Silver: Tanking is ‘corrosive’
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — In case David Fizdale didn’t hear it the first time, commissioner Adam Silver pounded home again the notion tanking will make a team stronger in the long run.
In fact, just the opposite. Silver said during his All-Star Weekend press conference Saturday massive losing is “corrosive” — Zion Williamson or no Zion Williamson.
In perhaps sending a message out to Fizdale’s 11-47 Knicks tank machine, Silver also admitted his new lottery reform still needs more work and “is not a winning strategy.’’
“I, personally, don’t think it’s a winning strategy over the long term to engage in multiple years of rebuilding,’’ said Silver, who lives in New York. “There’s a mindset that, if you’re going to be bad, you might as well be really bad. I believe personally that’s corrosive for those organizations.”
Silver also said the trend of players demanding trades with multiple years left on their contract may create publicity but not “the publicity the NBA is looking for.’’
Silver said similar comments earlier this winter about tanking.
“I think the jury is still out even for teams that have spent years in a rebuilding mode and that strategy comes at a huge price to those organizations,’’ Silver said on a Bleacher Report podcast. “It costs those teams with their fans, with their players and in terms of the ability to create a winning culture.” Fizdale said last month excessive losing didn’t hurt the “Trust the process’’ 76ers , Bucks and Nuggets.
As for his lottery reform, he said changes have been made six in its history and more may be coming. This will be the first year the lottery will have the bottom three teams sharing the same 14 percent odds. In previous years, the team with the worst record owned 25 percent odds. Silver admits it hasn’t worked 100 percent.
“I’m pretty sure we acknowledged at the time we didn’t think we’d solve the problem,’’ Silver said.
In addition, Silver also feels the trend of players demanding trades publicly with multiple years left on their contracts makes for publicity but “not the publicity the NBA is looking for.’’ Nets rookie forward Rodions Kurucs was to have dinner with Kristaps Porzingis later this season. Then his fellow Latvian got traded. Then the Knicks canceled their “Latvian Heritage Night’’ later this month.
Kurucs, who scored 10 points on 4-of-9 shooting in the Rising Stars Challenge on Friday at Spectrum Center, believes the Nets should act on it.
“I think Brooklyn will do it next year — hopefully,’’ Kurucs said.
What about this year? Kurucs laughed. “Hopefully, maybe.’’
The affable Latvian, a secondround pick, has joked to people who ask him about the Porzingis trade he’s now “King of New York’’ — a moniker Enes Kanter once laid upon Porzingis.
Kurucs is a sweet outside shooter but says he’s a totally different style player than his countryman, who had invited him to dinner during a Knicks-Nets game. “Different,’’ Kurucs said. “I play more like team basketball, helping the team with energy and defense, rebounding, stuff like that. KP is going to score every time and block a shot. Very different.’’
Giannis Antetokounmpo’s agent didn’t back down from his documentary comments the Knicks were the only team that didn’t scout the “Greek Freak.’’ The Knicks contend the claim is erroneous.
“They think they scouted him or do they know?” agent Giorgos Panou said. “I said what I said — nothing to add.’’
The agent’s remark was not going to be included in the documentary, The Post reported.
New Knicks point guard Dennis Smith Jr. is regarded as one of the most explosive players in the NBA and among the best dunkers. But before losing in the finals of the dunk contest to the Thunder’s Hamidou Diallo, Smith was asked which AllStar player he’d like to emulate.
“I would take Stephen Curry’s shooting,’’ Smith said. “He’s the only person here that is the best of all time at something.’’
Even though Smith was going against Charlotte’s Miles Bridges, he felt he was also a hometown favorite, having grown up in Fayetteville, N.C., and playing for N.C. State.
“A lot of N.C. State fans out there, it will be amazing,’’ Smith said. “I’m kind of like the vet. I know a little bit what’s going on. How they gauge the dunks.”