Word-game: paraphrase tanking

[greece66]

"trying to improve draft odds by having an inferior team"   by this definition we are tanking.  Note this is not a legit definition and my attempt at a paraphrase which makes it next to worthless.

IMO there are two definitions of tanking
i/ The one you give
ii/ Purposefully losing games
The first describes a strategy, the second a tactic.
By the first there at least five tanking teams in the NBA now (LAL, BOS, NYK, Utah and ... yes you guessed right  ). Actually, in one of the most discussed SB Nation articles on the  subject, tanking was defined as  'a team's intent to do less than everything it can to win'. This is a very strong definition and if we were to go by it, tanking teams might be closer to ten. So, the C's are in god company. http://www.sbnation.com/2014/1/10/5266770/nba-draft-lottery-tanking-gm
If we go by the second definition, tanking is something teams do as the season approaches its end. It involves benching good players, giving extra time to rookies and trying out new strategies like playing no D  . By this definition, no team is tanking right now, not even the you know who since its players and coach still try to win games. I do not like much this second definition, and I think another term should be used for it. But the issue is that many people confuse these two definitions and the result is much confusion and anger when discussing the term.
Btw, this http://www.tankathon.com/ is a great site on the topic. It has everything: the rules, draft projections, where each team's draft goes, mock drafts...  We are currently projected to get nrs 7 and 23. So much for all this great effort. 

[greece66]

I quote "We have a young team that iis only going to get better and on multiple draft picks from a team that has a high probability of regressing over the next couple years. I would say were in pretty good shape and that Ainge deserves a lot of credit."

[greece66]

This is actually straight from the source: the Sixers forum. I love how they have surrendered to the sort of in the long run we are all dead anyway logic.
"I agree that next year will be again focused on developing young talents. But, at the same time, I think that the FAs acqusition process should be spread on more years, so I guess it could start next summer and then go on in the years to come, following a brick over brick logic."