For some teams, tanking is virtually a risk-free proposition at this point. If you're a team like the Bucks or Magic, things have gotten so bad that there's really no turning around at this point. But for teams like the Pelicans, this is a risky venture. They have to finish among the five worst teams in the league for this strategy to work. An eight-game losing streak helps, but given the tanking competition this season, there are still seven teams with worse records right now.
Here's our weekly look at where the 10 worst teams in the NBA with a shot at the lottery stand in their quest for the No. 1 pick in the draft.
1. Milwaukee Bucks | Status: Tanking | Record: 7-33 (0-4 past week)
In recent weeks Bucks management has gotten signals from owner Herb Kohl that he's ready to get on board with the direction the team is heading. Old-school owners like Kohl are never going to endorse tanking, but at this point in the season there's very little the Bucks can do to turn it around anyway.
So they might as well play their young guys, shop their veteran assets at the trade deadline and hope to hit the jackpot on draft night so they can pair young Greek phenom Giannis Antetokounmpo with another potential superstar.
(Last week: 1
)
2. Orlando Magic | Status: Tanking | Record: 11-30 (1-3)
The Magic's 10-game losing streak hit the skids on Sunday against Boston. But their front office knows that, given the Bucks' woes, every win puts them that much further away from the Bucks.
While Victor Oladipo continues to have his moments (like a 35-point performance against the Bulls on Wednesday) and Nikola Vucevic has been good when he's been healthy, the Magic don't have a lot of building blocks after that. Expect them to be very active at the trade deadline trying to package away their remaining veterans with some of their younger players who haven't really worked out.
(Last week: 2)
3. Philadelphia 76ers | Status: Tanking | Record: 13-27 (1-2)
The combo of Michael Carter-Williams and Thaddeus Young continues to make the Sixers just dangerous enough to win the occasional game against a bad opponent. This week they caught the Bobcats by surprise. But it's the announcement that Nerlens Noel may return this season that really catches my eye.
Now that Noel has been cleared for limited on-the-court work, it's possible he could be back in late February or early March. The Sixers seem determined to bring along Noel slowly, which is a good thing. But if he can get started on getting his game legs underneath him, he's going to be that much better going into Summer League play and next season -- when the Sixers could potentially have two more Top 10 picks on their roster (see the Pelicans comment below).
(Last week: 3)
4. Boston Celtics | Status: ??? | Record: 14-28 (1-3)
Rajon Rondo stepped onto the court for the first time this season on Friday against the Lakers and is clearly still quite rusty. In his two games so far, the Celtics played both the Lakers and Magic very tight, but then again, it's the Lakers and Magic we're talking about.
While Rondo and the Celtics are talking publicly about him being with the team for the long haul, anyone who knows Danny Ainge knows that if the right deal comes his way, anything is on the table, including Rondo and this year's draft pick. Ainge has always been about maximizing assets. If an offer for Rondo helps him get a coveted asset, he'll do it. If an offer for the lottery pick blows him away, he'll do that, too.
(Last week: 4)
5. Utah Jazz | Status: Tanking | Record: 14-28 (2-2)
The Jazz continue to play .500 ball with Trey Burke in the lineup. I don't see that ending anytime soon unless the Jazz trade one of their core young players -- something I think is highly unlikely. That means every week we are likely to see them slide a little further down the rankings, perhaps killing their chance at landing Jabari Parker or one of the other top prospects in the draft.
But given the Jazz's situation -- they are already giving big minutes to their young players -- I'm not sure there's anything they can do about it. Getting a high pick is important, but I don't think they'd sacrifice a member of their young core to do it.
(Last week: 5)
6. Sacramento Kings | Status: Rebuilding | Record: 14-25 (1-3)
After giving Kings fans a brief whiff of hope that the team might start pushing for the playoffs, the Pacers, Grizzlies and Thunder brought them back down to Earth. It's clear the Kings have the offensive firepower in DeMarcus Cousins, Isaiah Thomas and Rudy Gay. But their defensive deficiencies coupled with the brutal competition out West is going to continue to leave them stuck between awful and adequate.
Unless they have another big trade up their sleeves -- and GMs around the league have been saying the Kings have been very active -- I think they'll continue to bounce between No. 6 and No. 8 on this board for the rest of the season.
(Last week: 8
)
7. L.A. Lakers | Status: Rebuilding | Record: 16-25 (2-2)
After losing 12 out of 13 games, the Lakers won a couple of tight ones on the road this weekend against the Celtics and Raptors. The win in Boston isn't a huge shocker, but the win in Toronto was a mild surprise.
The Lakers are saying that their current run at a top lottery pick won't affect the timing of Kobe Bryant's return. Given all the injuries that Kobe's been through and how difficult he can make things on team chemistry, I'm thinking Mitch Kupchak & Co. aren't convinced the return of Kobe will derail their tanking strategy.
(Last week: 6
)
8. New Orleans Pelicans | Status: Tanking? | Record: 15-24 (0-3)
The Pelicans make their first showing on this list and probably would've shown up sooner if not for the status of their draft pick this year. Tanking has been and will continue to be a very risky proposition for them because they must send their pick to the Sixers if it falls between No. 6 and No. 30. That means the team has to be very bad the rest of the season to get into the top 5.
Although Jrue Holiday and Ryan Anderson are out -- two big losses -- finishing as one of the five worst teams in the Year of Tanking is hard to do when you have Anthony Davis on the floor. Yes, the team is on an eight-game losing streak, but every team they lost to had a winning record except for the Wizards. As the Pelicans' schedule gets easier (the Kings, Pistons and Magic are all on the docket this week) they may be unable to make the push into the top half of Tank Rank.
(Last week: NR)
9. Cleveland Cavaliers | Status: Trying | Record: 15-25 (2-1)
The Cavs are slowly making their way up the standings in the East and are now just two games behind the Nets for the last playoff spot. I'm not convinced the Cavs are that much better than any of the teams ahead of them, but the Bulls, Pistons and Raptors all appear to be vulnerable. Meanwhile, over the past few weeks the Cavs' chances of winning the lottery have plummeted from 8.8 percent to 3.6 percent.
(Last week: 7)
10. Charlotte Bobcats | Status: Trying | Record: 15-23 (0-3)
The Bobcats are improbably in the playoff hunt in the East despite the fact they've defeated a total of two teams all season with a winning record -- the Warriors and Raptors. And a loss to the Sixers this week is a reminder that they continue to be susceptible to bad teams, as well. Given that the Bobcats are just one game out of the No. 8 seed in the East, they'll keep plugging away at the playoffs. But it looks like this team is miles away from true respectability.
(Last week: 9)
KEY
Tanking: The team's front office has deliberately weakened the team in an attempt to lose as many games as possible.
Tank-building: The space that lies somewhere between the ideas of tanking and rebuilding.
Rebuilding: The team's front office didn't go out of its way to sign or trade for quality players this summer, but it was less an attempt to lose games than it was an opportunity to give young players already on the roster a chance to prove themselves.
Trying: The team's front office went out of its way over the summer to strengthen the roster in an attempt to make the playoffs. The team just isn't very good.