The 2015-16 Philadelphia 76ers are on pace to be a historically awful team, and the franchise’s struggles are a product of purposeful tanking.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver isn’t a fan of the strategy.
While appearing on FiveThirtyEight’s “Hot Takedown” podcast (h/t Kurt Helin, PBT), Silver responded to a question if, as the commissioner, he is OK with the way Sam Hinkie and Co. have run the 76ers:
“I don’t want to answer that directly, There’s a marketplace of ideas and approaches that go into managing a franchise. For me, if a franchise is managed within the rules of the league, it’s acceptable to me. I don’t think I should be browbeating owners and saying this is how I think you should manage your team.”
Silver added that Philadelphia has also encountered its fair share of bad luck — like 2014 No. 3 overall pick Joel Embiid missing two full seasons — which because of an “extremely small margin for error” exposed larger problems. Luck isn’t quantifiable, but it’s certainly a factor.
That razor-thin margin for error is what Silver said he doesn’t like.
“Am I fan of that strategy? Put it this way: No. But does that mean that it’s not acceptable under the league rules? It is, and it’s partly why I had proposed to change the odds of the draft lottery.”
Silver had proposed a system that gave each of the four worst teams a 12-percent chance to receive the No. 1 overall pick, while the fifth-worst would be at 11.5 percent and sixth-worst at 10 percent. However, owners voted against the change prior to the 2014-15 season.
Assuming the 76ers don’t embark on a miraculous turnaround to crawl out of a 1-28 hole, 25 percent of the ping-pong ball combinations during the draft lottery will belong to Philadelphia, which has stockpiled draft picks throughout the last couple years.
One more top selection — perhaps LSU star Ben Simmons — could give the 76ers their much-needed impact performer to lead a roster, and Hinkie’s tanking strategy will start to pay dividends.