5 NBA teams that should start tanking now
By Adam Cox
The NBA season is less than a fifth complete, but these five teams need to start tanking right now.
The 2016-17 NBA regular season is still in its infancy. We have little info on what teams are good and what teams are bad. The Los Angeles Clippers, Golden State Warriors, San Antonio Spurs, and the Cleveland Cavaliers are good — that’s fairly apparent. The Philadelphia 76ers, Brooklyn Nets, New Orleans Pelicans, and the Dallas Mavericks are bad — we do know that.
What about the other 22 teams that make up the National Basketball Association? The rest is muddled. Only nine of these 22 teams are above .500 at this point of the season. One additional team (Los Angeles Lakers) sports a .500 record. An additional three teams (New York Knicks, Milwaukee Bucks, Utah Jazz) are one game under .500.
To recap, fewer than half of NBA teams have a winning record. Only slightly more than half of all NBA teams are even within one game of splitting even.
It should be noted that numerous teams have struggled with injury early in the season. Others are still incorporating and developing chemistry with offseason additions. They could still be good, or at least not mediocre. Some teams, however, need to give it up right now.
Before we begin, a couple things: 1) Currently possessing a winning or close-to-winning record does not preclude a team from this list; 2) Teams have been omitted from this list for the simple fact that they don’t need to tank. Some teams are effortlessly awful.
5. Washington Wizards
The Washington Wizards are now in year seven of the John Wall-era, with nothing to show for the 2010 No. 1 overall pick. Wall is on histhird head coach. The Wizards have only made the playoffs two times since Wall joined the team and were never considered a serious championship contender either season. Last season was a step back, finishing 41-41 and costing Randy Wittman his job.
There was talent around him. Marcin Gortat emerged as one of the best centers in the NBA and paired with Nene presented all kinds of problems for opponents. A backcourt pairing with fellow lottery pick Bradley Beal promised to be great for the next decade and the bench had quality.
Now Nene is gone. Gortat seems like he has regressed. It seems like Beal has been perpetually injured throughout his career, hindering his development both individually and his pairing with Wall. Also, offseason turnover appears to have sapped the strength of the bench. Finally, did the Wizards really think the solution to their problems was Scott Brooks?
Through 12 games this season the Wizards are 4-9 and second-to-last in the Eastern Conference. The Oklahoma City Thunder made clear what was necessary to overcome Brooks’ coaching: supreme talent.
The Wizards simply don’t have enough. Tank and that talent may be obtained.