After the Golden State Warriors defeated the Sacramento Kings, 110-105, Draymond Green offered his thoughts on the NBA’s tanking issues and the league’s propensity for fining players, instead of tanking teams. He singled out a baffling intentional foul on Seth Curry late in the game. Wednesday, the league opened an investigation.
Green wasn’t the only observer who took issue with Kings coach Doug Christie’s decision to foul Seth Curry in the backcourt with 3:15 to go in the game. Doug McDermott reached in to force a stoppage and let Christie use his fifth timeout — one which would have otherwise expired, since teams can only use two in the final three minutes.
Only the Kings didn’t have a foul to give, so the move sent Curry to the foul line, where he split two free throws following the timeout. And the internet went crazy.
Was it Green’s comments that prompted the NBA to investigate? It’s very possible. Commissioner Adam Silver’s league office generally operates on the principle that embarrassing the NBA is the worst thing a player or team can go. Green complained that one third of the league is tanking, yet only two have been fined, and he’s right. But the ones who did get hit with fines were being blatant. The Utah Jazz benched their starters in every 4th quarter, and the Indiana Pacers sat multiple starters, albeit on a back-to-back.
Did Silver take offense to the Jazz’s strategy, or was it that Stephen A. Smith complained about it on his podcast? Probably both!
The irony is that Christie and the Kings aren’t even tanking! DeMar DeRozan missed only his third game of the season Tuesday. Sacramento went 7-8 in the 15 games before Tuesday’s loss. Christie is trying to save his job for next season. The Kings may be terrible, but after three of their starters suffered season-ending injuries, they’re an ethically terrible team.
After all, immediately after the controversial foul, Christie drew up a play to get McDermott a three-pointer and re-take the lead. He didn’t bench anyone in the final minutes and Sacramento didn’t call up multiple G Leaguers and play them heavy minutes, like the Jazz and Memphis Grizzlies have done in the last month, or sign a marginal player simply because he’s Angel Reese’s brother, like the Washington Wizards.
Of course, for Christie, the argument that he wasn’t tanking, just incompetent isn’t a flattering one. Given Kings owner Vivek Ranadive’s propensity for firing his head coaches, dismissing eight of them in his 13 years as team governor. Don’t be surprised if he looks at a Warriors assistant coach to replace Christie.
Still, it’s weird that Christie would be the scapegoat during a season where so many teams have tanked more egregiously than Sacramento, who has dropped (risen?) out of the bottom four in the past two weeks. Draymond is right that the NBA should fine tanking teams, but we suspect that might have more to do with all the fine money he has surrendered over his career than a strictly moral position.
In news that’s completely unrelated to the NBA’s lack of competitiveness as the season winds down, the Warriors may have eight players out for Thursday’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers. NBA action is fan-tastic!