It’s NBA Playoff time. The Pelicans are going to make it in as the 8 seed. Good for them, but I’ll admit, I feel bad a bit for Russell Westbrook. He’s balled out of his mind this past season. He’s had the team on his back, and still looks like they won’t make the playoffs. But he’s still in consideration for MVP, which I think it should be between him and Steph Curry. But that’s another topic for another day. Maybe perhaps a Going Green topic, Veair??
Anyway, that’s not why I’m here. I’m here tonight to discuss the topic of tanking. I know, not too much will be solved by the time I end my offering. But I wonder….does tanking really help? Lets take a look at some of the teams like the Knicks and Sixers. Heck, even the Lakers. These teams have been playoff teams in the past three to four years, but they’ve all fallen off the face of the Earth of late. And that’s no one’s fault, really. Two of the franchises have undergone some changes with their leadership. But in terms of tanking, will they get some talented players to help them? Maybe. These kids that are coming out are talented, no doubt, but are they as good as advertised? Can they help a team turn around right away? Maybe, maybe not. But tanking doesn’t always help immediately.
While I’m not a huge fan of tanking, I understand why it happens. But I think it has to be part of a bigger scheme. And that means that you have to have a good front office, and a plan. The Lakers and the Sixers, I feel kind of OK with their front office and their ability to run things. The Knicks. Not 1,000% sure what’s going on. I’m hoping that Phil Jackson is just getting a good idea of what working in the front office means, and is going to use his Jedi Mind Tricks or whatever he does to help build this team into what they used to be. But then, once you’ve got your star player, then it’s time to build around that person. And with what some of these teams have going on (Looking at you Knicks) it can be hard to build around people because of bad contracts, not being able to attract other free agents to come play. Some teams also need to learn how to transition players into different roles, while still “allowing” that person to have control.
But then you look at a team like Cleveland. Boy did they ever suck once LeBron left. They tanked, they did all sorts of things, and still, weren’t able to make any noise until LeBron came back. Now, did LeBron returning hasten the process? Um, yeah. But if he hadn’t, I don’t see where they would have come back to be one of the top seeds in the east this year.
So, while tanking isn’t the best thing in the world, I think that if it’s done “right” with a bigger game plan in mind, it can work. But it takes time. And unfortunately, time is something that we in the sports world don’t give enough people. But that’s ok. As long as I know and trust that the team is doing what they need to do to get the team back into contention, I’ll give them as much time as they need.
I’m a Lions Fan. I can do that!
Follow Sonja on Twitter @Mom23RN
