The Ringer’s Bill Simmons gives ‘kudos’ to Suns for tanking
Apr 9, 2017, 4:22 PM | Updated: 9:05 pm
Phoenix Suns' Devin Booker, left, gets off a pass as he collides with Los Angeles Clippers' Marreese Speights (5) during the second half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, March 30, 2017, in Phoenix. The Clippers defeated the Suns 124-118. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
(AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
The Ringer’s Bill Simmons was impressed with the Phoenix Suns nudging their own way to a high draft pick.
Apparently, the Suns’ decision to rest veteran players like Eric Bledsoe, Brandon Knight and Tyson Chandler in favor of youth development was too perfect to give them a made-up honor for the best tanking job in the NBA this season.
Instead, in The Ringer’s Unreal NBA Ballot, Simmons gave the Los Angeles Lakers the Carroll Dawson Award for the Most Unabashed Tank Job — but he did give Phoenix kudos.
Kudos to the Suns for dropping 15 of their last 16 while enjoying a feel-good moment (Devin Booker’s 70-pointer) and developing Tyler Ulis as their own version of The One That Got Away (Isaiah Thomas). Seriously, kudos. When you can tank AND build hope, that’s the Tankapalooza 2017 dream personified.
So why did Simmons and fellow writer Shea Serrano pick Los Angeles for the award named after the former Rockets general manager who prior to his NBA gig was a tank commander?
Probably because the Lakers tanked purposely down the stretch but last offseason spent tons of money to sign a couple of free agents who didn’t move the needle, then ended up losing a lot of games. That level of incompetence apparently gave them a slight edge on the Suns’ obvious youth movement.
Here’s what Simmons said of Los Angeles:
But nothing tops the Lakers for paying Luol Deng and Timofey Mozgov $34 million this year combined to go away, then trotting out Metta World Peace for 17 minutes of an actual NBA game to blow this week’s unexpected lead over the Spurs (and it didn’t work — they won!).
The Lakers’ tanking might not have produced.
It certainly didn’t Sunday night, when D’Angelo Russell’s game-winning three pushed the Lakers past the Minnesota Timberwolves, further jeopardizing Los Angeles’ draft positioning and pick — they owe the pick to Philadelphia if it is not a top-3 choice.
The Brooklyn Nets have locked up the best NBA Draft Lottery odds and will finish with the worst record. The Suns, meanwhile, sit 1.5 games ahead of the Lakers for the second-best lottery odds before the two tipped games on Sunday.
