Is NBA tanking really ruining basketball — or is the outrage just noise?

In this solo episode of On The Ball with Ric Bucher, Ric dismantles the modern hysteria around tanking and explains why what fans think is a crisis is actually a decades-old strategy baked into the league’s business model.

Drawing on 30+ years covering the NBA, Ric reveals:

• Why tanking isn’t new — and never stopped
• How the media profits from outrage narratives
• The hidden economics behind losing on purpose
• Why the 2026 draft may justify tanking more than ever
• The real difference between subtle tanking and obvious tanking
• Why some franchises must draft stars to survive
• And why tanking is only a 50-50 gamble anyway

He also breaks down real-world examples involving the Utah Jazz, Washington Wizards, Indiana Pacers, and Sacramento Kings — plus historical tank jobs involving the Spurs, Cavaliers, and Rockets.

Bottom line: the NBA isn’t broken — you just haven’t been told the whole story.

00:00 Intro + show update (now video + audio)

00:53 Why tanking outrage is overblown

02:42 Ric’s philosophy on sports media vs hot takes

04:12 Tanking history from a 30-year NBA insider

05:30 Don Nelson’s hidden Warriors tank attempt

08:10 The Chris Webber–Penny Hardaway draft saga

10:05 Famous tank jobs vs forgotten ones

12:02 Why tanking makes financial sense

13:19 Why the 2026 draft is different

14:21 Teams openly tanking today

16:12 Wizards strategy breakdown

17:39 Pacers injuries vs tank narrative

18:45 Kings reset under Scott Perry

20:50 Why tanking rarely guarantees titles

22:00 The truth: tanking is permanent NBA strategy

22:40 Closing thoughts

#NBA #NBADraft #NBATanking #Basketball #NBANews #RicBucher #UtahJazz #WashingtonWizards #NBAPodcast #SportsMedia #NBATalk #UnitedWeCast

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