Several Jazz players who have sat out recent games likely would’ve been playing more if the team were contending for a playoff spot, writes Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune.
That group includes Lauri Markkanen, who missed four consecutive games due to back spasms, and John Collins, who was out for eight straight due to left hip injury management. Third-year center Walker Kessler sat out a game last week in a non-back-to-back situation due to “rest.”
As Larsen writes, the Jazz are in full-on tank mode, which is probably the right long-term move for the franchise, given the challenges of attracting free agents to Utah and the need to build through the draft. Still, Larsen isn’t in favor of the NBA system that incentivizes losing and sought out a pair of Jazz veterans to get their thoughts on tanking.
“I don’t think losing, or purposefully losing, should be part of professional sports,” said Markkanen, who signed a long-term extension with Utah in August. “I feel like athletes always want to compete. I understand why some organizations around the NBA are doing it, but I feel like it sucks, in my opinion. There should be a better way to build rosters. That’s the way it’s been, so I understand it, but that’s my opinion.”
Veteran guard Patty Mills conveyed a similar sentiment.
“I don’t know. I don’t know. I’ve always played for purpose. I play for purpose, that’s for sure. So when purpose isn’t there, it’s definitely hard,” Mills said. “It’s obviously a business, and everyone realizes when you get to this stage. There are situations that will happen that will remind you of that. At the end of the day — it’s a business call for sure — our job is to go out there and help develop, help teach, especially these young guys, how to be professionals.”
Here’s more on the Jazz, who fell to 10-32 with a loss in Oklahoma City on Wednesday:
- Jazz rookie Cody Williams, who left Monday’s game vs. New Orleans due to what the team referred to as a left ankle sprain, was wearing a boot and was on crutches in the locker room after the game, according to Larsen, who suggests (via Twitter) the No. 10 overall pick may be facing a “decently long” absence. Williams wasn’t available for Wednesday’s game in OKC.
- In a separate Salt Lake Tribune story, Larsen highlights Collins’ return from his eight-game injury absence, noting that the big man’s performance on Wednesday certainly didn’t hurt his trade value — Collins had 22 points and 12 rebounds vs. the Thunder and was a plus-12 in 26 minutes in a game Utah lost by nine points. Larsen also explores whether rumors linking Collins to the Kings make sense.
- Appearing on the Jazz’s game broadcast on Wednesday, general manager Justin Zanik explained the thinking behind the team’s decision to trade three “least favorable” first-round picks in 2025 and 2027 and 2029 to the Suns in exchange for Phoenix’s unprotected 2031 first-rounder, as Larsen relays. “The way it makes sense for us is that we now have another shot at a pick that has a lot of variability. The three picks we traded have no chance to be the No. 1 pick, and this one does,” Zanik said. “It balances out what we want, but we’ve always talked about bites at the apple or more swings in the draft, but it also is about the quality of the swings, and this is, in my opinion, the most valuable asset on the market right now.”
Cody Williams isnt beating the bust allegations any time soon sadly
I can’t think of any system that discourages tanking but also preserves parity. Once you move away from rewarding losing teams you also move towards an environment where the teams on bottom are trapped there and never receive enough to catch up. Especially with such a strict payroll cap where a team can’t even spend their way into contention.
Tanking sucks but I’d much rather have a league where every franchise has a legitimate chance at building a championship team.
My suggestion may show my ignorance of how everything works, but make the entire draft a lottery not just the non-playoff teams.
Make it a legit lottery and that will take care of tanking.
Then divide equally among every team all TV revenue if they don’t do that already. If the Knicks make $100 mil a year in television radio plus other stuff then so should the Charlotte Hornets and the Pacers and the Utah Jazz. Whatever that number is. There’s your money to spend on the roster.
If it’s not radio and TV money, then something else that the big markets receive that the small markets don’t. Is it box suites and corporate money? Is it advertising dollars?
It may ruin certain parts of ownership and the attractiveness of profits for some, but it would take care of tanking.
Am I oversimplifying things because I don’t know how it works?
IIRC Jeff Van Gundy suggested back in the 2000’s about removing the lottery and giving all teams an equal shot at the top picks of the draft.
This would have been great as there would be no incentive to tank for the worst record to get a top prospect.
““I don’t think losing, or purposefully losing, should be part of professional sports,” said Markkanen…”
Welcome to the oligarch-owned U.S., Lauri, where everything is subordinated to maximum profits for the very few! This isn’t Europe with its real sports competitions, international tournaments and relegation league systems.
The NBA has turned into an odious sports-simulating circus, where watching these dull three-point-shooting contests is a chore instead of entertainment.
European football, handball, rugby etc. are so much more fun to watch, it’s like sports competition from another planet.
I wonder if something assuring that each team has the same amount of money to use on salaries would, over time, help assure that tanking made less sense. Tanking is a desperate measure, but an even playing field for player acquisition perhaps could quell the desperation.
Organizations tank, players don’t. They know they can be replaced and likely will with higher picks.
MLB avoids this by having a crazy number of rounds (40 in a typical year iirc) and a much larger/longer development system, plus recently instituting a lottery that basically ensures the worst team in the league can’t pick higher than fifth. Mookie Betts was drafted in the fifth round and became a superstar, for example. Good players get fetched out of middle/lower rounds all the time. Hell, Mike Piazza was the last pick of his draft, iirc. But that wouldn’t work for the NBA. Just not enough players capable of playing at that level.
Piazza was picked in the 62nd (!!!) round of the 1988 draft, the 1,390th player out of 1,395 picked. Adding to the story, he was picked as a favor to Piazza’s father, who was reportedly a good friend of Tommy LaSorda.
62nd round… Damn near Mr. Irrelevant, now in the HOF.
This just illustrates you don’t understand the differences between basketball and baseball. Beyond that you aren’t even accurate about how long the draft is now, it’s 20 rounds for the record.
Nevermind thinking tanking doesn’t exist in baseball is so naive it’s almost cute.
Uhh baseball has 3 levels of minor league to fill out. That is why and it is rare for early round picks to make the big leagues from the start. They also have crazy control over contracts due to the minor league and needing service.
Van Gundy’s idea is best
But the team that wins the lottery can’t win again for 7 years or something like that.
Longterm tanking doesn’t work in the NBA anyways. It just creates a culture of losing that becomes really difficult to overcome.
Utah looks like they are on that path imo.