i dont think they lose on purpose but they certainly dont go out of their way to help their chances of winning.
Yes they do, though it can be a bit subconciously. And who can blame them? It's the same way for NFL teams, but more conspicuous in the NBA because the parity in the draft is not comparable to the NFL. For example, in the NFL, you can typically get a legit franchise player in the top half of the first round. In the NBA, you GENERALLY need a top 3 pick to get that level of player. The irony is that it's still a lottery, so nothing is guaranteed. As a Celtics fan growing up (now a bigger Rockets fan, but Celtics are #2), I was crushed when they lost out on Tim Duncan b/c of the bingo balls. See the long term effect? I'll go so far as to say that if teams DON'T tank, they're doing their fans a disservice. But there are quite literally countless times when teams play hard when they shouldn't. Last example? Last night, Grizz over the Lakers. Despite this obvious flaw in the system, I love the Association. I'm not sure there's a way to legitimately improve their lottery process.
basically what i meant to say. for example, the bucks have 48 players sitting out the rest of the year with a bruised ankle
