The ethics of the Philadelphia 76ers

[Dave Gray]

So, basically, the 76ers are intentionally bad, tanking to get picks.  And it's not that the players on the court aren't trying, but they're intentionally leaving the cupboard bare, trading away their best players to build picks for the future to make a run.

Statistically, this might make long term sense, but what does it say for the integrity of the league?  For the full faith and credit of an NBA ticket?  What does it mean if it works and you have multiple teams getting bad on purpose?

[Phishfan]

I think we already have multiple teams being bad on purpose. The bottom of the league in the NBA is a travesty. My team is a lottery team and I am not ashamed to say I have not watched a single one of their games this year.

[Sunstroke]

This is why I love my Phoenix Suns so much. They realistically didn't have any shot this year to compete with the best in the West for an NBA title, but our GM was out there, wheeling and dealing, trying to make us better, so we could win as many games as possible. We even gave up our most valuable draft asset, a protected pick from the gawd-awful Lakers, which is nearly a lock to be a top-10 pick in 2016, just so we could land Brandon Knight, who was a better fit with Bledsoe in our backcourt than either free agent-to-be Goran Dragic or too-short Isaiah Thomas.

Time will tell if it was a smart move, but I am proud of my team for going out there and fighting their asses off anyway.

As far as the 76ers go, I think they have done a few things right...and a few things wrong. I think the tandem of Nerlens Noel and Joel Embiid has the potential to be scary good, and I really like Covington at the 3. I thought Philly was stupid for dealing Michael Carter-Williams to Milwaukee (in the same 3-team deal that netted Phoenix Brandon Knight) for that probable top-10 pick in 2016. Carter-Williams was already a proven commodity, winning the rookie of the year award last year, and seemingly a perfect fit (scoring PG) for that Noel-Embiid frontcourt duo. Not sure what they were thinking on that one...

Time will tell if the 76ers did the right thing, but until that time comes (2017? 2018?), their fans really have to watch a crappy team on the court every night.

[Phishfan]

^^^Or not watch based on their attendance figures.

[Sunstroke]

^^^ True that, but Philly fans are fickle, and the moment their team starts winning again, the fans will all come back, and they'll all say that they never left.

Then they'll throw more snowballs at Santa Claus...

[dolphins4life]

As a cubs fan, isn't this normal? 

Last season the cubs traded away a ton of their best players for prospects. 

[BuccaneerBrad]

So, basically, the 76ers are intentionally bad, tanking to get picks.  And it's not that the players on the court aren't trying, but they're intentionally leaving the cupboard bare, trading away their best players to build picks for the future to make a run.

Statistically, this might make long term sense, but what does it say for the integrity of the league?  For the full faith and credit of an NBA ticket?  What does it mean if it works and you have multiple teams getting bad on purpose?

There's a reason why the NBA instituted the draft lottery beginning in 1985.  So teams like the 76ers couldn't tank the season for the top overall pick.  The NFL would be wise to do the same thing. 

[EDGECRUSHER]

The most angry I have been at the Knicks this year is the last 2 weeks when they "went on a tear" to close out the season on a 3-7 run and pass the Wolves as the 2nd worst team in the league. Ping pong balls may still bounce our way, but what the fuck did those 3 wins do for the franchise?

[Sunstroke]

^^^ I could understand that a little more if there were a consensus "top-2" players in this draft class, with a marked drop-off after the #2 spot, but I don't see this class that way at all.

[bsmooth]

I thought the Pistons were going to be in the running, but I was pleasantly surprised with the moves by SVG and the team's improvement.

[Dave Gray]

I think that "waiting to see how it works out" is part of the problem.  I feel that it's unethical either way...arguably even more so if it works.  If it works, many teams will likely tank and then your league could crumble.

The league depends on an integrity that every team is trying to win.  I know that this has probably been going on in some sense forever, but never this blatant.

[Spider-Dan]

I have a question for you that I feel is very important as to determining what should be done:

Who is the aggrieved victim in this tanking scenario?

- it's not the fans of the tanking team, because (as seen above) they complain even more loudly if you are dumb enough to win with a bad team
- it's not the fans of the teams that are beating the tanking teams, because no one complains about free wins

So who is being hurt, exactly?  In other words, why should we care?  It seems to me that the lottery is sufficient incentive to dissuade teams from issuing explicit directions to lose (which is very far removed from trading away promising players for future picks, or giving a lot of minutes to undeveloped players).

[Dave Gray]

Who is the aggrieved victim in this tanking scenario?

It's the league as a whole.  It's fans who want to watch competitive basketball.  It's not just about raising a trophy.  It's about a long-term competitive product.  It's about a fan of every other city that has to watch the 76ers come and play...might as well forfeit the games.

Over the long-term, the league depends on competition.  And fans deserve faith in a ticket that you're getting two teams trying to win.

Otherwise, the brand image will be hurt and EVERYONE will lose out.

[Spider-Dan]

The fans of every other city get to watch the 76ers come to their city and lose to their team.  I doubt this is a source of complaint.

It seems to me that the only people you hear complaining about this are fans of the teams that are also bad, but not bad enough to be at the top of the lottery.  And in what is surely a coincidence, the Miami Heat recently joined the ranks of these teams.

I don't remember hearing much discussion here about tanking in the four years prior to this season, when Heat fans were utterly unconcerned about such matters.  Similarly, the time I heard the most complaints about tanking (from Dolphins fans) was when IND got Luck.

[Dave Gray]

The HEAT aside, fans of all teams except the 76ers and the team they're playing have an interest in their games.  That's a problem. 

Fans want to watch good basketball...or at least teams that are trying to win.

The 76ers sucking don't mean squat to me as a HEAT fan.  I just wish that when they play the Knicks or whatever, that the game might matter.