Silver: 'I absolutely don't think any team is trying to lose'
Adam Silver is not one of those tanking theorists, which is good considering he's the commissioner of the NBA.
"I absolutely don't think any team is trying to lose," Silver said in an interview with ESPN's Andy Katz.
Silver was adamant that players would never consider tanking. But at the front office level, Silver says the difficult nature of building an NBA contender lends itself to talk and assumptions about tanking.
"In terms of management, I think there is an absolute legitimate rebuilding process that goes on," the commissioner, who marks his first year in office on Feb. 1, told ESPN. "It's so hard to win in this league, and it's so complex."
Silver referenced the 2-23 Philadelphia 76ers, whose roster features top draft picks who have - or have had - long-term injuries, such as Nerlens Noel and Joel Embiid.
"I think what has happened in Philadelphia - their strategy has been reduced to a tweet. This notion 'be bad to be good.' ...
"When it gets reduced to a headline, I understand the reaction."