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A record-tying 26-game losing streak, an 18-63 record in a historically bad Eastern Conference, placing 29th in league attendance, and, with the season having ended after press time last night, only a 19.9 percent chance at landing the No. 1 pick in the upcoming NBA Draft — all part of a successful 2013-14 campaign for the Philadelphia 76ers in the eyes of President and General Manager Sam Hinkie.
Tanking, or the process of trotting out a largely non-competitive team with the hopes of increasing the odds to land atop the draft, is far from a novel strategy. Employed previously, it has yielded the likes of Tim Duncan and LeBron James, instantly making title contenders of team’s set to be stuck in mediocrity, at best, for years. But as tanking has become more thinly veiled than ever, talk of changing a system that encourages losing has heightened and one 76ers fan has decided to take the movement right to the league commissioner.
“[Allen] Iverson stepping over [Tyronn] Lue in the [’01] NBA Finals was the iconic moment for me,” Drew Cohen, a lifelong 76ers fan and founder of nbarrassing.com, said. “I’ve watched them religiously and have been to so many games. I don’t blame the Sixers front office or any other for taking advantage of the status quo, but I do blame the league and the system.”
Cohen’s website takes a grassroots, political style approach in an attempt to reform the draft. The goal is 10,000 signatures advocating for change, and if it is achieved they’ll present it to Commissioner Adam Silver at the draft. Along with the chance to sign, the website details alternative plans that have been suggested. Ideas include rewarding teams with the best records after elimination from playoff contention with higher picks, freezing the draft order after the all-star break, and even predetermining the draft order 30 years in advance. Which does Cohen prefer?
“I’m in favor of any system that doesn’t incentivize losing. Aside from those on the site, we get so many people e-mailing us different ideas and other tweaks to plans,” he said. “The question is how to balance struggling teams’ chances in the draft with incentivizing winning. I think most people are in agreement that a system incentivizing losing is wrong on some level.”
The 76ers own plans to tank became clear last year when they shipped all star guard Jrue Holiday to New Orleans for a rehabbing, though promising, young big man in former University of Kentucky star Nerlens Noel. In-season trades of Evan Turner and Spencer Hawes for little to no return led to an even lower point, and set the stage for their record-tying losing streak (the ’10-11 Cleveland Cavilers also dropped 26 straight after losing James to the Miami Heat) — providing real impetus for Cohen’s movement and fueling the negative social media chatter that has dominated the season. Twitter is typically awash with fans that aren’t sure how to feel after a loss. The hashtag #tankadelphia has become a popular one for articulating both embarrassment and a strange joy after yet another 76ers loss.
More than making a splash with league brass on this issue, Cohen has higher aspirations. Philly is a town full of crowd noise and strong opinions, but what it largely amounts to is white noise and frustration. Teams hardly take notice.
“We want to change the dialogue between fans, teams and players. We want to make it substantive so it’s not just banter,” Cohen said. “To aggregate all the voices saying the same thing into one place, that could create a real conversation.”
Contact the South Philly Review at editor@southphillyreview.com.
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