Don’t Reward the Bobcats

By Ethan Sherwood Strauss, on February 23rd, 2012

D.J. Augustin, Reggie Williams, Corey Maggette, Boris Diaw and Bismack Biyombo. This is not a starting NBA lineup. This is not even an attempt at an NBA starting lineup. This is an embarrassment, a blight on basketball. Forget the lockout, this is why your League Pass should come cheaper.

The Bobcats have lost 18 out of their last 19 games, and that statistic is more descriptive than surprising. At home yesterday, they lost by 14 to the Pacers, in a game that actually helped their point differential. The crowd was sparse, the atmosphere was null. Some would say that this is a team in need of salvation, that the lottery works when it smiles upon such a sad case.

Nope. The Bobcats are what is wrong with the lottery. Sure, compliment them on becoming awful in an effort to rebuild. But what does that say about the NBA’s incentives? In 2010, this team had a winning record and a playoff appearance. They’ve spent the last two years shedding talent in an effort to get terrible–I’m guessing. And I’m guessing because it becomes rather difficult to differentiate ineptitude from wholly rational tanking.

The weighted lottery system is one that encourages badness. If the NBA would merely give every lotto team an equal shot, the practice would be eradicated forever. What organization would ditch a chance at the playoffs for a 1/14 chance at the number one pick?

The counter argument is that decent teams would more often win a top pick at the expense of terrible teams. So? It was not a national calamity when the small market Magic got Shaq and Penny in consecutive lotteries (this actually prompted the NBA board of Governors to further weight the system). If the scrappy Bucks miss the playoffs, they won’t become an immediate powerhouse for having the number one selection. But their fans would have more to hope for on lotto selection day if the 1-in-14 structure is implemented. In general, more NBA fans would take interest in a selection process that any playoff misser could benefit from equally.

Revenue sharing has been vastly expanded, so the NBA’s charity cases are getting help that way. Why not change a system that encourages many of the (former, hopefully) money losers to be even more pathetic?

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Draft Banter: Charlotte Bobcats

DaveW

I'm interested then in what your take is on the NFL draft? Clearly it's far more flawed than the NBA if you have a team like the Colts who go from Super Bowl contender to NFL doormat in one season all because of their QB being out. They are guaranteed the #1 pick and the Bobcats are not. They could still end up with the #4 pick which is a pretty crappy consolation prize.

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Bobby G

ESS, 4th paragraph, I think you mean "weighted lottery" not "unweighted lottery." Anyway, the only problem I see with the unweighted lottery is the fact that it shifts the "well, we're screwed" NBA limbo from the 20th place team to the 30th place team. Is this going to be better for the NBA? The doormats stay the doormats for years and years and years until they get lucky on a 21% chance to get a top 3 pick? And then that pick isn't a bust? I think you're right in that it's a shame to punish team #17, who had an epic fight to get into the playoffs and just missed, and will now most likely get the worst pick of all non-playoff teams at pick 14. And it's a shame to encourage tanking, which likely happens more in the NBA, where a single high draft pick can turn your team around, than in sports like the NFL (40 guys that play?) or MLB (many first round picks never even make the big leagues). But there will always be an NBA limbo, I think, of consistently unsuccessful teams. Right now, it's the Warriors, probably the Suns, probably Milwaukee (tough to pick any team in the East cause the conference is so bad). I don't think there's a way around it. It's just a matter of where do you want that to be. One time my friends and I discussed a weighted lottery that actually slightly favors the BEST non-playoff team, and down the line in order. Not as heavily weighted as today's, but still weighted. This would encourage teams to advance in the rankings even if there are 5 games left and they're in 28th place. Hey, maybe you move up a spot and get a shot at a better pick. If you're in 25th place, knocked out of playoff contention, at least these games you're fighting for next season, trying to improve yourself as much as possible. If playoff locks want to go easy on you with some reserves, great... you'll take the wins. Today, it's almost like those two teams don't even want wins. That's not fun basketball... losers trying to lose vs. the 3rd string from the winners. But alas... I doubt anything will ever change.

Don’t Reward the Bobcats

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