The Sixer Sense
Fansided

NBA remains ripe for Sam Hinkie return

By Bret Stuter

LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 17: Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and J. Cole attend the 2018 JBL Three-Point Contest at Staples Center on February 17, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 17: Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and J. Cole attend the 2018 JBL Three-Point Contest at Staples Center on February 17, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) /
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LAS VEGAS, NV – JANUARY 10: Businessman Mark Cuban arrives at the Lyft and Aptiv self-driving car experience during CES 2018 at the Las Vegas Convention Center on January 10, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Bryan Steffy/Getty Images for Lyft)
LAS VEGAS, NV – JANUARY 10: Businessman Mark Cuban arrives at the Lyft and Aptiv self-driving car experience during CES 2018 at the Las Vegas Convention Center on January 10, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Bryan Steffy/Getty Images for Lyft) /

True tanking

Let’s point out the true tanking strategy.  It holds the following qualities:
It’s a short term reactionary strategy.   Tanking focuses on the next NBA Draft.
Beyond that, tanking sells off veterans now for immediate draft picks.
And most importantly, tanking does not dabble in second round picks, undrafted players, or any sort of long-term commitment to paths which have risk of failure.

Tanking, despite this perception of taking risk, takes an approach of lowering risk for the immediate future. In short, due to the odds of the NBA Lottery, tanking is simply a team aiming at improving their draft lottery odds for the very next NBA Draft.  Nothing more, nothing less. So Mark Cuban, despite his professed admiration of Sam Hinkie, didn’t “get it” at all.

When an NBA owner, team president, or general manager discuss losing for the short term, they are tanking. Pure and simple.