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Former NBA player and current TV analyst Charles Barkley.
Retired NBA legend Charles Barkley joined the conversation about the recent tanking problem harming the league. Fans and analysts have both been calling out the NBA over teams reaching new lows in tanking for a better chance at a top lottery draft pick. Teams ruling players out with mysterious injuries, benching starters in the fourth quarter, and doing more unethical actions to ensure losing is arguably the top story of the season.
Barkley’s most popular idea was to hurt the owners by adding a price cap on ticket prices for losing teams:
“I’ve always suggested there’s a rule. I don’t think any NBA team should be able to raise their ticket prices if they’re below .500. I’ve always said that. You cannot raise your ticket prices if your team is below .500. I think they should make that a rule in every sport to be honest with you.”
Fans still must pay normal prices for tickets when their franchise is intentionally trying to lose. Utah Jazz fans buy tickets, despite not knowing if superstar Lauri Markkanen or rising star Keyonte George will be in the lineup. The Brooklyn Nets charge more than some winning teams in smaller markets due to the New York City location. Barkley’s rule change here is popular since it would benefit fans and make owners pay for tanking.
Barkley Wants Equal Chance For Losing Teams
Another drastic change pitched by Barkley featured how the lottery system works. Teams currently have a varying level of ping pong balls in the lottery, with the worst teams having more balls and a greater chance at a high pick. The Sacramento Kings, Indiana Pacers, and Nets have the strongest odds as the worst teams.
Barkley suggested all teams missing the playoffs have one ping pong ball and nothing more:
“Every team in the lottery should get one ping pong ball. They shouldn’t give you more balls. The team that has the worst record I think has only got the number one pick like 2 out of 25 years. Give everyone one ping pong ball.”
The bold adjustment would certainly end tanking since bad teams already have little chance at playoff success. Some would argue that good teams falling just short of the playoffs would get an unfair advantage, but they also endured the failure of missing the postseason like other losing teams.
Barkley Wants Change For Traded Picks
The third bold change Barkley mentioned involved the confusion over traded draft picks. Teams can add protections and swaps to manipulate keeping their pick if they fail to live up to the expectations after acquiring player.
Barkley stated that this needs to end:
“If you trade a pick, it’s gone. Because now teams can manipulate if it falls in the top three or four or top seven protected, no.”
The other two pitches from Barkley have received more love from NBA fans, but this one also could improve the lottery. NBA teams try to exploit every loophole to their advantage, but this erases one of them. Barkley’s changes would certainly all help tanking end if the NBA wanted a few radical ideas to fix the problem for good.
Joey Haverford Joey Haverford is a seasoned sports content writer with over 12 years of experience. He has covered the NBA, WNBA, MLB, NFL, and professional wrestling in the sports industry. More about Joey Haverford
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