Fixing the NBA lottery

[Mediocre Man]

Despite what some of you may think, I hate tanking. However, the NBA rewards it, so it can be used as a good strategy. That being said, I'd love to to see it fixed.

The option I like most is the "wins after elimination" method, where teams are issued ping pong balls based on the number of wins they have after they are mathmatically eliminated from the playoffs. The more wins you have, the more chances you get at one of the top picks. Ties would be determined by last team eliminated or record vs or whatever.

This should force every team to try and win every game.

 

[PtldPlatypus]

Despite what some of you may think, I hate tanking. However, the NBA rewards it, so it can be used as a good strategy. That being said, I'd love to to see it fixed.

The option I like most is the "wins after elimination" method, where teams are issued ping pong balls based on the number of wins they have after they are mathmatically eliminated from the playoffs. The more wins you have, the more chances you get at one of the top picks. Ties would be determined by last team eliminated or record vs or whatever.

This should force every team to try and win every game.

Or it would force teams who don't think they have shot at the playoffs to tank early, try to get eliminated early, and then try to rack up WAE after the tank job is complete. It doesn't eliminate the tank, it just relocates it.

 

[BlazerCaravan]

Or it would force teams who don't think they have shot at the playoffs to tank early, try to get eliminated early, and then try to rack up WAE after the tank job is complete. It doesn't eliminate the tank, it just relocates it.

Plus with a lot of teams, you aren't mathematically eliminated until like February or March just because the playoff 8 seed won't win every game.

 

[Mediocre Man]

Or it would force teams who don't think they have shot at the playoffs to tank early, try to get eliminated early, and then try to rack up WAE after the tank job is complete. It doesn't eliminate the tank, it just relocates it.

Trying to lose a ton, then flip a switch to win is really tough. It would certainly happen at some point, but it would cut down on tanking a lot, IMO.

Another radical option would be to give the last 2-4 out the same chance at number one as the first 2-4 out

 

[BlazerCaravan]

I like the idea of the NBA NIT tourney.

Do the lottery weighting basically as normal, with the worst team getting 14 lotto numbers and the 14th team getting 1 lotto number. But then have a single elimination tournament with the bottom 14 teams and the two 8 seeds.

The winner of each round earns a lotto number from the team they beat. The two finalists each become the 8th seed in the playoffs and the winner of the finals gets four numbers from the loser.

 

[dreamcloud]

Why would players play any harder than they are to draft someone higher that will more likely take their position?

 

[Mediocre Man]

Plus with a lot of teams, you aren't mathematically eliminated until like February or March just because the playoff 8 seed won't win every game.

Right, so a team like Denver or two of Indiana, Chicago or Miami, wouldn't have any more chance at top three than tgey do now. But if LA tanks all games to get a better slot, under that system, it would not benefit them to lose.

It also doesnt have to be from elimination. Maybe all star break, or another date.

 

[Sarni]

Just do it a normal lottery, all teams have equal chances. Or at least make it less disproportionate. If the difference between coming 10th worst or worst was just 1, 2 per cent more, it would have made sense. You have 1% to get no. 1 pick if you are 10th but 18% if you are 3rd worst and 25% if you are the worst. It makes no sense and only rewards the worst three teams in the league who should not get shit for being terrible. It also defies the purpose of sport.

You'd need to implement this well in advance though. Picks that have already been traded will lose/gain value otherwise.

Alternatively, and this could be fun, after regular season is done, make a separate playoff for eliminated teams so they can win their draft position. Top 4 is decided based on this playoffs tournament, all remaining teams go into normal straight up lottery with all playoffs teams, and between 5-30 everything is just drawn (maybe with more chances given to the worst teams in the NBA). Positions 1-4 you win with performance.

 

[Mediocre Man]

Why would players play any harder to draft someone higher that will more likely take their position?

Players play hard period. Its the organization that tanks. For example, Brooklyn is sitting Lopez and two other starters tonight for rest. Are you fucking kidding me? Last game of the year and they rest players who are 24 hours from a 5 month vacation? Of this win helped the organization get ping pong balls, those players are playing tonight.

 

[Mediocre Man]

Ive seen the non playoff team playoff method. Its good too.

 

[PtldPlatypus]

Players play hard period. Its the organization that tanks. For example, Brooklyn is sitting Lopez and two other starters tonight for rest. Are you fucking kidding me? Last game of the year and they rest players who are 24 hours from a 5 month vacation? Of this win helped the organization get ping pong balls, those players are playing tonight.

While I get your point, Brooklyn's a terrible example since they don't own their pick.

 

[Sarni]

Players play hard period. Its the organization that tanks. For example, Brooklyn is sitting Lopez and two other starters tonight for rest. Are you fucking kidding me? Last game of the year and they rest players who are 24 hours from a 5 month vacation? Of this win helped the organization get ping pong balls, those players are playing tonight.

I don't think Brooklyn are tanking. What would be the point?

 

[Sarni]

Brooklyn sitting players is something Miami should call them out for though. They need Brooklyn to actually try!

 

[TBpup]

How about this:

If you are in the Top-4 in the Lottery, the next year, the highest you can be is #5. If you are Are in the Top-6 two years in a row, the highest you can be is Top 7. No more perennial high Lottery dwellers like Philly, Phoenix, Sacramento....and now the Lakers. It's not fair to the fans and if your organization is that bad, then Lottery picks aren't going to help you anyhow and should go to someone else.

Some exceptions might have to be made for major injuries to multiple players but get rid of the incentive for these Owners/GMs to continually tank year after year with in some cases, large amounts of room on the Salary Cap.

 

[bodyman5000 and 1]

Weigh each lotto team on a 3 year scale. If Steph Curry and Klay Thompson both got mono (or whatever) and missed a season they shouldn't get the first pick. Only the 76ers would benefit and they may be good one day.

 

[Wizard Mentor]

A silly solution:
Have the number of lottery balls garnered be dependent on the % of fan attendance to the games. The more faithful the fans are to their crappy team, they more chance for improvement via the lottery. For example, two teams with identical records are at the bottom of the standings. Team 1's stadium holds 20,000 and their average attendance is 16,000 (80%). Team 2's stadium holds 24,000 and their average attendance is 17,000 (71%). Team 1 would get more lottery balls.

This system has a lot of advantages, but NBA attendance numbers reported have also been somewhat suspect, so there'd have to be an improvement there. The incentive is to overreport your attendance numbers or buy your own tickets and give them away (I could live with the latter).

Other Thoughts:

Problem #1 - Small # of Players
The problem is inherent to the number of players on a basketball team. Let's compare to football, where there are about 24 positions instead of 5, or about 5 times as many.

That means the #1 overall pick in the NBA is like 5 #1 overall picks in the NFL. Same goes with the 2nd pick, 3rd pick, .... OTOH, if you screw up a pick, it's like screwing up 5 picks. If your #1 pick becomes injured and can't play it's like losing 5 #1 picks

Problem #2 - The David Robinson Problem
Your championship contender has it's best player get injured, just missing the playoffs, and wins the lottery. If, say, Tim Duncan is available that year, the lottery had too big of an effect on the power distribution of the league. What they've done is to make it so the good teams have a VERY small chance of winning the lottery.

 

[3RA1N1AC]

i think they should get rid of pick protection, this keeps teams from tanking the last month of the season to get below a certain protection threshold.

and i just came up with this, give everybody in the lottery the same chance to move up, or down, just not move up as high. it would give a disincentive to tanking in the sense that finishing worst doesnt guarantee you a top 4 pick. it would guarantee top 7 i guess, but not sure if that is so much of an incentive to tank because it isnt weighted, so you have the same chance as 7 other teams.

#1 can fall anywhere between #1 and #7
#2 can fall anywhere between #1 and #8
#3 can fall anywhere between #1 and #9
#4 can fall anywhere between #1 and #10
#5 can fall anywhere between #1 and #11
#6 can fall anywhere between #1 and #12
#7 can fall anywhere between #1 and #13
#8 can fall anywhere between #2 and #14
#9 can fall anywhere between #3 and #14
#10 can fall anywhere between #4 and #14
#11 can fall anywhere between #5 and #14
#12 can fall anywhere between #6 and #14
#13 can fall anywhere between #7 and #14
#14 can fall anywhere between #8 and #14

i guess this could create some mini tanking at the threshold of #7 and #8 to get a chance at the #1 pick, but making it more random in the sense that it isnt weighted should help.

 

[UncleCliffy'sDaddy]

How 'bout if a particular team is in the lottery for more than (for instance) 2 years in a row, the team GM is required to resign. Maybe include the coach too. I suspect tanking would cease almost immediately......

 

[BlazerCaravan]

How 'bout if a particular team is in the lottery for more than (for instance) 2 years in a row, the team GM is required to resign. Maybe include the coach too. I suspect tanking would cease almost immediately......

If a team is in the lottery for more than three years, it is contracted and a dispersal draft occurs.

 

[BBert]

I like the idea of the NBA NIT tourney.

Do the lottery weighting basically as normal, with the worst team getting 14 lotto numbers and the 14th team getting 1 lotto number. But then have a single elimination tournament with the bottom 14 teams and the two 8 seeds.

The winner of each round earns a lotto number from the team they beat. The two finalists each become the 8th seed in the playoffs and the winner of the finals gets four numbers from the loser.

And the incentive for players to play themselves out of a job is...?

I'm not criticizing, just throwing that out there.

I think rewarding tanking is a huge problem, for the fans and for the league. I don't have a solution.

 

[BBert]

If a team is in the lottery for more than three years, it is contracted and a dispersal draft occurs.

Or that whole, minor league, major league soccer idea? Instead of a developmental league, add a few more teams. Good teams are moved up a division, bad teams are moved down?

 

[BlazerWookee]

If a team is in the lottery for more than three years, it is contracted and a dispersal draft occurs.

Or it is replaced with a D league team.

 

[BBert]

How about keep it simple. Give every team that misses the playoffs the exact same chance in the final lottery order. Teams like the Lakers, 76ers, Suns and Nets would have no incentive to lose games jockying for lotto balls because their draft position would be completely random.

 

[ripcityboy]

Promotion/Relegation.... tie it to TV money and you'll see every team twist every rule in the book to get better. I've said it a number of times on here.

 

[PtldPlatypus]

If a team is in the lottery for more than three years, it is contracted and a dispersal draft occurs.

Well, it sure was nice being a Blazer fan until the team disbanded after Roy/Aldridge's rookie season...

 

[BlazerCaravan]

Well, it sure was nice being a Blazer fan until the team disbanded after Roy/Aldridge's rookie season...

Yeah but the Lakers were contracted this year so...

 

[PtldPlatypus]

Yeah but the Lakers were contracted this year so...

*Trying really hard to decide if it's worth it...*

 

[BlazerCaravan]

*Trying really hard to decide if it's worth it...*

I was obviously being facetious, but I think there needs to be some punishment; bad teams are bad for the league, but there's a big disparity between the best and worst talent, and the best/worst coaches.

 

[3RA1N1AC]

And the incentive for players to play themselves out of a job is...?

I'm not criticizing, just throwing that out there.

I think rewarding tanking is a huge problem, for the fans and for the league. I don't have a solution.

what do you think of my idea?

 

[Natebishop3]

I think they should have a poker tournament, and the winner gets the #1 pick.