJonez) October 22, 2022
What’s more, such a drastic change would take possibly years to be brought into effect and it is not an overnight solution.
Adam Silver threatening NBA teams that they could be relegated to the G League if they tank pic.twitter.com/iI8jQCecpn
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) October 22, 2022
It is solutionism at its best and its implementation will not possibly work out. NBA teams will still go into the tank for Wembanyama.
Why is Victor Wembanyma such a highly touted prospect? The reason behind NBA “Tanking Silver Issue”
There aren’t many teams that will avoid the tank when they see they have a chance to net a franchise-altering player like Wembanyama. Long arms, even longer than that of Rudy Gobert! And a jump shot that is reminiscent of Kevin Durant, “Wemby” is one of one.
There is already talk of a franchise like San Antonio Spurs, who are notoriously good winners tanking for this team. Others such as the Oklahoma City Thunder, Utah Jazz, Charlotte Hornets, and Sacramento Kings might also join this race to the bottom.