Send in your questions now for this week’s episode of The Pindown: A Detroit Pistons Podcast to discuss everything Pistons. Submit your question to the comments section here or on X/Twitter to @TheRealWesD3 and/or @blakesilverman.
Join us live on Saturday afternoon for the show where we’ll recap the Pistons’ recent stretch of games. How do you hope the play-in tournament shakes out? Will the NBA bypass the 65-game requirement for Cade Cunningham’s circumstance? What team are you most afraid to potentially see in the postseason?
Plus, The Pindown has a phone line where you can leave a message and hear your voice on the show. Call (313) 355-2717 and leave us a voicemail with your question. Please try to keep the message around 45 seconds or less so we can fit everyone into the show.
The podcast will be uploaded to all audio platforms the following morning.
PITTSBURGH, PA - APRIL 08: Nick Castellanos #21 of the San Diego Padres hits a two RBI double in the seventh inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on April 8, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The San Diego Padres are returning to Petco Park today after a wonderful stretch for the Friars on the road.
After starting off the season 2-4, they won both away series and are coming back to San Diego sitting at .500. The vibes are high after their 8-2 shellacking of the Pittsburgh Pirates yesterday.
With a pitcher’s duel going through six-plus innings between starters Michael King and Mitch Keller, the Friars put up a four-run seventh inning. It was a lead they wouldn’t surrender, despite King and Kyle Hart allowing two runs in the bottom of the seventh to the Bucs.
The game reminded the Friar Faithful who the Padres are. Their pitching mostly dominated, the offense hammered mistakes and they were aggressive on the base paths.
With a four-game series against the division-rival Colorado Rockies starting today, San Diego will look to capitalize on their momentum.
Taking the mound
Jimmy Herget (COL) v. Randy Vásquez (SD)
With José Quintana scratched after landing on the injured list with a right hamstring strain, the Rockies didn’t announce their starting pitcher until today.
They’ll likely make it a bullpen game after ace Michael Lorenzen pitched 5 2/3 innings against the Houston Astros in Colorado’s 9-1 win yesterday. Jimmy Herget will lead off the group.
The Rockies’ bullpen has been quite good through the first two weeks of the season, posting a 2.91 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP. It would be a surprise if San Diego can’t find a solution for their division rivals, with them going 10-3 against Colorado last season.
However, in the past the Friars have (for whatever reason) had difficulty beating the struggling Rox. They did a good job last year putting those woes to bed, hopefully they can tonight as well.
Vásquez has shown flashes of bonafide ace stuff in his first two starts for the club. In 12 innings pitched, he has a 0.75 ERA with only one run allowed thus far.
Vásquez was a back-end starter for the Padres going into this year, but he’s pitching like a front-end one. He’s managed to stymie a Detroit Tigers lineup that, two days earlier, tagged Nick Pivetta for six runs.
There’s nothing to suggest he can’t handle this Rockies lineup just like he did the Tigers and the Boston Red Sox already this year. But, if Vásquez does stumble, the bullpen is rested well enough to dominate.
Batter up!
With Manny Machado getting a rest day yesterday, he’ll be back at the hot corner tonight. But Miguel Andujar had a great day in his place, going 2-for-4 at the plate. This road trip has been great for Andujar, after ending the homestand with a .167 batting average, he’s since raised it to .310 in the last six games.
But Nick Castellanos was also great yesterday (1 H, 2 RBI, 1 BB). This is exactly what San Diego had in mind when they signed Castellanos and Andujar: make it difficult to not have them in the lineup:
Ramón Laureano, LF
Fernando Tatis Jr., RF
Jackson Merrill, CF
Manny Machado, 3B
Xander Bogaerts, SS
Miguel Andujar, DH
Nick Castellanos, 1B
Freddy Fermin, C
Jake Cronenworth, 2B
If the offense can keep it rolling after pounding out 24 hits against Pittsburgh, they’ll be able to solve the Rockies’ pitching staff easily.
Relief corps
King went six full innings yesterday and came back out for the seventh before giving up back-to-back hits. That forced manager Craig Stammen’s hand and he was lifted in favor of Kyle Hart. Hart looked a little shaky but managed to get out relatively unscathed (1 H, 1 BB).
Behind him was Jeremiah Estrada in the eighth inning and closer Mason Miller in the ninth. Estrada looked more like his usual dominant self despite his recent lackluster performances.
Miller’s strikeout streak came to an end at 11 with Jake Mangum’s game-ending groundout, but he has still yet to allow a run in 26 2/3 innings.
Today’s game will likely see Bradgley Rodriguez, Wandy Peralta, Ron Marinaccio, Adrian Morejon and David Morgan available out of the ‘pen.
Morejon has struggled lately, and that was highlighted by his inability to get more than one out in Tuesday’s 1-7 loss to the Pirates. If he can begin to rebound from his (thus far) dull performance, it will go a long way towards assuaging worries about his relief appearances.
Miller will likely be available as well to close even though he pitched yesterday. He was efficient, only throwing 10 pitches, and the Friars have shown a willingness to use him in consecutive games.
The Yankees fell to the Athletics by a score of 1-0 on Thursday afternoon, dropping the rubber match of the three-game series.
Here are the takeaways...
-- With lefty Jeffrey Springs on the mound, Aaron Boone changed things up with the lineup. Amed Rosario led off, playing second base, and Randal Grichuk got the start in left. Of note, Paul Goldschmidt did not get the start at first base against the lefty, with Ben Rice getting the nod. Boone said before the game that with the Yanks facing lefties in three of their next four games, Goldschmidt will see plenty of playing time.
But the Yankees had no answers for Springs. The former Ray held them hitless through the first five innings, allowing just one walk and striking out four during that span.
Finally, after 6.1 innings of no-hit ball, Ben Rice came through with a single through the right side, which followed a Giancarlo Stanton walk to put a couple of runners on base. The A's got out of it, though, as Austin Wells flew out with a pair of runners in scoring position to end the threat.
Springs went 7.0 shutout innings, allowing just one hit while striking out six and walking a pair. He lowered his season ERA to 1.47.
--The A’s lineup suffered a blow early, as right fielder Brent Rooker appeared to tweak something in either his back or side when swinging at a pitch in the first inning. Rooker, the three-hole hitter, had to be removed from the game and replaced by Lawrence Butler.
--Ryan Weathers, who has gotten off to an inconsistent start to his Yankees career, looked sharp early. The lefty started the game with three scoreless innings, striking out three while allowing just two hits.
Weathers and Springs traded zeros through the first six innings, but Weathers allowed a leadoff triple to Max Muncy to start the seventh. Tyler Soderstrom cashed in with an RBI single, putting the first run on the board for either team.
Weathers turned in what was easily his best start as a Yankee, going 8.0 innings while allowing just one earned run on seven hits with seven strikeouts and no walks.
-- The Yankees finished with just one hit, and have just two hits total since the first inning of Wednesday's game.
Mar 24, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Colorado Avalanche center Nazem Kadri (91) warms up against the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Charles LeClaire/Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
DENVER — Avalanche forward Nazem Kadri will miss “some games” because of a finger injury, Colorado coach Jared Bednar said.
Bednar added the Avalanche hope to work him back into the lineup before the playoffs. The Avalanche have five games remaining.
Colorado already has clinched the Central Division and the top seed in the Western Conference. A win over Calgary wraps up the Presidents’ Trophy, which goes to the squad with the best NHL record.
Kadri was hurt in a 3-1 win over the Blues in St. Louis. He has four goals and five assists in 16 games since being acquired by Colorado as part of a trade deadline deal with the Flames on March 6.
The 35-year-old Kadri helped Colorado to a Stanley Cup title in 2022.
In addition to Kadri, the Avalanche are without defenseman Cale Makar because of an upper-body injury. Makar skated with the team in a red, non-contact sweater. Makar is set to miss his fifth straight game.
BOSTON, MA - APRIL 7: The sneakers worn by Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics drives to the basket during the game against the Charlotte Hornets on April 7, 2026 at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Vancouver Canucks will take on the Los Angeles Kings for the second-last time this season tonight. Vancouver last faced Los Angeles on March 26, during which the Canucks lost by a score of 4-0. The Canucks will play the Kings one more time this season after tonight on April 14 at home. Here are the lineup notes for April 9, 2026.
Vancouver is not expected to change their lineups too much today, meaning that Ty Mueller will sit out of his second-straight game. The forward was called up last Wednesday and played in two games before being healthy-scratched on Tuesday against the Vegas Golden Knights.
Nikita Tolopilo will start in net for the Canucks tonight, with this being the goaltender's third consecutive start since Kevin Lankinen was held out of the lineup on a day-to-day basis. In his last start, Tolopilo stopped 27 of 29 shots faced for a .931 SV%.
Projected Lineup:
O’Connor-Pettersson-DeBrusk
Öhgren-Rossi-Boeser
Sasson-Blueger-Karlsson
Höglander-Räty-Douglas
Buium-Hronek
M. Pettersson-Willander
E. Pettersson-Mancini
Tolopilo
Patera
Game Information:
Start time: 7:30 pm PT
Venue: Crypto.com Arena
Television: Sportsnet
Radio: Sportsnet 650
Apr 7, 2026; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks goalie Nikita Tolopilo (60) in the net against the Vegas Golden Knights in the third period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.
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ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — The NBA fined the Orlando Magic $25,000 on Thursday for violating league injury reporting rules before Monday night's home game against the Detroit Pistons.
The Magic reported point guard Anthony Black as out on its initial injury report. After missing 15 games with an abdominal strain, Black returned and scored 14 points with two assists and two steals in 15 minutes for Orlando in its 123-107 win over Detroit.
In announcing the fine, the NBA said the Magic failed to accurately disclose Black's game availability status.
Black, a third-year player from Arkansas, is averaging 15.1 points and 3.8 assists in 62 games, including 40 starts.
Apr 4, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Royals pitcher Eli Morgan (34) on the mound during the eighth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images | William Purnell-Imagn Images
The Royals continued to shuffle their bullpen Thursday, adding relievers Eli Morgan and Mitch Spence from Triple-A Omaha, while sending Luinder Avila and Steven Cruz down. Avila and Cruz each pitched extensively in Wednesday’s loss to Cleveland. Morgan was up last Saturday as the 27th man for the doubleheader against Milwaukee, pitching three scoreless innings with five strikeouts.
Morgan has pitched parts of five seasons with the Guardians and Cubs before this season, posting a 4.15 ERA in 275.2 innings, mostly as a reliever. His best year came in 2024 when he posted a 1.93 ERA, although he pitched in just 32 games. He pitched in just seven games last year before he injured his elbow in April and missed the rest of the season. The Royals signed the 29-year-old as a minor league free agent this past winter.
Spence was acquired from the Athletics in a trade for minor league reliever A.J. Causey. He has pitched parts of the last two seasons with the Athletics, mostly as a starter, with a 4.77 ERA in 236 innings. Last year he made 24 relief appearances and 8 starts, with a 5.10 ERA in 84.2 innings. He gave up just one unearned run over five innings in his only start for Omaha this year.
Avila has given up 14 hits, 4 walks and six runs in six innings with the Royals. He is ranked as the #9 prospect in the farm system and the team considers him a future top-of-the-rotation starter. Cruz has given up eight runs in five innings for a 14.40 ERA, with four home runs allowed, tied for the most in the league.
DENVER, CO - APRIL 7: Colorado Rockies outfielder Mickey Moniak (22) celebrates in the dugout wearing a faux purple fur coat after his seventh inning two-run home run during a game between the Houston Astros and the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on April 7, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
If you’ve ever been to a game at Coors Field and wondered what that’s song, say, Willi Castro is walking up to, and the clip is too short to Shazam, Reader, I am here to answer your questions.
Below are (most of) the 2026 music selections of the Colorado Rockies.
Zach Agnos — Jacob Banks’ “Chainsmoking” (from the beginning)
With only three more games on the Blueshirts slate – all away – it's time now to compare two of the NHL's most contrasting teams and understand which went up and which went down.
And more importantly why the Blueshirts are a sorrowful mess while the Sabres could win The Stanley Cup.
RELATIVE VALUE: The Rangers are valued at $4.5 BILLION. Sabres at $1.5 Billion. Blueshirts have a $3.0 Billion lead and look how it "helped" them. (DIDN'T!)
OCTOBER 2025: At the start of the season, The Hockey News Yearbook picked the Rangers to finish fourth in the Metropolitan Division. Buffalo was picked seventh in the Atlantic. Blueshirts are in the non-playoff pits -- again. The Sabres are now among the NHL's elite.
STARS: The Rangers have one – Igor Shesterkin – who is supposed to "carry" the team. Here are just a few aces who've carried the Sabres to the top: Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Rasmus Dahlin, Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch.
GM: Chris Drury it is to laugh; Jarmo Kekalainen merely turned the Sabres into winners.
Coach: Mike Sullivan is hell bent to miss the playoffs for the fourth straight year; Lindy Ruff is in the process of pulling off one of the miracle bench jobs in NHL history.
Anyone who doubts the above should merely check the standings.
After signing top center prospect Jack Berglund, the Philadelphia Flyers received quite a big organizational boost at the forward position, aiding them both now and in the future.
Berglund, 19, signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Flyers on Thursday morning, which will take effect starting with the 2026-27 season.
For now, the 6-foot-4 Swede will join the AHL Lehigh Valley Phantoms for their Calder Cup playoff push, and he should be able to immediately establish himself as a top-nine forward on the team in the absences of Denver Barkey and Alex Bump, who are now full-time NHL players.
The Flyers have brought aboard a number of forwards for the Phantoms in recent weeks, with players like Noah Powell, Cole Knuble, and Riley Thompson preceding Berglund's signing.
Berglund's place in the depth chart depends greatly on whether or not the Flyers see him as a center at the NHL level; his development plan will change accordingly.
In the future, and accounting only for players under contract or team control, Berglund should slide in comfortably as the sixth center behind draft classmate Jett Luchanko, Trevor Zegras, Christian Dvorak, Noah Cates, and Sean Couturier.
Veterans like Rodrigo Abols, Jacob Gaucher, Lane Pederson, and Boris Katchouk are all on expiring deals, and RFA Karsen Dorwart has yet to meaningfully insert himself into the NHL conversation.
Berglund, who turns 20 on Friday, will be granted every opportunity to make the Flyers out of training camp in the fall.
If he doesn't, the expectation is that he'll be sent back to Farjestad BK of the SHL on loan, as he has one year remaining on his contract overseas. In that case, Berglund's debut in the Orange and Black will wait until this time next year.
The Flyers' winger logjam is well-documented at this point, Alex Bump, Barkey, and Porter Martone overtaking NHL roles combined with the team already having Matvei Michkov, Owen Tippett, Travis Konecny, Tyson Foerster, and the injured Nikita Grebenkin, who is due for a new contract this summer.
With that in mind, it is difficult right now to see Berglund with the Flyers as a left wing, unless he does so in a complementary fashion alongside someone like Zegras.
The Karlstad native has produced seven goals, five assists, and 12 points in 40 SHL with Farjestad as a teenager, which ranked fourth amongst all D+2 skaters in Sweden's top hockey league.
Only Lucas Pettersson (20, Anaheim), Valter Lindberg (17, undrafted), and Leo Sahlin Wallenius (13, San Jose) were more productive than Berglund in that aspect.
By next spring, should he not just make the Flyers outright, Berglund will be towards the top of Philadelphia's list of potential call-ups, given his size, skill, and pro experience.
He's well past many of his peers in the organization and will be in the NHL in no time at all.
Christian Scott's second start of the year for Triple-A Syracuse went a lot better than his first.
The Mets right-hander, who is continuing to stretch out innings-wise after being out since September of 2024 due to Tommy John surgery, fired five scoreless innings while allowing two hits, walking one, and striking out seven.
Scott's four-seam fastball, which he relied on heavily, topped out at 97.2 mph. He also threw plenty of sweepers while mixing in his cutter and split-change.
Four of Scott's strikeouts came when he got batters to chase his sweeper, while one came looking on a slider. The other two came swinging on four-seamers.
There wasn't much hard contact against Scott, who threw 76 pitches (52 strikes).
The 26-year-old impressed during spring training, when he had his first game action since 2024.
Along with Jonah Tong and Jack Wenninger, Scott is a vital part of the Mets' starting pitching depth, and should impact the major league club at some point this season.
If the Mets have a need and Scott is performing well, it's possible he will be the first pitcher called upon.
Tong has only made five career starts at Triple-A and is working to refine his secondary pitches, while Wenninger has yet to make his big league debut (and is not on the 40-man roster).
After tossing 5.1 shutout innings in his first start of the season, Peterson has struggled, allowing 11 runs (six earned) on 15 hits over his last two starts spanning 9.1 innings.
It's a big game for the Penguins, who have an opportunity to clinch a playoff spot for the first time in four years. A win in any fashion gets them in, but they can also clinch with one point against the Devils and a Columbus Blue Jackets loss to the Buffalo Sabres in any fashion.
Even if the Penguins lose in regulation, they'd still get in with a Toronto Maple Leafs win over the New York Islanders and a Blue Jackets regulation loss.
The @penguins will clinch a playoff berth tonight if any of the following events happen:
- The Penguins win tonight in any fashion OR - The Penguins get one point versus the Devils AND the Sabres defeat the Blue Jackets in any fashion OR - The Maple Leafs defeat the Islanders in… pic.twitter.com/z1trVVcmoP
The easiest way to clinch is to win, and they'll have a chance to do that against a team that is already eliminated from playoff contention. The Devils got eliminated on Tuesday following a 5-1 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers. The loss came one day after general manager Tom Fitzgerald was dismissed.
Even though it's been a miserable 2025-26 season for the Devils, they still have some players who can score at will. Jack Hughes, who scored the Golden Goal for Team USA at the 2026 Winter Olympics, has 25 goals and 72 points in 57 games this year. He's been on fire as of late, racking up nine points in his last four games.
Jesper Bratt has also been great this year with 20 goals and 68 points in 78 games. Nico Hischier is still a really strong two-way center with 26 goals and 62 points in 78 games.
Don't forget about Timo Meier, Dawson Mercer, Cody Glass, and Connor Brown, too. They have 24, 18, 18, and 17 goals, respectively, this year.
Jake Allen will start in goal for the Devils. He has a .906 save percentage and a 2.70 goals-against average this year.
The Penguins are expected to keep their lines the same for this game. Here's a look at the projected lineup:
Forwards
Chinakhov-Crosby-Rust
Novak-Rakell-Malkin
Mantha-Kindel-Brazeau
Soderblom-Dewar-Acciari
Defensive pairs
Wotherspoon-Karlsson
Girard-Letang
Shea-Clifton
Stuart Skinner will start in goal for the Penguins after missing Sunday's game with an eye injury.
Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. ET on SportsNet Pittsburgh. Fans can also listen to the game on 105.9 'The X.'
Both the Philadelphia 76ers and the Houston Rockets desperately need a win tonight, but with Joel Embiid sidelined due to illness, Philadelphia faces a stiff test to snap Houston’s seven-game winning streak.
My 76ers vs. Rockets predictions and NBA picks expect Philadelphia’s weaknesses to show early, including star point guard Tyrese Maxey struggling from deep on Thursday, April 9.
76ers vs Rockets prediction
76ers vs Rockets best bet: Tyrese Maxey Under 2.5 threes (+102)
In a week filled with two-way players seeing ample playing time and sportsbooks worrying about over-exposure to Unders on player props, it is a bit refreshing to see a mispriced prop like this.
Tyrese Maxey is a solid shooter. Before his pinkie injury in early March, the Philadelphia 76ers’ guard was shooting 37.3% from deep, making 3.3 per game.
However, Maxey has not been humming since his return, connecting on just 10-for-32 attempts from deep in his last six contests. Those struggles have been further emphasized when Joel Embiid is sidelined, as Maxey is just 3-for-10 from distance in those two matchups.
Those facts alone would justify this bet, but then realizing Maxey is about to play the Houston Rockets cements this value.
The Rockets rank No. 7 in the NBA in limiting opponents’ attempts from deep, giving up 3-pointers on just 40% of foes’ shot attempts. Houston is also No. 5 in opponent 3-point percentage, with teams making just 35% of those long-range attempts.
This prop would be too high against just about any opponent; at plus-money, it is aggressively mispriced against the Rockets.
76ers vs Rockets same-game parlay
Houston is currently riding a seven-game winning streak, which has happened to see six Overs cash.
76ers vs Rockets SGP
Tyrese Maxey Under 2.5 threes
Over 227
Rockets moneyline
Our "from downtown" SGP: Pack It In Philly
Philadelphia is desperately trying to stay in the preferred Play-In game in the East. It holds the tiebreaker against both Orlando and Charlotte, but it cannot afford to lose more than one of its remaining three games.
Combining the Houston spread with Unders on Maxey’s and VJ Edgecombe’s points props is a correlated thought: if the Rockets build a healthy lead, the 76ers may fold early to better set themselves up for success tomorrow in Indiana and on Sunday against the Bucks.
76ers vs Rockets SGP
Tyrese Maxey Under 2.5 threes
Over 227
Rockets -5.5
Tyrese Maxey Under 28.5 points
VJ Edgecombe Under 15.5 points
76ers vs Rockets odds
Spread: 76ers +5.5 (-110) | Rockets -5.5 (-110)
Moneyline: 76ers +180 | Rockets -220
Over/Under: Over 227 (-110) | Under 227 (-110)
76ers vs Rockets betting trend to know
Houston is 4-2 against the spread in its last six games. Find more NBA betting trends for 76ers vs. Rockets.
How to watch 76ers vs Rockets
Location
Toyota Center, Houston, TX
Date
Thursday, April 9, 2026
Tip-off
8:00 p.m. ET
TV
NBCSP, SCHN
76ers vs Rockets latest injuries
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This much we know: The NBA owners have scheduled a vote for May 28 on steps to reform the NBA Draft Lottery and install their latest anti-tanking measures, news broken by Shams Charania of ESPN.
What we don't know: What the owners will be voting on.
There is no consensus among owners on which anti-tanking measures the league should use, reports Anthony Slater at ESPN. Last month, the league put forward three concepts for the owners to consider to "fix" tanking, and all of them expanded the lottery to at least 18 teams and flattened the lottery odds.
The trouble for the league is the wide array of opinions on what exactly is the best fix and the fact that many of the favored concepts -- like flipping the benefits for lottery odds from losses to wins midseason -- are extremely difficult to explain simply to the casual consumer.
One idea that reportedly has some momentum gives the 10 teams that do not make the playoffs or play-in an 8% chance at the No. 1 pick, and the remaining odds (20%) get divided among the eight play-in teams.
The disconnect about tanking around the league is more fundamental — tanking has become an intrinsic part of a rebuild, and teams are not eager to do away with a tool they may want to use in the future.
"There is an aspect of team building that is called a genuine rebuild, rebuild with integrity," Silver said recently after the NBA Board of Governors meeting. "The problem we're having these days is it's become almost impossible to distinguish between a tank and a rebuild."
That's because tanking and rebuilding are intertwined: If a team is trying to do a tear-it-down total rebuild, then there will be a couple of seasons of tanking in there to give themselves the best odds of getting the kind of players who can get them wins and change a franchise. Every team tanking — even the ones the league thinks are doing it "unethically" (whatever that means in this case) — is literally doing it to improve their chances of landing a star player that can help turn a franchise around.
Fans are on board with tanking — right now in Utah the fan base is all in on tanking for this season to add another piece of the puzzle that will turn things around next season. That is true in Washington and Sacramento and Indiana and across the league with the nine teams considered to be tanking the final month of the season.
The NBA's problem with this level of tanking is it's a business, and while those fans may want their teams to tank for a season or two, those same fans go to fewer games and watch less of them while it is happening — the NBA tracks attendance and viewership of tanking teams and there is a steep drop off.
The league's other challenge is this: Put more teams in the lottery and flatten the odds and you may remove incentives for a team to tank, but the league also makes it much tougher for bad teams to get the good players they need to turn things around — teams will have to be bad and tank longer to get the players they need.
There is no easy answer here, but Silver said, "We are going to fix it… full stop." So the owners are going to vote on something come May 28.