Not sure why teams are going to go to great lengths to tank next year. The new lottery system makes it pretty irrelevant.
4 teams selected instead of 3.
Worst team: used to be 25% to get #1 pick, now 14%.
2nd worst team: used to be 19.9%, now 14%.
3rd worst team: used to be 15.6%, now 14%.
4th worst team: used to be 11.9%, now 12.5%.
5th worst team: used to be 8.8%, now 10.5%.
6th worst team: used to be 6.3%, now 9%.
Used to be the difference in getting that #1 pick was a 5.1% difference between the worst team and 2nd worst team.
Now the difference in getting the #1 pick is 5% between the worst team and the 6th worst team.
Now sure, the new system will incentivize teams that look like they will be just out if the playoffs to tank after it is clear they most likely are out of the playoffs, but for the truly bad teams, or teams that think they may as well tank all season, there is very little incentive to tank.
For that reason, given the teams at the bottom of each conference, I think the East is clearly the inferior conference. I think 7 of the worst 10 or 11 teams will come from the East. And, I think because of this the playoff teams in seedings 5-8 in the East could have more wins than the teams seeded 5-8 in the West, but actually not be as good as those West.
Denver, the Lakers, SA, NO, Utah, and Minnesota are clearly better teams than Milwaukee, Wasgington, Miami, Detroit, Cleveland and Chicago, even if their overall records might be close at the end of next season.