Early in the 2014-15 NBA regular season, the Chesapeake Energy Arena has looked more like a rehabilitation center than a professional basketball venue.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are putting out their backups on a nightly basis, with stars and key contributors alike going down with early-season injuries.
According to Tim MacMahon of ESPN Dallas, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has a suggestion for the Thunder: tank.
"“The question I don’t think anybody has asked is, why don’t they pull a David Robinson and try to get Tim Duncan?” said Cuban. “We already specialize in a race to the bottom…More participants won’t change anything. They’re all high-profile participants.”"
For those unfamiliar, David Robinson encountered back and foot issues in 1996-97. The Spurs played him in just six games, ultimately achieving 20 wins and landing the top pick in the 1997 NBA Draft.
San Antonio made the franchise-altering decision to select Tim Duncan.
The Spurs had made the playoffs in seven consecutive seasons before the ’96-’97 season. It won 59 games in 1995-96 and finished the year with the second-best record in the Western Conference.
With David Robinson out, San Antonio went from 59-23 to 20-62.
The Spurs went 56-26 in Duncan’s rookie season. Duncan was outstanding, but it was Robinson who led the team in points and blocks per game.
Oklahoma City is in a similar position with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook both missing time due to injuries.
Durant is currently sidelined as he recovers from a Jones fracture in his right foot. It’s not the exact same injury, but it’s similar to the one that forced Michael Jordan to miss all but 18 games in 1985-86.
As for Westbrook, he broke a bone in his right hand during an October 30 outing against the Los Angeles Clippers. That doesn’t typically require season-ending surgery, but his timetable was listed at 4-to-6 weeks.
Keeping both out for a full season would be a shocking decision, but it’d also land Oklahoma City a high draft pick in 2015. Thus, it could end up landing a complementary star to Durant, Westbrook and Serge Ibaka.
Fair practice or not, it’s a utilized strategy in the world of sports.
Thus far in 2014-15, OKC is just 2-5, including an 0-2 record when Westbrook was in without Durant. Even the likes of Reggie Jackson, Perry Jones and Jeremy Lamb have encountered minor injuries.
Cuban’s not suggesting one approach or another, but he wouldn’t be surprised if Oklahoma City gave up on the season.
"“I’m not suggesting anything,” Cuban said. “I’m just curious why the question hasn’t been asked because I’m curious what the answer is.”"
Cuban was asked if he’d tank the season if he were the owner of the Thunder.
"“I don’t know, it would be a tough call,” Cuban said…”When Dirk got hurt, we didn’t. But it’s a little different.“Because I had a lot of one-year guys and we had to see who we wanted to keep. And I never thought he’d be out that long. Honestly. I thought he’d be back at the start of the season, and then one week, two weeks, it kept dragging on. We never would have gotten to No. 1 and he never would have sat out the whole year. So I’m glad we did it the way we did because I like the fact I’ve never had a losing season.”"
Cuban’s referring to 2012-13, when Dirk Nowitzki played in 53 games and Dallas finished at 41-41.
Regardless of what the Thunder choose to do, they’re in an incomparable position. Both of the top stars are injured, leaving defensive specialist Serge Ibaka to lead a cast of players whose upside has been heralded individually, but downplayed when acknowledging Durant and Westbrook’s supporting cast.
The Thunder shockingly opposed the draft lottery reform mere weeks ago. As the 2014-15 season continues, the connection of that decision and the pile-up of injuries will be displayed.
If you ask Cuban, OKC should tank.
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