The NBA has a tanking problem on its hands, and Hall of Famer Charles Barkley has some thoughts on how to tackle the issue. Barkley shared three ideas on Inside the NBA, and the first of them involves a financial hit to team owners.
“The elephant in the room is this tanking situation we got going on in the NBA,” Barkley said. “You see what they’re doing in Utah, you see what they’re doing in D.C. Now you’ve got the Mavs sort of tanking… First of all, tanking has always been part of the NBA, let’s get that out of the way… We’ve got to come up with some type of solution because it’s not fair to the game first and foremost.
“It’s not fair to your fanbase,” Barkley continued. “I’ve always suggested this rule. I don’t think any NBA team should be able to raise their ticket prices if they’re below .500. I’ve always said that. You cannot raise your ticket prices if your team is below .500. I think they should make that a rule in every sport, to be honest with you.”
Host Ernie Johnson found this to be quite an interesting idea. Barkley made it clear that teams can’t have their cake and eat it too. The 63-year-old then called for a change in the Draft Lottery process and the removal of pick protections.
“Every team in the lottery should get one ping pong ball,” Barkley stated. “They shouldn’t give you more balls… The team that has the worst record, I think, has only got the number one pick like 2 out of 25 years. So, give everybody one ping pong ball if you don’t make the playoffs.
“But also, this is the other one,” Barkley added. “If you trade a pick, it’s gone. Because now teams can manipulate if it falls in the top three or four or top seven protected, no.”
We are indeed seeing a lot of that. NBA commissioner Adam Silver thinks tanking is worse than ever before in the league now. Barkley brought up the Utah Jazz, and they have been accused of intentionally throwing games by benching their starters down the stretch. The Sacramento Kings, meanwhile, have faced tanking allegations after three of their players underwent season-ending surgery.
Silver declared that the NBA will take action and added that every possible remedy is being discussed. Well, Barkley has shared his ideas, and others have as well.
NBA analyst Bobby Marks thinks docking draft picks would discourage tanking. Marks thinks billionaire owners wouldn’t have an issue paying fines, but they wouldn’t want to lose their picks.
A former majority owner has chimed in on the situation as well. Mark Cuban, now a minority owner of the Dallas Mavericks, thinks the NBA Draft should be more like free agency.
“Since tanking is getting everyone’s attention, back in the day, when we were winning 50 games every year and never got a good pick, here is what I floated: ‘Make the draft more like free agency.’ Except that the worst record gets the salary slotted to the first draft pick. The next worst record gets the next amount.”
Cuban also wants four rounds instead of two in the NBA Draft. He revealed that agents call teams to tell them not pick their clients once they get to about the 45th pick if they have fallen too far down. They then want to pick where they go.
“The agents aren’t dumb. They will play teams against each other for guaranteed money, a two-way contract, and playing time. It’s ridiculous,” Cuban continued. “Add two rounds, and it’s fairer to players, and people in the draft room can go home at a reasonable time.”
It will be quite interesting to see what the NBA ends up doing here. Will they listen to what those on the outside are suggesting, or will they just look for solutions internally? Time will tell.
