Jazz's Markkanen: Tanking is a failed concept

[Axolotl]

Utah Jazz's Lauri Markkanen spoke to the finnish broadcaster Yle saying that tanking is a failed concept.

Generally speaking, it (tanking) is a concept that's gone awry. Losing is rewarded. Losing intentionally is not part of sports, or especially professional sports. Everyone should be trying to win. I think this is may be a wrong direction for the business.

Full article in finnish
Machine translation

I agree. Sports is about winning, about finding out who is the very best. But the thing is, the major sports leagues and teams are, first and foremost, entertainment business entitites. Sports is just the vehicle for generating revenue, and I guess in that context rewarding losing makes sense.

Markkanen has no solution to offer, and neither do I. European have relegation - promotion -system, which has it's own inherent problems, but personally I find rewarding losing to such an anti-sports concept that I prefer the problems of relegation - promotion. But introducing something similar to the NBA would change the league so profoundly I can't see that happening.

However, I believe rewarding losing in sports entertainment makes for a worse product than relegation - promotion -system.

[Shock Defeat]

Jazz ruined Lauri's career by tanking.

[Dan Z]

Do the Jazz trade him this off season?

[LarsV8]

Maybe Lauri should focus on playing in a single playoff game before commenting on tanking.

[Handlez]

Maybe Lauri should focus on playing in a single playoff game before commenting on tanking.

How when his team tanks?

[Black Jack]

Jazz ruined Lauri's career by tanking.

he wanted this to get paid, so he should be quiet about it now.

generational money was more important. stop whining about it.

[baldur]

Maybe Lauri should focus on playing in a single playoff game before commenting on tanking.

That is his point.

[ArksNetsSince99]

Utah Jazz's Lauri Markkanen spoke to the finnish broadcaster Yle saying that tanking is a failed concept.

Generally speaking, it (tanking) is a concept that's gone awry. Losing is rewarded. Losing intentionally is not part of sports, or especially professional sports. Everyone should be trying to win. I think this is may be a wrong direction for the business.

Full article in finnish
Machine translation

I agree. Sports is about winning, about finding out who is the very best. But the thing is, the major sports leagues and teams are, first and foremost, entertainment business entitites. Sports is just the vehicle for generating revenue, and I guess in that context rewarding losing makes sense.

Markkanen has no solution to offer, and neither do I. European have relegation - promotion -system, which has it's own inherent problems, but personally I find rewarding losing to such an anti-sports concept that I prefer the problems of relegation - promotion. But introducing something similar to the NBA would change the league so profoundly I can't see that happening.

However, I believe rewarding losing in sports entertainment makes for a worse product than relegation - promotion -system.

What’s one of relegation-promotion problems , name me one ?

[Axolotl]

What’s one of relegation-promotion problems , name me one ?

Massively unpredictable revenues.

[Tracymcgoaty]

I think building academies and having relegations would be cool for the NBA. It'll never happen though because the beast has been churning for so long there is no way to reverse the course and do something completely different.

I still say imagine having talents come out of your own academies. It would be crazy.

You could even have like under 17 teams.

Like Chicago bulls under 17 vs Portland trailblazers under 17.

Home town fans would most def watch those games. It would be a different kind relation to your team because if the team sucks for a couple of years you can still see the light at the end of the tunnel because of the talent being produced in the youth academy.

Like imagine people raving about this kid coming from north carolina called Steph Curry playing for the u-17 charlotte hornets. The league would be so much fun.

[doogie_hauser]

Maybe Lauri should focus on playing in a single playoff game before commenting on tanking.

Lauri didn't ask to be traded to Utah. Weird comment

[ROballer]

Maybe Lauri should focus on playing in a single playoff game before commenting on tanking.

Maybe the Jazz shouldn't have sat him, Collins, Sexton and Kessler routinely with bogus injury reports since DECEMBER.

The tanking job the Jazz did this year is the most disgraceful one in NBA history. Most teams wait until the ASB at least, these guys started it not even two months from the beginning of the season.

[ArksNetsSince99]

What’s one of relegation-promotion problems , name me one ?

Massively unpredictable revenues.

That’s not exactly fans problem , not even the players as most of the contracts is guaranteed

Relegated teams adjust their budget all the time when relegated or promoted, does this for over 100 years , as a club owner I can see your point , but then again if you suck as an owner Ishbia , Tsai , Dolan for most part you being relegated , not rewarded with high draft picks

[Bloodbather]

Maybe Lauri should focus on playing in a single playoff game before commenting on tanking.

Really?

He was on the cusp of it with the Cavs. After the trade, he transformed into an All-Star and was leading the Jazz to the Playoffs before management pulled the plug on the season to tank and they've been tanking ever since.

What’s one of relegation-promotion problems , name me one ?

Massively unpredictable revenues.

In soccer, the Premier League in the UK has parachute payments for relegated clubs to compensate for the drop-off in revenue. Could easily introduce a scheme like that.

[Ryoga Hibiki]

What’s one of relegation-promotion problems , name me one ?

Massively unpredictable revenues.

That’s not exactly fans problem , not even the players as most of the contracts is guaranteed

Relegated teams adjust their budget all the time when relegated or promoted, does this for over 100 years , as a club owner I can see your point , but then again if you suck as an owner Ishbia , Tsai , Dolan for most part you being relegated , not rewarded with high draft picks

If it's the teams' problem it's going to trickle down to everybody, especially the players.

[Daddy 801]

Tanking will exist until the league has a hard cap and no draft.

Let well managed teams be rewarded, and let players decide where they want to go. Easy solution but it won’t happen because the players want to go over the cap, and the big city team fans would bitch they can’t just bankroll a winning team. But it is the solution.

[-Luke-]

Lauri is almost 28 now, probably older than some people think. Still has a lot of good years and is just at the start of his prime, but at some point he has to win with his team. I understand that it must be frustrating for him.

[peja_the_legend]

Markkanen comes from Europe where tanking,as in we're gonna intentionally suck for a whole season,simply doesn't exist.This is a player in his prime who wasted a whole year away,of course he's not gonna be happy.Tbh as a european myself, seeing fans of NBA teams actually wanting their teams to lose and getting angry when they win is one of my least favorite ascpects of the league.

[The Master]

However, I believe rewarding losing in sports entertainment makes for a worse product than relegation - promotion -system.

Rewarding losing in the NBA allows us to have championship-level teams in Cleveland or Oklahoma, this is by far a better product than any league without salary cap and draft.

I think building academies and having relegations would be cool for the NBA.

Yeah, it would be soooooooo cool to see all the talent in the world playing for the Lakers and the Knicks.

[Frankie]

Maybe Lauri should focus on playing in a single playoff game before commenting on tanking.

Really?

He was on the cusp of it with the Cavs. After the trade, he transformed into an All-Star and was leading the Jazz to the Playoffs before management pulled the plug on the season to tank and they've been tanking ever since.

What’s one of relegation-promotion problems , name me one ?

Massively unpredictable revenues.

[b]In soccer, the Premier League in the UK has parachute payments for relegated clubs to compensate for the drop-off in revenue. Could easily introduce a scheme like that[/b].

Which is kind of unfair to the 2nd division teams because the relegated teams are often paying Premier League salaries (which is why the parachute payment is needed) in a division where nobody is earning close to PL money. Relegated teams often cherry pick the good talents in the 2nd division to help them push for promotion again, which then resulted in the birth of the yo-yo clubs.

If you look at the top of the 2nd division right now, you'll see 3 recently relegated teams (2 of them relegated last season). There are clubs that aren't good enough for the PL, and too good for the 2nd division, so they spend years getting relegated and promoted until one day they fail to get promoted and we won't hear from them for years (like West Brom).