Current Events > Kevin Durant just gave an endorsement for the NBA teams tanking

(+) Yeah! (+)

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/35386776/kevin-durant-opens-trade-request-tanking-fans-free-agency

You follow the game as closely as anybody I've come across within the game. Do you think the league is going to have an issue this year given how much intensity there seems to be around Wembanyama -- on the tanking issues coming back up to the forefront?

Nah, teams have been tanking for a minute. What, you're going to force them to be competitive? I don't see a problem with it, because each year there's only a few teams that can win it anyway. So the rest of the league is trying to figure out where they are. And that's pretty smart business if you're a team and you know you're not going to be a playoff team or play-in team, you might as well try to play for [the No. 1 pick]. You might as well try to get some of the guys who probably won't get real rotation minutes if you have a good team, get them some reps and maybe those guys can change their lives as well.

MelbuFrahma4 posted...

Nah, teams have been tanking for a minute. What, you're going to force them to be competitive?

It's true. The bad teams are mostly tanking for picks every year trying to build a war chest of trade assets or hit the lotto on a generational talent. Look at the NBA's own team, the Pelicans. LMFAO. Tanking every single year, magically winning the draft loterry, landing Anthony Davis, he leaves, back to tanking. Land Zion Williamson.

With the way the draft rules work, and the fact that a single player can effect a game in the NBA than just about any sport, it would be idiotic not to tank when a generational talent is coming into the league.

ultimately, I agree with focusing on developing your talent. You don't have to "try to lose" every game, just give the role players opportunities to get better, regardless of the result.

Hes not wrong

Fony posted...

It's ture. the bad teams are mostly tanking for picks every year trying to build a war chest of trade assets or hit the lotto on a generational talent. Look at the NBA's own team, the Pelicans. LMFAO. Tanking every single year, magically winning the draft loterry, landing Anthony Davis, he leaves, back to tanking. Land Zion Williamson.

so what's the point of it?

famfam posted...

so what's the point of it?

Championships. See: San Antonio Spurs after tanking one year to draft Tim Duncan and building a NBA dynasty, Cavs for LeBron and Kyrie. Look at the compettive NBA teams today, none have a core that didn't come from tanking and frequent rebuilds. The last NBA "dynasty" of home grown, drafted players is Golden State curently 9th seed and their stars are on the way out. The owner even said they're not going to retire all together yesterday(lmao, Klay or Draymond are getting traded this offseason).

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/0/9/3/AAMz0hAAEEhV.png https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/0/9/4/AAMz0hAAEEhW.png

All these teams tanked for a war chest of picks and made moves to either form a super team or draft generational talent. These were among the worst NBA teams not long ago with the Cavs being the sole exception due to LeBron. the Maveriscks ahve been awful from Drik's last hurrah Championship until the day they drafted Luka Doncic. That's the point of it. The bucks were awful since Ray Allen left the team until they went and scouted some unknown, raw but talented 7 foot baby faced Nigerian immigrant in Greece. Danny Ainge, running joke for a whole decade for his wheeling and dealing in Boston...yea the team has a whole clutch of the best young NBA players playing at the TOP level.

I don't like KD much as a person but he's saying the quiet part out loud here. He's 100% right.

Fony posted...

the Maveriscks ahve been awful from Drik's last hurrah Championship until the day they drafted Luka Doncic. That's the point of it. The bucks were awful since Ray Allen left the team until they went and scouted some unknown, raw but talented 7 foot baby faced Nigerian immigrant in Greece.

I mean, Dallas fell two spots in the lottery, and traded up for the #3 pick that landed Doncic; Giannis went 15th. Are these really examples of tanking paying off?

Antifar posted...

I mean, Dallas fell two spots in the lottery, and traded up for the #3 pick that landed Doncic; Giannis went 15th. Are these really examples of tanking paying off?

...Yes. Dallas tanked and got a high draft picks multiple years and finally struck gold, Milwaukee tanked and got plenty of picks and trade ammo over the years, which is why they could place such a great team together in a relatively short time. Also, Giannis only fell to 15 because he was completely unknown due to his origins. If he was some D1 fast tracked hype baby he'd have been a top 5 pick even as raw as he was as a rookie.

None of these teams accomplished anything by staying the course. Dallas has actually rebuilt their team every years since 2011...they rebuilt around Luka already and he is only 3 or 4 years in.

It's a fully rational strategy with an extremely high upside, of course people are going to do it. You'd have to fundamentally change the incentives of drafting and competition to get a different outcome.

No amount of tongue wagging about competitiveness will change that because people can truthfully believe this IS their way of being competitive. If you're not the Lakers, if you're Milwaukee, Charlotte, Orlando, OKC, Indiana, generational players are never coming to you to create a super team. The draft and player development are the only way for them. In basketball, especially modern basketball, one player can change everything, they can be a system unto themselves, and you basically can't win without a unicorn, if not two unicorns.

The only exception during my lifetime is the 2004 Pistons, and "simply have the greatest defensive team ever" is a wish, not a strategy.

Modern basketball has proven that when there is a LeBron, a Jordan, a Doncic, a Durant, it is in your best interest to be in a position to get that player, by hook or by crook. Or you can suffer the fate of being eliminated by that player for 10 years straight.

It was a joke, but the more I think of it the more I think this tweet by Jon Bois is actually a low-key brilliant idea:

https://twitter.com/jon_bois/status/1588687423587983361