NBA Betting -- How Do They Stop the Tanking?

  • In Charles Jay
  • Fri, Feb 23rd, 2018 10:06:42 am
  • By Charles Jay - Exclusive to OSGA


The Dallas Mavericks' owner, Mark Cuban, has been fined $600,000 by the NBA for admitting that his club in engaging in "tanking," although commissioner Adam Silver knows it's happening all around the league.

"(Commissioner Adam Silver) would hate hearing that, but I at least sat down and I explained it to them. And I explained what our plans were going to be this summer, that we're not going to tank again. This was, like, a year-and-a-half tanking, and that was too brutal for me. But being transparent, I think that's the key to being kind of a players owner and having stability."

Those were the words of Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, who appeared on a podcast admitting that there has essentially been a strategy in his organization to, well, not seek victory. I'm sure it doesn't involve him telling the coach to give up, or to "dive," as it were, in games that were winnable. And he's not telling his players not to try. But the attitude within the Mavs' hierarchy became "relaxed" toward winning, as their best method of reaping the benefits of things like higher draft picks and more salary cap space.

Unquestionably, BetAnySports customers know that the ultimate objective is to be in a position to make bold moves to become much better, but should fans, who have paid for season tickets, and TV entities, who have paid rights fees, be subject to this kind of thing?

Cuban, as you know, projects the image of the hyper-competitive guy on "Shark Tank," who wouldn't settle for anything but a winner. And make no mistake about it; he has been at the top, winning an NBA championship. But when you're not trying to win, what kind of team is that? And what kind of league is it?

Cuban explained it to some of his players. The very fact that he would even feel comfortable doing that tells you that this has become part of the NBA culture that, while frowned upon (Cuban was fined $600,000 for his admission) is grudgingly accepted. Let's face it - the Mavericks aren't the only team that has done it; we saw it for a few years with the Philadelphia 76ers, and the Los Angeles Lakers have been in the process of doing it for a couple of seasons. But we know that there is some kind of super-objective.

At least we don't see what we do in Major League Baseball, where drastic cuts in salaries don't necessarily mean that teams are loading up to spend big on free agents later. The Miami Marlins, for example, under the new leadership of Derek Jeter, dumped a entire outfield that might have been among the best in baseball, and there is no guarantee that at anytime soon they are going to go after some of the free agents who can really make a difference. Same goes for the Pittsburgh Pirates. More likely than not, they join a number of other low-budget clubs in what seems like a perpetual process of "rebuilding," while they hope to catch lightning in a bottle by getting lucky with a group of kids who are not close to being eligible for arbitration yet.

NBA teams tanking Mark CubanIn the NBA, the salary caps and minimums prevent any team from being overly "miserly," but still, there is something wrong with an atmosphere that makes somebody like Cuban feel okay with even discussing such a thing with players who ultimately have to go on the court and perform. And let's remember - Cuban didn't get fined for tanking; he got fined for ADMITTING PUBLICLY that he is tanking.

Many people have suggested that the race to the bottom - for an opportunity to have the most chances in the NBA lottery - is almost as intense as the battle for the top seeds in each conference. And they're probably right.

For BetAnySports patrons who are handicapping, it might be a good idea to keep an eye out for those teams in short-lined situations, which we suppose would mostly be at home, when they are playing a team that is NOT in the race for a top spot in the lottery order. If they're tanking, this is where it might manifest itself most strongly. At the All-Star break, there were EIGHT teams with between 18-20 wins. You can start there.

As for when they play each other, it would be interesting to see what happens there, particularly when it comes to totals. Maybe neither team will try to put it in the hoop. These coaches must be feeling the pressure, even if it isn't coming directly, as they know what their respected front offices really want to happen.

As for what can be done to stop this madness, well, maybe the league should experiment with having a lottery where ALL teams participate, with each of them having an equal chance at the #1 pick. That would at least send a message to the fans that they aren't going to stand for putting teams on the floor who aren't interested in winning.

Hey - they turned the All-Star Game selection into something resembling a playground game, didn't they? They might as well try this too.

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