This season has seen NBA commissioner Adam Silver outright warning teams that the league will not tolerate tanking. The term refers to the act of deliberately losing games in the hopes of getting a better lottery pick for the following season’s rookie draft.
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| Image source: elitesportsny.com |
Though some teams’ respective managers and owners have been more vocal about tanking (and have been fined accordingly), it’s no secret to NBA analysts and fans that this is ongoing and can even be said to be rampant in the league. Teams eliminated from this year’s playoffs seem to consistently lose, with defeats more than half their total wins.
This is most obvious in teams like the Grizzlies, Mavericks, and the Hawks, but the Knicks is not that far behind. The team is obviously out of playoffs contention with a 25-45 record as the regular season winds to a close. It didn’t help their cause that their franchise player, Kristaps Porzingis, got a season-ending ACL tear at the start of the year.
Knicks management understands that they will most likely get a better chance at a good pick with their current record. With Porzingis not expected to be back until midway next season, they could spend the coming off-season dealing with their huge salary cap (not helped by Hardaway Jr.’s outrageous contract) and scouting for more perimeter shooters.
It might take a good two more years for the Knicks to be competitive again in the East. But by then Porzingis will have reached his prime. And, hopefully, the team will have likewise completed the supporting cast needed to bring the team back to the playoffs.
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| Image source: abcnews.com |
Hello, Christopher Halajian here. I’m a student at NYU currently taking up sports management. My loyalty has always been with New York teams, so I like writing about them. For related reads, visit this blog.
