Adam Silver vows NBA tanking solution before draft, seeks EuroLeague partnership

NEW YORK – The National Basketball Association (NBA) will have a solution by June to teams “tanking” to try and obtain a better NBA Draft spot, commissioner Adam Silver vowed on March 25.

And he made it clear that the NBA wants partners on a new European league to include EuroLeague, world governing body FIBA and national leagues around the region.

Speaking after the NBA’s board of governors meeting that looked at expansion possibilities to Las Vegas and Seattle, Silver said no votes were taken about Europe league plans but team owners were updated on NBA plans.

“For the betterment of European basketball, I think the best outcome would be if we came together with the European league and we came up with a systematic approach to growing the game throughout Europe,” he said.

“That means complementing the country leagues, working together with the EuroLeague and working together with our federation, FIBA.”

Financial dealings with expansion include working with a different group of banks than those looking over European league plans, Silver said.

The Europe deal includes plans for 12 markets and multiple partners to consider in each.

“There are 12 separate markets we’re looking at, at the moment,” Silver said.

“Over 100 organisations are currently involved in this process.”

He also said there is “enormous enthusiasm” over the project, adding: “We have ongoing discussions with the existing basketball infrastructure in Europe.”

Closer to the NBA, Silver’s major concern for the campaign is tanking, with clubs losing games to compile a poorer record in hopes of a better chance in the lottery of getting one of the first picks in an NBA Draft with several projected star players.

While he did not name teams, the Washington Wizards (17-55) and the Indiana Pacers (16-57) recently snapped 16-game losing streaks.

The Sacramento Kings (19-54) also had a franchise-worst 16-game losing streak before snapping it in February by defeating the Memphis Grizzlies.

The teams with the worst records in the regular season have the best chance at winning the lottery to decide the top pick in June’s NBA Draft and the first chance to claim the rights to new young talent.

“It’s unclear how bad a team really is when outcomes are being controlled in a way based on incentives to finish further down the standings,” Silver said.

“The incentives next season will be different.”

He said the board had a long talk about tanking.

“This may be an unusual year because of the perception of a deep draft,” Silver said.

“I would say that has combined with the inception of advanced analytics in all sports.”

Silver said he understands the risks, rewards and opportunities that could push teams to field players that end up producing losing results.

“This meeting was not about pointing fingers at any team in particular. I understand where the incentives are and why it results in certain behaviour,” he said.

“It was unanimous in the room that we needed to make a change and we needed to make a change for next season.

“Exactly what that change is we’re continuing to work on.”

Silver expects a special board of governors meeting in May to decide upon changes going forward “so all the teams understand the rules of the road going into next year”.

He said the tanking issue has “business, basketball and integrity implications so it’s one we take very seriously and we’re going to fix it. Full stop. I want to say that to our fans.

“Incentives need to be fixed and we will fix them.”

In NBA action on March 25, forward Jaylen Brown had 31 points, eight rebounds and eight assists to help the Boston Celtics end the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder’s 12-game win streak with a 119-109 victory.

Elsewhere, Victor Wembanyama had 19 points, 15 rebounds and seven blocks as the San Antonio Spurs posted a wire-to-wire 123-98 victory over the hosting Grizzlies.

In Denver, Jamal Murray scored 33 of his season-high 53 points in the first half and Nikola Jokic had 23 points, 21 rebounds and 19 assists, as the Nuggets held on to beat the Dallas Mavericks 142-135.
REUTERS, AFP