Mavericks' Cuban says tanking is bad for the NBA

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban appeared on KESN-FM 103.3 this weekend, and shed some light on the strategy of tanking. His responses were transcribed by the Dallas Morning News. 

On NBA teams tanking to get a higher draft pick

Mark Cuban: I don't see it as a good strategy. I don't feel comfortable with it. I think there's other ways to do it. Now, if nobody was doing it, then I would probably do it. But when six, seven or eight teams are doing it, I think it's a horrible strategy. If lots of teams are trying to race to the bottom to get the best draft pick, I'm not taking that strategy.

Did you ever call out an owner for tanking?

Mark Cuban: I tell you why I wouldn't call them out. I want as many teams as possible to tank. I got no problem with it, but overall I don't think it's great for the league.

Cuban makes a good point with respect to the efficacy of tanking. If multiple teams converge on the same strategy, the chances of finishing as the worst team - and therefore the best lottery odds - are lessened. A measure of discretion needs to be applied.

As for the effect of tanking on the league, the idea of teams intentionally hurting their chances to win certainly waters down the overall product, and acts to decrease parity. 

(H/T Eye on Basketball)