NBA Commissioner Adam Silver on teams tanking: ‘I am concerned about the perception’
By Jack Crosby
With the current NBA Draft process in place, the notion of bad teams tanking the second half of the season to try and get the best pick possible will always be an issue. This past Friday, former Orlando Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy called out not only the issue of tanking itself, but specifically the Philadelphia 76ers and new NBA commissioner, Adam Silver.
"“Not what Philadelphia is doing right now, which is embarrassing,” Van Gundy said. ”I don’t care, Adam Silver can say there’s no tanking or what’s going on — if you’re putting that roster on the floor, you’re doing everything you can possibly do to try to lose.”"
Recently, the commissioner had a chance to offer his rebuttal on the matter, and he made it abundantly clear that he he doesn’t see things Van Gundy’s way at all.
"“I don’t agree with Coach Van Gundy at all,” Silver said, via CSNPhilly.com. “It is an insult to the entire league suggesting these guys are going out on the floor and not doing their very best to win games."
Then, he did admit a bit of concern over tanking, but he also went out of the way to disagree about the perception that Philly is throwing the season away.
"“I am concerned about the perception,” Silver said. “I am not concerned about what is happening in Philadelphia.”"
It seems that tanking is being brought more and more to the forefront as each year passes, meaning that a solution might soon be inevitable–whether you believe in it or not.