Deleterious

It's the Netherlands, so doesn't apply to us. But I imagine our politicians are watching. Taxing unrealized gains is so wild. Dutch Lawmakers Advance 36% Capital Gains Tax on Crypto

Has not been a good weekend for crowds.

So the three point contest was won by a guy who won't play a single minute this year. His final opponent was a guy shooting 31% from three this season.

Yaxel is a guy that will rank high on peoples big boards. The ones where they just ignore the teams drafting and list the best players 1-100. But he will fall in the actual draft due to his age.

If you straight seed 1-6 by record there is no reason to have a tournament. The tanking issue is not seeds 7-14. Honestly, if you think Utah isn't tanking then we probably don't have much to discuss. Utah's pick this year is top 8 protected. They have a roster good enough to sniff the playin tournament. Which is why guys like Markkanen have not dressed for multiple games. Utah lately has taken it a step further. In close games with no injuries and no foul trouble, they have benched their starters for the entire fourth quarter. Not only are they tanking, they are taking it to a new level.

Someone posted this is WSB. Could be AI but still funny.

There is a report that Detroit was one of four NBA teams that made a buyout offer for Isaac Bonga. They reportedly offered a $1 million buyout that was rejected. If you watched the Eurobasket tournament this summer, you might remember him. He played for Germany and was player of the game in the finals and was named the defensive player of the tournament. He currently plays for Partizan in the Serbian league. He is averaging 9.6 points 5.7 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game (40 min games) in Euroleague. Looks like he is shooting about 23% from three. So a good defensive player that can't shoot. Sounds like a Piston. This could still possibly happen. I think players from foreign leagues can be signed up to the end of the season and still be playoff eligible.

Vooch, White, and Ayo were guys on the last year of their contract that were not being brought back next season. They turned them into Simmons and Sexton. Simmons and Sexton not only figure in their future plans, they are both better than the three guys they replaced. That is not tanking by any definition.

You don’t have 6 teams tanking right now. So at least you admit your idea would produce more tanking teams. The Pelicans don’t even have a draft pick this summer. They are not tanking; they are just bad. The Kings have sat some people, I think. But they also are just bad. So I would rate them as mixed. Utah is 100% tanking. Dallas is not tanking. Naji, Max, and Cooper all get run out there every night. Kyrie is supposed to come back after the ASG. If they were tanking, he wouldn’t touch the floor this year. Memphis, with the Ja stuff, decided to blow it up and go young by moving JJJ. But they are not sitting healthy guys. The Clippers, like the Pelicans, don’t even have a pick this summer. They are not tanking. The Blazers, Warriors, and Suns are not even close to tanking. In the East, Washington, the Pacers, and the Nets are all tanking. Milwaukee is not. They just picked up Thomas off the waiver wire. Although one could argue that helps tank. Chicago, Charlotte, and Atlanta are not tanking. So you have 3 in the East tanking and 2 in the West tanking. That is a total of 5 teams. But here is the thing. Straight seeding by record will make more than 6 teams tank. Teams like Memphis, Dallas, Milwaukee, and Chicago won’t go in the tank hard now because they still have decent odds at the #1 pick where they are. Picks 1–3 have a 14% shot at the #1 pick. Pick 6 has a 9% shot. Pick 7 has a 7.5% shot. Pick 8 has a 6% shot. But it’s more than just the #1 pick. A team that finishes with the 5th worst record has a 50% chance of picking in the top 4 with the lottery. The 6th worst is like 40%. The 7th worst is around 30%. Even the 10th worst record still has a 14% chance of picking top 4. Remove the lottery and you suddenly have 7–10 teams that will tank hard and early every season. And they would probably start before Christmas.

Straight seeding for the draft is like the fire department pulling up to your burning home and spraying gasoline all over it.

Brad Stevens in Boston needs a mention. This summer they were facing a $300 million tax bill, just tax, no salary included. He made moves to not only reduce that tax bill, but he completely eliminated it. They are now about $800K under the luxury tax. All while remaining a contender in the east. Without his best player stepping on the court. Pretty impressive.