Anonymous NBA general manager admits to tanking

[gaspar]

An NBA general manager has finally admitted to tanking. Sort of. In a piece for ESPN The Magazine, an anonymous GM explained his strategy for punting this season in order to acquire a high draft pick. You already know the logic behind stripping down a roster, but you've likely never heard it honestly articulated by someone in the middle of that process:

Our team isn't good enough to win and we know it. So this season we want to develop and evaluate our young players, let them learn from their mistakes -- and get us in position to grab a great player. The best way for us to do that is to lose a lot of games. This draft is loaded. There are potential All-Stars at the top, maybe even franchise changers. Sometimes my job is to understand the value of losing.

...

We're not alone. Look at the 76ers. Since the draft in June, I don't think they've signed a player or made a trade to add a legitimate player. A bunch of us realize that our teams aren't good enough talentwise to do anything. You're going to be bad. There's no way around it. And even if you finish 0-82, there's still a 75 percent chance you don't get the No. 1 pick. We're just going to take our lumps and hope our number gets called.

Who could the GM be? Clearly it's not Sam Hinkie of the Philadelphia 76ers, It's likely not Danny Ainge of the Boston Celtics, either, unless he's completely backtracking on everything he's been saying leading up to the season. It's also probably not the Charlotte Bobcats' Rich Cho, since for the first time in years Charlotte intentionally added experience when they signed Al Jefferson.

It could be Phoenix Suns general manager Ryan McDonough, who recently traded starting center Marcin Gortat to the Washington Wizards for a first round draft pick and an injured player (Emeka Okafor) who might never play a game for Phoenix. The anonymous GM mentions trading away veterans for picks and young players, and that's exactly what McDonough has done with Gortat, Jared Dudley and Luis Scola. The Suns might wind up with four first round picks in the 2014 draft.

Another possibility is Orlando Magic general manager Rob Hennigan, though most of his moves came in the summer of 2012 and the multi-year deal given to Jameer Nelson that offseason doesn't exactly fit with the plan that this anonymous GM is talking about.

It might also be Utah Jazz general manager Dennis Lindsey, though he has publicly stated that tanking is not his intention. The Jazz declined to bring back veterans Jefferson, Paul Millsap, Randy Foye and Mo Williams this season, instead opting to see how ready their young guys are and clear up their salary cap situation.

[RaisingArizona]

[bwgood77]

I'd be a little surprised if Ryan gave that interview, because it doesn't seem like something he would do. But everything said sure sounds like the Suns. When I read it on the General Board I figured maybe it was the Celtics. I could see Ainge saying that. It seems most fans in the comments (on the GB and the article itself) think it's the Suns.

[TASTIC]

McD doesn't strike me as someone who'd be so careless at a) naming another GM like that, or b) that he'd actually say anything like that to a reporter.

If it came out it was him his rep would be shot.

Or improved, depending who you ask...

[RunDogGun]

Yea, more crap where word meaning is incorrectly used and repeated!

[WTFsunsFTW]

Too brazen for McD. He is much more humble imo.

[dragic_slo]

It doesnt seem like McDonough at all.

[Revived]

Yea, more crap where word meaning is incorrectly used and repeated!

I read this article and immediately thought of the discussion me and you were having the other day

BTW this is exactly what I was trying to tell you too:

the last place you want to be is in the middle. There are only two outcomes there: Either make the playoffs and be first-round fodder for one of the premier teams or miss the playoffs and pick somewhere around 11th to 14th in the draft. Either way, the odds are that you stay in that middle range. It's a recipe for disaster.

[Revived]

We obviously traded away some of our veteran guys who gave us a better chance of winning right now for future draft picks and young players.

Hmm.....its either Ainge or McDonough. But then again Boston still hasn't traded Rondo who gives them a chance at winning and probably even making playoffs so maybe it eliminates him.

[RunDogGun]

Yea, more crap where word meaning is incorrectly used and repeated!

I read this article and immediately thought of the discussion me and you were having the other day

BTW this is exactly what I was trying to tell you too:

the last place you want to be is in the middle. There are only two outcomes there: Either make the playoffs and be first-round fodder for one of the premier teams or miss the playoffs and pick somewhere around 11th to 14th in the draft. Either way, the odds are that you stay in that middle range. It's a recipe for disaster.

Or do a much better job of scouting players that fit an established system. Who would rather run your offense, Rondo or Johnny Flynn? There are plenty of mid to late picks that turn out just fine. It takes too much luck to be at the bottom for a few years and jump to the top.

[JDLAW]

It is not anyone. It is a compilation of quotes and inferences. No GM currently employed would ever make such a brazen statement to an organization for publication.

[lilfishi22]

It's tough to imagine McD saying that. But none of us really know him well enough to dismiss it. I certainly hope it wasn't him even if that is what he's doing. It would seem counter-productive to talk to a reporter (even anonymously) less than 6 months since getting the job and start with the tank-talk.

I'm hoping JDLAW is right that it's just a compilation of quotes and inferences.

[YFZblu]

No GM currently employed would ever make such a brazen statement to an organization for publication

I agree it would be shocking for someone to make the decision to actually say these words to a member of the media; however I'm sure things like this are being said behind closed doors, so the concept of 'tanking' isn't really noteworthy at all.

[Revived]

Yea, more crap where word meaning is incorrectly used and repeated!

I read this article and immediately thought of the discussion me and you were having the other day

BTW this is exactly what I was trying to tell you too:

the last place you want to be is in the middle. There are only two outcomes there: Either make the playoffs and be first-round fodder for one of the premier teams or miss the playoffs and pick somewhere around 11th to 14th in the draft. Either way, the odds are that you stay in that middle range. It's a recipe for disaster.

Or do a much better job of scouting players that fit an established system. Who would rather run your offense, Rondo or Johnny Flynn? There are plenty of mid to late picks that turn out just fine. It takes too much luck to be at the bottom for a few years and jump to the top.

Wouldn't you agree though that it takes a lot of luck to draft a star player with mid to late picks?

[RunDogGun]

Sure, just as much luck as not drafting a Kwame with the first pick. That's why I call it a crapshoot. However, there are teams like the Spurs, that manage to turn mid to late players into very good players. Hence my smart drafting into establish systems comment.

[thamadkant]

its 90% chance its McD...

Cant be Ainge, he will not give out an interview saying he doesnt mind "tanking"..

he put a statement on record saying "Celtics don't tank".. lol yeah right.
Also the interview hinted that its a "not" big market team... and Boston is a top 4-5 NBA market.

But that Anonymous GM mentioned trading away "veterans" to give youth a go... and that fits Suns moves of recent



Atleast McD KNOWS what it takes... i truely believe in him assembling a contender in 2-3 years

[Gorilla Warfare]

It doesn't sound like it is McD, but I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if it was. A first-year GM who actually seems like he knows what he needs to do to build a great team in less than 2 years, he can refer to this article when he lands Wiggins/Randle and 2 possible max free agents in 1 offseason.

"Yeah I was the GM that admitting to tanking last season, but now I have LeBron James, Kevin Love, and Andrew Wiggins, to go along with Bledsoe and Plumlee who had breakout seasons with us last year. So where would you like to take my Exec. of the Year photos?"

[Cutter]

The problem is the semantics of the word "Tanking" as used on this forum, and the public in general.

Tanking - deliberately not playing your teams best players in order to lose games on purpose. If a team lets their scrubs play the majority of minutes in a majority of games while sitting their better players then that team is tanking. If a team fakes an injury on a star player so he can't play in order to lose games then that team is tanking. Another thing, tanking takes place over 82 games, not just a couple of critical games against other bad opponents (see sitting Dragic last year). It is my contention that teams do not ever intentionally tank (as defined above). I am not aware that Stern has ever found a team guilty of tanking in the lottery era, even though a lot of Realgm posters think half the league is tanking this very minute!

Tanking is often confused with Rebuilding

Rebuilding - trading aging all stars ( or above average players) for draft picks and good young prospects. Letting these picks and prospects play and grow( and losing games in the process) does not mean you are tanking. As long as a team plays their best player the majority of minutes the team isn't tanking. Example: Celtics trade KG and Paul Pierce to Brooklyn receiving multiple 1st's in return. They will then play their most promising prospects along with Rondo. By doing this the Celtics are Rebuilding, not Tanking. If they were to sit a healthy Rondo a majority of minutes in a a majority of games to let someone less talented play...then that is Tanking.


Tanking is often confused with teams just making bad trades or signing free agents that do not perform.

Plain old bad team - the vast majority of times teams are bad because management brought in players through trade or free agents that aren't very good. Either there is talent but no fit (lakers last year ), or just not much talent at all. Sometimes key players get injured causing teams to lose a lot of games.

[DirtyDez]

Dumb story is dumb. Sucks that the author of this story is getting pub for something that GM's have been doing in every sport for years. That being knowing your team's limits and being financially responsible while gathering assets of value.

Also, state your name ****sy.

[YFZblu]

Sure, just as much luck as not drafting a Kwame with the first pick. That's why I call it a crapshoot.

Hardly - There's a reason they're called "busts"; it's because the end result wasn't expected. Conversely nobody drafting 15 - 30 is surprised if their player never makes an All Star team.

I agree that it's a much more comfortable position to draft around a core set of skillsets and an established team, but from a pure talent acquisition perspective there is much more opportunity / room for error when selecting from the lottery.