Power Ranking the NBA's Most Obvious Tankers

Two years ago, former Cleveland Cavaliers coach John Lucas claimed that the 2002-2003 team, who fired him in the middle of that season, "tanked" the year just so that the Cavs could get the first overall pick in that year's draft, and thus pick LeBron James. 

In basketball lingo, the term "tank" is used to describe a team that is bad and, more or less, subtly loses on purpose over the latter days of the season just to have a shot at a high lottery pick.

This practice has become rampant in other sports, as some of the NFL's bad teams this past season were said to be taking a "Suck For Luck" approach.

Sure enough, some NBA teams this season have become so bad down the stretch that at this point, tanking has to be their best option. Yet, some have been more obvious at doing it than others, so let's have a look at them.

6. Toronto Raptors

The Raptors were dealt a bad hand at the start of this season, as last year's first-round pick and potential savior Jonas Valanciunas was unable to join the team and instead played one more season for Lietuvos Rytas in his native Lithuania. 

Thus, this season's team is essentially the same as last year's and doesn't have much room for improvement. Though, to Casey's credit, the Raptors have played hard this year.

Still, they have some gaping needs, particularly at small forward. Thus, it's perfectly realistic to believe that they could be tanking down the stretch just to improve their lottery odds.

6. New Jersey Nets

When the Nets traded for Gerald Wallace, I thought it was for two reasons: to give Deron Williams some extra incentive to stay, and to hopefully close out the season with a bang. Yet, such has not been the case.

Williams has stated that he still plans to test free agency, and since the trade for Wallace, the Nets have gone 2-6 with losses to New Orleans, Cleveland and Washington.

Throw in the fact that Wallace is also a free agent at the end of the season and that Dwight Howard will still be in Orlando next year, and the best that the Nets can really hope for is to finish badly and get a high draft pick so that they may take a top player who will make the move to Brooklyn a wee bit easier.

4. Sacramento Kings

The Kings have a bright future, but their team is so young and inexperienced—not to mention they really need a leader. Team management thought that Jimmer Fredette could slowly assume that role, but his first year in the NBA has been a bust, as he has been exposed as little more than a shooter. The team has shown flashes of potential, but still is in rebuilding mode.

A deal for a new arena will surely bring in some more revenue for the team, but at this point all they can really do is tank the season and hope for a high lottery position. Fredette may still have some potential, but he now has Isaiah Thomas to compete with at point guard, and I honestly think he could find himself traded if the team found the right deal.

Still, no matter what happens, the Kings need a top college player with more than just a decent shooting touch and a good attitude. At this point in the season, that means tanking.

3. Washington Wizards

At long last, the Wizards have a leader thanks to a trade that sent boneheaded JaVale McGee to the Denver Nuggets, one-sided shooting guard Nick Young to the Los Angeles Clippers, and veteran center Nene Hilario to DC.

The team is still horrible, with a record of 11-39 and in the midst of a five-game losing streak, but things finally appear to be looking up as Jordan Crawford and Trevor Booker have proven to be solid in their own right.

Yet, the season is at a point where the Wizards are clearly rolling the dice again with the draft and looking to get lucky. They need a college player who will be a leader and also bring NBA-ready skills to the team, and with this year's draft class, that means the more losses the better.

2. New Orleans Hornets

Poor Monty Williams. 

He did such a good job in his first season with the Hornets, and now he's in the midst of a lost year thanks to his NBA-run team trading away Chris Paul to the Los Angeles Clippers during the offseason. 

Eric Gordon is a solid point guard who can help turn the team around, but he has been injured most of the season, and Chris Kaman is almost definitely going to leave via free agency.

Thus, there's only one thing to do if you're one of the NBA executives helping run New Orleans. Lose the rest of the season and use the draft to fill the team's biggest need.

1. Charlotte Bobcats

I'll be the first to admit that the Bobcats are a horrible team. Besides Tyrus Thomas and Kemba Walker, they have absolutely nobody that can help bring a winning attitude to a squad stuck in a city whose first loyalty is—and always will be—college hoops.

Still, they aren't bad enough to the point where they should have a 7-41 record and be outscored by opponents 100-87, on average.  Call me crazy, but I have a feeling that owner Michael Jordan and coach Paul Silas are having the team lose on purpose just so that MJ can work his legendary draft magic.

Then again, wouldn't that cause more tanking over the next few years?