NBA: 5 Teams that need to Tank NOW
Tanking is an effort by the front office to build a team bad enough to lose a ton of games, but with enough flexibility for the future and maybe some young guys that can be pieces of that future core. So, the way to fix an overachieving team is to sell off pieces.
It is always important to remember that players don’t want to tank and don’t actively participate in it. They play hard and try to win because that’s what professional athletes do. Coaches, for the most part, try to win as well. Tanking involves taking an organizational focus that is something other than "win the next game."
There are several ways that teams use in tanking:
1. Waiting for a key player to be "100%" before they return from injury.
2. Giving minutes to young players over veterans who are currently better
3. Using actual game possessions to improve players' weaknesses
4. Trying mismatched line-ups and developing new offensive sets in season
5. Trading current assets for future value
The reason it happens is that the 8th seed is the worst spot to be in as an NBA franchise. You have no shot at a lottery pick and are probably going to be decimated by LeBron James or the Golden State Warriors. So, let's give new meaning to the 8th seed!
Only a certain percentage of players selected in the Top 5 going on to be franchise-altering players. The talent evaluation is considered when deciding whether to tank. This year'ss top 5 is widely considered to be wildly talented. That should be relevant to any team's decision whether to tank.
Honorable Mention: Phoenix Suns
There should be no rush to compete in Phoenix, especially when possessing the youngest roster in the league. Their way of tanking should be using real game situations to develop their future stars. It is impressive that Devin Booker and TJ Warren have made leaps in their development and show enough promise to be the pillars of the franchise.
However, basketball in the NBA is a man’s game. The youngsters need to mature vastly to hit the next stage of winning. As far as the second half of the season is concerned, losing will be inevitable for the Suns. They have one of the toughest schedules with 9 games in a row against teams over .500, hello top 5 draft pick!
They might need to move veteran center Tyson Chandler and or Greg Monroe to clear cap space and salaries as the market slowly develops before the trade deadline.