Silver needs to fix tanking.

[midnightpulp]

Terrible franchises like the Sixers and the Jim Buss-era Lakers have made a mockery of professional basketball with their blatant multiyear tanking plans. And with regional sports networks paying billions for the television rights of teams, it's pretty much a slap in the face to the network and the network's paying customers.

I can hear Laker fans already, "You're just mad we're gonna be building a future!"

Nope (you ever see Jerry West do this shit?). Multiyear tanking plans have never worked. The Sixers have been doing this shit for nearly a decade, and not a thing has come from it. The Cavaliers post-Lebron tried it, and it didn't work. The Wolves have been doing it post-KG, and it hasn't worked. Granted, they're "decent," right now, but I don't see that as a success when you have like 20 number 1 picks on your roster.

It's a cheap and lazy way to roster build and acquire assets. Teams who have FOs with great scouting, advanced metrics departments, player development systems are the teams that typically excel in the NBA. Teams with their lips stuck on the tanking teat just ensures those teams won't get off the proverbial welfare and be forever stuck in mediocrity.

That said, I don't know how you fix this outside of a povertyball style relegation.

[Cry Havoc]

http://www.businessinsider.com/reverse-standings-tanking-2015-4

I really like this idea.

[Raven]

tanking is already fixed. you only have three years to build a team from the moment you draft a good player since all good players get maxed out in this age, making it impossible to be in the lottery and keep good players.

[midnightpulp]

http://www.businessinsider.com/reverse-standings-tanking-2015-4

I really like this idea.

I like it.

My quick fix idea would be that a franchise is only allowed 3 top 5/5 top 10 picks in a decade. If a franchise isn't good after that, then too bad.

[baseline bum]

http://www.businessinsider.com/reverse-standings-tanking-2015-4

I really like this idea.

I hate it. The perfect solution is going back to making draft position for lottery teams uniformly random so that tanking only gets you a 1 in 14 chance at the #1 pick. That's enough welfare to the bad teams.

[K...]

Anyone remember my packet drafting idea.....Basically teams 1-7 get three picks in the top 30. 7-15 get two picks. Playoff teams don't need picks.

Exclude teams from the lottery after they get a top pick..So you tank once, get new players and have no incentive to tank.

[baseline bum]

Anyone remember my packet drafting idea.....Basically teams 1-7 get three picks in the top 30. 7-15 get two picks. Playoff teams don't need picks.

Exclude teams from the lottery after they get a top pick..So you tank once, get new players and have no incentive to tank.

That's ridiculous to completely exclude decent teams from getting a first round pick and reward failure so handsomely.

[RD2191]

Idk. While I hate tanking they do serve some purpose for contenders. Don't want scrub ass teams going hard against you when you're trying to position yourself for a playoff run. Those easy wins come in handy at the end of the season imo.

[Buddy Mignon]

http://images.maxpreps.com/site_images/editorial/article/5/9/d/59ddfea6-addf-4952-8e4a-0727e33afb3a/39e89471-eebc-e311-b4d2-002655e6c45a_original.jpg

[Buddy Mignon]

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/e9/c7/a9/e9c7a9bf3bdad90ed132dfcca3bd1eb1.jpg

[Buddy Mignon]

http://www.trbimg.com/img-533c92d1/turbine/os-hs-montverde-basketball-photo/768/768x512

[Koolaid_Man]

http://www.trbimg.com/img-533c92d1/turbine/os-hs-montverde-basketball-photo/768/768x512

Naah nigga...I got that Sacre / Hibbert mix coming up :lmao

[Koolaid_Man]

Terrible franchises like the Sixers and the Jim Buss-era Lakers have made a mockery of professional basketball with their blatant multiyear tanking plans. And with regional sports networks paying billions for the television rights of teams, it's pretty much a slap in the face to the network and the network's paying customers.

I can hear Laker fans already, "You're just mad we're gonna be building a future!"

Nope (you ever see Jerry West do this shit?). Multiyear tanking plans have never worked. The Sixers have been doing this shit for nearly a decade, and not a thing has come from it. The Cavaliers post-Lebron tried it, and it didn't work. The Wolves have been doing it post-KG, and it hasn't worked. Granted, they're "decent," right now, but I don't see that as a success when you have like 20 number 1 picks on your roster.

It's a cheap and lazy way to roster build and acquire assets. Teams who have FOs with great scouting, advanced metrics departments, player development systems are the teams that typically excel in the NBA. Teams with their lips stuck on the tanking teat just ensures those teams won't get off the proverbial welfare and be forever stuck in mediocrity.

That said, I don't know how you fix this outside of a povertyball style relegation.


Agree some Time in 2017 :lol

[HemisfairArena]

Lakers cant draft so all is good,,,,they'll pass on Simmons like they passed on Okafor,,,,

[Raven]

Anyone remember my packet drafting idea.....Basically teams 1-7 get three picks in the top 30. 7-15 get two picks. Playoff teams don't need picks.

Exclude teams from the lottery after they get a top pick..So you tank once, get new players and have no incentive to tank.

that would make tanking obligatory for every team except the two favorites,

[LkrFan]

Terrible franchises like the Sixers and the Jim Buss-era Lakers have made a mockery of professional basketball with their blatant multiyear tanking plans. And with regional sports networks paying billions for the television rights of teams, it's pretty much a slap in the face to the network and the network's paying customers.

I can hear Laker fans already, "You're just mad we're gonna be building a future!"

Nope (you ever see Jerry West do this shit?). Multiyear tanking plans have never worked. The Sixers have been doing this shit for nearly a decade, and not a thing has come from it. The Cavaliers post-Lebron tried it, and it didn't work. The Wolves have been doing it post-KG, and it hasn't worked. Granted, they're "decent," right now, but I don't see that as a success when you have like 20 number 1 picks on your roster.

It's a cheap and lazy way to roster build and acquire assets. Teams who have FOs with great scouting, advanced metrics departments, player development systems are the teams that typically excel in the NBA. Teams with their lips stuck on the tanking teat just ensures those teams won't get off the proverbial welfare and be forever stuck in mediocrity.

That said, I don't know how you fix this outside of a povertyball style relegation.

mid want the Purple and Gold "food stamps, NOW eh?" We ain't paying one luxury taxed penny until next year son. Neal with it. :lol

[Kool Bob Love]

Cubby had the NERVE to say we tank in 96 for Duncan. That's bullshit and he knows it.

[Kim Jong-il]

OTOH blatant tanking worked out pretty well for SEA/OKC, Golden State, and even the Spurs. That's why teams try it.

[Kim Jong-il]

Cubby had the NERVE to say we tank in 96 for Duncan. That's bullshit and he knows it.
It's the truth and you know it. No, no, tell me more about how ":cry David needed screws in his foot"

[DMC]

Spurs had low odds of getting the 1st overall, so you cannot say they tanked.

[Thread]

Without Jim Buss we're light 2 NBA Titles.

[baseline bum]

With Jim Buss we're light 3 playoffs.

fify

[HemisfairArena]

Without Jim Buss we're light 2 NBA Titles.

With him you're light 2,,,it all works out to a wash,,,,

[Thread]

With him you're light 2,,,it all works out to a wash,,,,

That's just a stupid ass talkin'.

[Thread]

fify

Only pussies & assholes edit another member's post.

[HemisfairArena]

That's just a stupid ass talkin'.

said the Suns fan/laker bandwagon/Spurs crush me fan,,,

[HemisfairArena]

Only pussies & assholes edit another member's post.

About time you showed up ya pussy,,,place aint the same without ya,,,Aids and Luva want to talk about Duncans cock 24/7,,,,

[Thread]

said the Suns fan/laker bandwagon/Spurs crush me fan,,,

That's just a stupid ass talkin'.

[midnightpulp]

OTOH blatant tanking worked out pretty well for SEA/OKC, Golden State, and even the Spurs. That's why teams try it.

The highest pick they got was 6, and they drafted Ekpe Udoh :lol The next highest picks were two 7s, which they used to draft Curry and Harrison Barnes, the latter of which isn't even all that important. After Curry, Draymond was their most important draft pick and he went number 35. Even Klay was only an 11th overall pick. The Spurs were longshots to win the lottery that year. Even so, the Spurs only have one ring if not for the Manu, Parker, and Leonard draft picks, which weren't gotten through tanking. OKC is really the only outlier.

Multiyear tanking rarely works because it stunts the development of your youth (by putting them in bad situations, bad systems, alongside washed up vets in paycheck mode, and under bad coaches) and typically prevents any kind of chemistry and team identity from developing since assets are continually moved and coaches continually fired and hired.

[HemisfairArena]

That's just a stupid ass talkin'.

Dont be a pussy,,,,

[baseline bum]

Gurgle gurgle.. gotta finish off LeRoy

[Kim Jong-il]

The highest pick they got was 6, and they drafted Ekpe Udoh :lol The next highest picks were two 7s, which they used to draft Curry and Harrison Barnes, the latter of which isn't even all that important. After Curry, Draymond was their most important draft pick and he went number 35. Even Klay was only an 11th overall pick. The Spurs were longshots to win the lottery that year. Even so, the Spurs only have one ring if not for the Manu, Parker, and Leonard draft picks, which weren't gotten through tanking. OKC is really the only outlier.

Multiyear tanking rarely works because it stunts the development of your youth (by putting them in bad situations, bad systems, alongside washed up vets in paycheck mode, and under bad coaches) and typically prevents any kind of chemistry and team identity from developing since assets are continually moved and coaches continually fired and hired.
Multiple lottery picks is what built Golden State into the team they are. They drafted smarter than teams like Minnesota, but the end result was years of terrible basketball built a potential dynasty.

[baseline bum]

Multiple lottery picks is what built Golden State into the team they are. They drafted smarter than teams like Minnesota, but the end result was years of terrible basketball built a potential dynasty.

The only time they really seemed to tank was when they threw the season to draft Barnes, since I think they'd have had to trade their pick if it dropped one lower.

[baseline bum]

Multiyear tanking rarely works because it stunts the development of your youth (by putting them in bad situations, bad systems, alongside washed up vets in paycheck mode, and under bad coaches) and typically prevents any kind of chemistry and team identity from developing since assets are continually moved and coaches continually fired and hired.

Multiyear tanking worked for the Rockets though.

[Thread]

Multiyear tanking worked for the Rockets though.

Please. You struck the template with Robinson. You've nary room.

[baseline bum]

Please. You struck the template with Robinson. You've nary room.

And you with DBustelo

[Thread]

And you with DBustelo

There you go talking like a stupid ass.

[100%duncan]

Cubby is back? Fuck you old man. Tee hee.


OT: idk i dont have a problem as long as the lakers keep on fucking up with their picks :lmao

[midnightpulp]

mid want the Purple and Gold "food stamps, NOW eh?" We ain't paying one luxury taxed penny until next year son. Neal with it. :lol

You don't get it. You think I'm mad because you think I fear the Lakers developing a "future."

Tell me how Randle and Russell are supposed to develop playing under one of the worst coaches in NBA history, alongside ball dominant and chucking vets (Kobe, Lou Williams, Nick Young), and as, of now, bench players (a move that either done to increase those two's trade value [which it won't] or to further ensure the tank)? How is that supposed to attract free agents? Or create a situation in which you're next high draft pick will flourish? OKC is the only team in NBA history that pulled it somewhat off. I remember when the early 90's Mavericks did it (might've been the first franchise to employ tanking as a multiyear plan), and drafted Jim Jackson, Jamal Mashburn, and Jason Kidd in consecutive years. It didn't work. They didn't even get good assets in return (Jim Jackson brought Shawn Bradley :lol, Mashburn brought Kurt Thomas, and Kidd brought Michael Finley, not bad, but not equal value, even with all the other piece included). The biggest move in that franchise's history was done through smart FO work, trading Tractor Traylor for Dirk.

This why multiyear tanking plans don't work. You draft these talented blue chippers and then purposely put them in a shitty situation that is designed to fail in which they learn absolutely nothing and could even regress. You ever see Jerry West order a multiyear tank?

[BD24]

Poor Cubby going to be dead before the 2nd best team in LA sniffs another title. Not even the best team in their own arena Cubby.

[midnightpulp]

Please. You struck the template with Robinson. You've nary room.

We've never tanked for consecutive years.

[Thread]

We've never tanked for consecutive years.

Congratulations. You must be so proud.

[Thread]

Poor Cubby going to be dead before the 2nd best team in LA sniffs another title. Not even the best team in their own arena Cubby.

I'll take it. I feared it forever. And now I'm living it. Just about every fuckin' fear I've ever had has come to fruition. Now 3/4 in I'm squarin' off with the original fear.

[midnightpulp]

Multiple lottery picks is what built Golden State into the team they are. They drafted smarter than teams like Minnesota, but the end result was years of terrible basketball built a potential dynasty.

They never tanked. Bad teams don't always tank. They smartly developed their youth by actually letting them try to win and surrounding their best draft pick with complementary pieces.

[baseline bum]

There you go talking like a stupid ass.

You have no room, three years and $48.5 million later and your boy Fredo is still throwing games. And what do you have to show for it?

[Thread]

You have no room, three years and $48.5 million later and your boy Fredo is still throwing games. And what do you have to show for it?

Without Jim Buss we're light 2 NBA Titles.

[HemisfairArena]

Congratulations. You must be so proud.

What a comeback,,,,,yo silly faggot,,,

[Thread]

What a comeback,,,,,yo silly faggot,,,

I was talking to Midst, not your stupid ass.

[HemisfairArena]

Thread getting crushed,,,,

[Thread]

Thread getting crushed,,,,

You acting the stupid ass.

[HemisfairArena]

You acting the stupid ass.


Thread getting crushed,,,,

[baseline bum]

You acting the stupid ass.

But it's not an act with the parrot is it?

[midnightpulp]

Congratulations. You must be so proud.

I am, Cub. How do the Spurs keep doing it? Finding these unknowns and unheraldeds and assimilating them into the system? No need to tank when you're smarter than everyone else :toast

[Mikeanaro]

That tanking shit is a huge disrespect to the fans, is not very motivating to buy season tickets to see phily and lakers doing that cheap disgusting thing.

[DPG21920]

http://www.businessinsider.com/reverse-standings-tanking-2015-4

I really like this idea.

That's a different but similar version of my proposal - which I agree with. It should be simple.

[DPG21920]

http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=193832&page=2&highlight=Tanking


I agree with the premise, disagree with the solution. I proposed a year ago that in order to do away with tanking you reverse the lottery structure you have now. Instead of giving the worst team to miss the playoffs the best chance at the number 1 pick, you give the best team to miss the playoffs the best chance.

Not only does this take away incentive to tank (you'd be hurting your chances), it rewards teams that are on the cusp to help more teams take that next step or add that talented but cheap piece to provide more parity.

Through FA bigger markets will continue to do well, but for the teams that are good at scouting but struggle to lure FA's, they can continue to add good, cheap talent and it rewards them for trying to compete and build.

Some may argue that it will kill parity, but there isn't much parity now to be honest and rotten teams are usually rotten for multiple reason and stay that way unless really lucky. This system would create a more competitive league than there is now and accomplish the goal of fixing tanking. At least from the bottom half (you can see a scenario a team on the cusp of the playoffs tanks at the very end to have the best record and miss the playoffs although they would be losing out on some serious money by not making it).

[lefty]

There should be a relegation system tbh

[baseline bum]

They never tanked. Bad teams don't always tank. They smartly developed their youth by actually letting them try to win and surrounding their best draft pick with complementary pieces.

They definitely tanked in 2011-12, I remember Jeremy Tyler playing 40 minutes a night to end the season.

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Terrible franchises like the Sixers and the Jim Buss-era Lakers have made a mockery of professional basketball with their blatant multiyear tanking plans. And with regional sports networks paying billions for the television rights of teams, it's pretty much a slap in the face to the network and the network's paying customers.

I can hear Laker fans already, "You're just mad we're gonna be building a future!"

Nope (you ever see Jerry West do this shit?). Multiyear tanking plans have never worked. The Sixers have been doing this shit for nearly a decade, and not a thing has come from it. The Cavaliers post-Lebron tried it, and it didn't work. The Wolves have been doing it post-KG, and it hasn't worked. Granted, they're "decent," right now, but I don't see that as a success when you have like 20 number 1 picks on your roster.

It's a cheap and lazy way to roster build and acquire assets. Teams who have FOs with great scouting, advanced metrics departments, player development systems are the teams that typically excel in the NBA. Teams with their lips stuck on the tanking teat just ensures those teams won't get off the proverbial welfare and be forever stuck in mediocrity.

That said, I don't know how you fix this outside of a povertyball style relegation.

In fairness it looks like his office was instrumental in getting new management in Philly. If you don't have systemic change then it needs to come from the ownership. The 76ers were just sold were they not?

[baseline bum]

http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=193832&page=2&highlight=Tanking

So if you're the 8-seed do you try to maintain so you can get your teeth kicked in by Golden State in four, or do you tank to drop to the 9 seed and draft Simmons?

[DPG21920]

So if you're the 8-seed do you try to maintain so you can get your teeth kicked in by Golden State in four, or do you tank to drop to the 9 seed and draft Simmons?

I guess the question is two-fold: would you rather make the playoffs, get your guys that experience while making the playoff money and get the 15th pick or get the best odds at the first pick (where it's not even guaranteed)?

Also, good luck coaching guys to win all year then telling players to shut it down the last 2 games of the season.

[baseline bum]

I guess the question is two-fold: would you rather make the playoffs, get your guys that experience while making the playoff money and get the 15th pick or get the best odds at the first pick (where it's not even guaranteed)?

Also, good luck coaching guys to win all year then telling players to shut it down the last 2 games of the season.

There might be some jockeying for the nine seed via coaching, via cutting players, via retarded trade deadline deals, and so on. I'd much rather see bad teams tank than middle of the road teams. I still think a straight lottery is the best. If you have a rough season you're probably going to get a good pick, but no one is even thinking of missing the playoffs just to draft #7. If you're truly horrible you're probably not going to land that A+ talent that can turn your team around by himself, so you have lots of incentive to try to have a better year the next season.

[DPG21920]

You know how hard it would be to functionally tank in my system? Many times it comes down to the last game of the season to determine 8th seeds. You'd have to win enough alllll year long just to even have the shot to throw 2-4 games max at the end of the year IMO.

[Thread]

That tanking shit is a huge disrespect to the fans, is not very motivating to buy season tickets to see phily and lakers doing that cheap disgusting thing.

You had no problem setting the mark with Robinson. You've nary fuckin' room.

[Thread]

I am, Cub. How do the Spurs keep doing it? Finding these unknowns and unheraldeds and assimilating them into the system? No need to tank when you're smarter than everyone else :toast

You talked Diaw & Jackson into quitting on their teams and come and not quit on your team. Congratulations. You must be so proud.

[BG_Spurs_Fan]

Anyone remember my packet drafting idea.....Basically teams 1-7 get three picks in the top 30. 7-15 get two picks. Playoff teams don't need picks.

Exclude teams from the lottery after they get a top pick..So you tank once, get new players and have no incentive to tank.

I've seen some terrible ideas but this is without a doubt the worst one. If things worked out this way the Spurs would be without Parker and Leonard and light 3 titles. This doesn't reward good FOs at all.

[Kidd K]

One solution is to start reducing the odds of getting top picks for teams who already had them. Team A gets 1 pick? Next year they should have a 0% chance at the top pick even if they were 0-82.

Teams who are continuously at the bottom of the rankings despite getting top picks every year don't deserve to keep getting said picks.

Of course I'm not against bad teams getting help with high draft picks after having a bad season or two, but teams who continuously try to milk the system by putting shitty/low salary teams on the court need to be blocked from benefitting every year.



http://www.businessinsider.com/reverse-standings-tanking-2015-4

I really like this idea.

I dislike that one tbh. It just encourages and rewards teams for tanking harder early then trying late. So the new "meta" is to lose as many as possible until you get eliminated, then trying hard. Meanwhile teams who try all season but can't get over the hump are still shafted. It doesn't really address tanking at all, merely the last month or so of the season would be more interesting while the first 3-4 will have more "pointless games with obvious outcomes".

[DMC]

The game isn't perfect, and it's never going to be where every game on the schedule is competitive in the regular season. If you don't have the scouts or development team in place, you can't just go out and buy them because you cannot identify them. Even if you do both, you have to know they can work together, then know that your players can be coached. There's no objective indicator for that, you have to be able to read people.

[Splits]

Damn, Dale getting abused since coming back. Sad really. Following in Kobe's footsteps and embarrassing himself.

[baseline bum]

Damn, Dale getting abused since coming back. Sad really. Following in Kobe's footsteps and embarrassing himself.

cubby used to be somebody, but ever since his boy went out in four he has become senile and bitter.

[Thread]

Damn, Dale getting abused since coming back. Sad really. Following in Kobe's footsteps and embarrassing himself.

Yet another stupid ass comment from a stupid ass.

[Thread]

cubby used to be somebody, but ever since his boy went out in four he has become senile and bitter.

I'll buy that.

I don't hide my shit.

It's my religion.

[DMC]

I'll buy that.

I don't hide my shit.

It's my religion.

You do hide in it though. You're relentless about building a fortress of shit talk to hide within to avoid the truth of the situation, and only on occasion will you venture outside those walls.

[Thread]

You do hide in it though. You're relentless about building a fortress of shit talk to hide within to avoid the truth of the situation, and only on occasion will you venture outside those walls.

Cite it.

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Cite it.

Why?

[Thread]

Why?

I wasn't talking to you, stupid ass.

[FuzzyLumpkins]

I wasn't talking to you, stupid ass.

So?

[Splits]

Yet another stupid ass comment from a stupid ass.

You've been ridiculed from every angle, penetrated in every hole.

[Mikeanaro]

You had no problem setting the mark with Robinson. You've nary fuckin' room.
Bah come on that was 27 years ago, these teams are doing it for pleasure.

[DMC]

Cite it.
It's everywhere, all of your parroting of the same tired lines, citing "6" over and over to deflect the shit storm from that joke of a franchise you support, playing the "TOSB" game when your guy has already written his own epitaph in the form of a queer poem while mine is mounting another run for the playoffs with the 2nd best record in the league and is older than yours.

I'd have a harder time citing something that's not you hiding behind rhetoric.

[Buddy Mignon]

The Spurs invented tanking.

[daslicer]

The Spurs invented tanking.

Close but actually the 80's rockets invented tanking when they lost on purpose to get Sampson and Olajuwon in '83 and'84.

[TD 21]

I agree that you don't ever want to become historically awful, especially over an extended period. It creates a cancerous environment, not only to develop young players, but also in terms of the perception of the organization league wide.

That said, despite all those who have failed, almost without fail, you with championships with hall of fame players and the best chance of getting them is by picking in the top few of the draft for a while and hoping you get lucky. Nothing can be done to the system to change that reality.

[cjw]

The highest pick they got was 6, and they drafted Ekpe Udoh :lol The next highest picks were two 7s, which they used to draft Curry and Harrison Barnes, the latter of which isn't even all that important. After Curry, Draymond was their most important draft pick and he went number 35. Even Klay was only an 11th overall pick. The Spurs were longshots to win the lottery that year. Even so, the Spurs only have one ring if not for the Manu, Parker, and Leonard draft picks, which weren't gotten through tanking. OKC is really the only outlier.

Multiyear tanking rarely works because it stunts the development of your youth (by putting them in bad situations, bad systems, alongside washed up vets in paycheck mode, and under bad coaches) and typically prevents any kind of chemistry and team identity from developing since assets are continually moved and coaches continually fired and hired.

Right. The only tanking GSW did was to keep its top 8 pick which turned into Barnes. Had Minny had half a brain, they would have grabbed Curry to pair with Rubio instead of Flynn (or had OKC been better, may have ended up with a Curry/Westbrook backcourt instead of Harden). GSW got lucky there.

[100%duncan]

I like DPGs point

[LkrFan]

midnightpulp: http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/adam-silver-is-not-a-fan-of-the-sixers-strategy/

[K...]

Ok, if you hated my earlier plan you'll hate this even more.

Keep the lottery but change the way the ping pong balls are used.

Currently odds are determined by win loss record. I'd reduce that to a third of the odds making.

Next, at mid season have a young people's tournament and force all lottery teams to field a team of players with three years of exp or less..add dleague players to any team that can't field a full young persons team. Run a single elimination tournament and give the winners better draft odds.


The idea is that tanking teams are rewarded for coaching young talent rather than signing tosb like Kobe. We'd reduce the regular season my a few games to compensate.

[K...]

Fwiw the people who complained about my multi pick plan mostly cared about playoff teams getting new players. I don't think the world ends if good teams have to sign FA, dleague, overseas, or trade to improve.

Second the exclusionary rule will eventually move three picks up to lower ranked playoff teams. Depending on how you craft the exclusionary rule (prevents teams from reaching the same draft tier in consecutive years) you could decide the system so that even the spurs would get draft picks, but less often than a bad team.

A sample strong exclusionary rule would be one high level lottery (where you get 3 picks) appearance every 5 years. One lower level (2 picks)every three years. So a theoretical tank Philly style yields:

Year one, 3 picks. Year 2 picks. Then nothing in year the. Year 4 nothing. Year 5 if they still suck they get 2 players. In year 6 they get the three player level.