NBA Tank Rankings: Brooklyn reemerges despite lack of incentive

4. team. 147. <p>The Nets escaped from this list a week ago, only to return in short order.</p> <p>Brooklyn lost all four games this week by an average margin of more than 19 points per game, and that was a cruel reality check. To be fair, the Nets aren’t playing at full strength, but unlike other teams surrounding them, this isn’t an organization with any incentive to lose. Their pick is gone, and with that, Brooklyn should really be trying harder than any other team in the mix here.</p> <p>Yikes.</p>. (21-55). Previous: . Brooklyn Nets

Los Angeles Lakers. 3. team. 20. <p>What a week in Lakerland.</p> <p>The D’Angelo Russell-Nick Young saga dominated virtually every portion of the sports landscape, and that, in itself, is an accomplishment for what has been a wretched basketball team. On the court, though, the Lakers managed to sneak away with an overtime win against a quality opponent in the Heat on Wednesday, and that actually helped them to rise out of the bottom two.</p> <p>For me, Russell is the best long-term piece on the Lakers roster, making things all the more interesting, but Los Angeles needs to prioritize ping-pong balls and free agent acquisitions in a dual way. It will be intriguing to see any and all fall-out that transpires, but in terms of this space, Los Angeles is just a bad basketball team with a tanking interest.</p>. (16-59). Previous: