Mark Cuban, the outspoken former owner of the Dallas Mavericks, has stated that the NBA should “embrace tanking”
‘Tanking’ is the practice of intentionally fielding uncompetitive teams in order to obtain better positions for the next draft, taking advantage of league rules that benefit teams with poorer results.
“The worst shit the NBA shares is that if you don’t lie to your fans about what you’re doing, even if it’s obvious to them, they fine you
Last week, the NBA fined the Utah Jazz $500,000 and the Indiana Pacers $100,000 for sitting healthy players in recent games.
We didn’t tank often, but when we did, our fans appreciated it
“The worst shit the NBA shares is that if you don’t lie to your fans about what you’re doing, even if it’s obvious to them, they fine you. And they threaten you with losing Draft picks,” the billionaire complained
Mark Cuban admits Dallas Mavericks were able to sign Luka Doncic thanks to tanking
Mark Cuban admitted that tanking helped to sign Luka Doncic in the 2018 draft: “We didn’t used to tank. Only a few times in 23 years, but when we did, our fans appreciated it. And it allowed us to get better, move up the rankings to sign Luka and improve our team.”
Cuban, who is still a minority owner of the Mavericks, published on his social networks his argument for the NBA to allow its teams not to play to win, which is the same as competing to lose, in order to achieve better draft positions in a future Draft.
Mark Cuban: “Why the NBA should embrace tanking”
“The NBA has been wrong to think that fans want to see their teams compete every night with the chance to win. It has never been like that.
When I entered the NBA, they thought they were in the basketball business. They’re not. They’re in the business of creating experiences for fans.
Few people remember the score of the last game they saw or attended. They don’t remember the dunks or the shots. What they remember is who they were with: their family, their friends, a date. That’s what makes the experience special.
Fans know that their team can’t win every game. They know that only one team can win the ring. What fans who care about their team’s record want is hope. Hope that they will improve and have a chance to compete for the playoffs and maybe a ring.
The only way to get close to that is through the draft. And trades. And salary cap space. You have a better chance of improving through all three things when you tank. We didn’t used to tank. Only a few times in 23 years, but when we did, our fans appreciated it. And it allowed us to get better, move up to sign Luka and improve our team.
The NBA should be more concerned with the fan experience than tanking. It should be more concerned with pricing out fans than tanking.
You know who cares less about tanking? A parent who can’t afford to take their three kids to a game and buy them a jersey of their favorite player.
Tanking is not the problem. Affordability and quality of game presentation are.
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