The Detroit Pistons finished the season 39-43 after a 119-87 win over the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night. Before the final game of the season, Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy addressed the issue of tanking, and how bad it is for the NBA and it’s fans.
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The growing narrative around the Pistons is that maybe they would benefit if they just went out and tanked. Van Gundy has different thoughts on that matter. Not only does he disagree with it, he feels something needs to change. Fans around Metro Detroit should remember Van Gundy and 97.1 The Ticket’s Mike Valenti getting into it about this same topic, among other things, before the 2017-2018 season started. Van Gundy once again let his feelings be known to the Chicago Tribune.
“We have about 10 teams that have gone out of their way to try to ensure they have a better chance to lose,” Van Gundy said. “To me, the essence of sports is two teams playing against each other trying to win”.
Van Gundy on the Philadelphia 76ers and their “process”-
“Even in Philly’s years, I don’t think the players and coaches (were) out there tanking. It’s who they decide to put on the court and build (the) roster. But when you have a third of the league trying to lose games, I don’t think that’s good for our product at all. To me, it’s a lack of integrity in your league and lack of respect for your fans. That’s just me, and I think I go against the norm”.
“Philadelphia is good and everyone is praising the process, how great it was, but the process is based on being as bad as you can be, historically bad for as long as you can. . . . If that’s the process and the accepted way to build a team in the NBA, then something needs to change.”
Starting in 2019 the NBA will have different rules put in place to make tanking a little less appealing. As it currently stands the team with the worst record in the league has a 25% chance at the top pick in the draft, the team with the second-worst record has a 19.9% chance at landing the top spot, and the team with the third-worst record has a 15.6% shot at it. Next season the teams with the three worst records will have an equal chance of landing that No.1 overall pick.
Van Gundy sounded off on the new draft reform that will be put in place for next season.
“We have to find a way (to make sure) there is absolutely zero incentive to lose,” Van Gundy said. “I don’t know the best way to do that. But as long as there is incentive, some people will choose to go that route.”
If there is a draft lottery, I don’t know how there will ever be “absolutely zero incentive to lose.” You must have some type of structure in place for a Draft, and there will always be teams that think rebuilding/tanking is the way to go. Wishing that there was zero incentive to lose is a nice thought, but it seems like fool’s gold.
With the 76ers on the verge of a proverbial title run, it makes tanking look more promising. Franchises and players are still viewed differently though. Franchises that tank are viewed to be doing what is necessary to become a winner, but the players on those teams are still counted on to play hard, according to fans and analysts alike. Van Gundy was asked by the Chicago Tribune if he felt this was ironic.
“That is ironic,” he said. “You ask the players to give their all and everything else, and you don’t do that as an organization. I think (for) players in those situations it has to be tough. And this is the worst year we’ve had of it (with) as many teams in the race for the bottom.”
Stan Van Gundy may or may not have a point here for some. Even with the new NBA draft reform, tanking and rebuilding will never go away, no matter how many people share the same views as coach Van Gundy.
