Tanking it is all the rage in the NBA these days. Fans and media of the mushy middle NBA teams see ping pong balls that MIGHT land Greg Oden or Kevin Durant (both of whom MIGHT jump to the NBA) as more valuable than wins this season that lead to a short playoff run. After last night's debacle in New Jersey, Bob Kravitz gets into the act calling for the Pacers to tank their way into a top ten pick.
Can you tank if you are not good enough to win in the first place? The Pacers without J.O. are just that, so the issue will probably take care of itself.
In Kravitz defense, he uses the T word but is calling for J.O. to shut it down and simply play all of the young guys on the roster to see what they can bring to the table. Following that plan, the losses would take care of themselves.
No matter what you call it or how it actually plays out, this season won't end pretty for the Pacers. I'm still not convinced that the Pacers would be better off with the 10th pick this year instead of next year's unknown pick which may hold more value on the open market in the long run.
Before last night's game the Pacers controlled their own destiny. They proved that they have no control and certainly can't turn on and off the losses when they want to.