Blueprint for Every Underachieving NBA Team to Tank Rest of Season

The word "tanking" sparks intense debate in NBA circles, primarily because of the different ways that people use it in conversation.

While tanking by its very definition means the intentional throwing of games, that's not the only generally accepted connotation of the term. Losing on purpose is never good, but the act of losing games isn't always bad, either.

Very few (if any) fans openly root for their teams to lose, but many of those same supporters aren't devastated if their team (long eliminated from playoff contention) happens to drop most of its games at the end of a season.

Regardless of the definition, every team that isn't in the playoff race has a tanking blueprint that they should follow over the next week-and-a-half. Winning games now is meaningless—each team's long-term prospects should be the only concern at this point.

With each team's lottery odds directly correlated to their final win-loss record, it doesn't make sense to collect hollow victories at the expense of moving one or two slots lower in the draft order. And while a high lottery pick is no guarantee of future success, it's clear that a top-3 pick is preferable to one later in the draft. 

On the surface, tanking appears to go against the very nature of fandom. Yet in the NBA, losing games at the end of the season often goes a long way towards improving a team, much to the chagrin of those who value every win.

1. Charlotte Bobcats

It's hard to call the Charlotte Bobcats a disappointment when great things weren't expected out of them this year. They'll finish the season with about 20 wins—right on par with most preseason prognostications.

Charlotte still lacks a go-to option on offense, and there continue to be questions surrounding the ceiling of the team's younger players (Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Jeff Taylor among them). The Bobcats don't have to do anything in particular to "tank": The lack of NBA-caliber talent on their roster makes it hard for Charlotte to compete on a nightly basis.

2. Cleveland Cavaliers

As bad as the Cleveland Cavaliers are, there really is no reason for Kyrie Irving to be out on the court these days, especially after his 4-of-20 outing against the Boston Celtics on April 5.

No one would look at the Cavs sideways if they decided to let Irving and his injured shoulder sit out for the rest of the season. The 21-year-old point guard already has a reputation for being injury prone. There's no need to test that theory by playing him in meaningless games down the stretch.

Power forward Tristan Thompson doesn't have a built-in excuse to take the last handful of contests off, but playing him 41 minutes against the Celtics served little purpose in the grand scheme of things.

3. Detroit Pistons

The Detroit Pistons figure to be approximately $24 million under the cap by the time the new league year begins, so they'll be busy once the free agency period opens in July.

These last few days of the 2012-13 season don't necessarily need to be about evaluating the talent that's there: The Pistons are content in playing out the string knowing that their roster could look radically different this fall.

Detroit has the space to sign two-high priced free agents plus use the midlevel exception to acquire more talent to pair with Andre Drummond and Greg Monroe. Add another high draft pick to the mix, and the Pistons could turn into a relatively dangerous team overnight.

4. Minnesota Timberwolves

Not much went right for the Minnesota Timberwolves this season. The Brandon Roy experiment was an utter disaster, and both Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio missed significant time due to injuries. The string of bad luck turned a franchise that had playoff aspirations into a team that will finish well under .500 for the eighth season in a row.

They did take the opportunity to give Derrick Williams some run at the 4-spot with Kevin Love out, and it seems as if the former No. 2 pick can be a capable starter in the league. Versatile guard Alexey Shved seems like a solid rotation player as well, and the Timberwolves should pair him with Rubio as much as possible during the final six games of the season.

5. New Orleans Hornets

An April 5 screaming match between Eric Gordon and New Orleans head coach Monty Williams was probably the best thing to happen to the Hornets.

With Gordon (possibly) less than engaged down the stretch, it'll open the door for Xavier Henry, Brian Roberts and Darius Miller—three young guards who are still trying to find their place in the NBA (all of whom are also free agents this summer).

New Orleans has some makings of a competitive team, but it has a largely inexperienced roster and dozens of question marks heading into the offseason.

6. Orlando Magic

It was clear that the start of the post-Dwight Howard era was going to be rough, but a number of crippling injuries made the 2012-13 season a massive struggle for the Orlando Magic. Before they limp into the offseason, at least the Magic will be able to evaluate some of the younger players they have on the roster.

Fortunately, the team acquired two quality prospects from the Philadelphia 76ers last August in Maurice Harkless and Nikola Vucevic, and Jameer Nelson, Glen Davis, Arron Afflalo and Al Harrington are all solid (if unspectacular) starters when healthy. And with a high draft pick on deck for June, the Magic have the makings of a solid nucleus for the future.

7. Philadelphia 76ers

Doug Collins plans on coaching the Philadelphia 76ers until the bitter end, much to the chagrin of fans who'd like their team to improve its draft position. The book has already been written on the 76ers' 2012-13 season. Any success that occurs between now and the end of the year is little more than fool's gold.

Instead of playing Thaddeus Young and Spencer Hawes 35-plus minutes per night, the Sixers could use the remaining six games to give time to sparingly used power forward Arnett Moultrie. But the former first-round pick will likely continue to sit on the bench as Collins tries to wring every possible win out of a lost season.

8. Phoenix Suns

Kendall Marshall may not ever be an elite point guard at the NBA level, but the Phoenix Suns will never know as long as he continues to play eight minutes per game.

The Suns have way too many players under 25 to be playing guys like Goran Dragic, Luis Scola and Jermaine O'Neal more than 30 minutes per night. While no one likes to lose and pride matters on some level, Phoenix will keep making things more difficult on itself in the long term if it doesn't give more time to Marshall, Wesley Johnson and the Morris twins over the next two weeks.

9. Portland Trail Blazers

Portland is doing everything right at the end of the season: They're playing Victor Claver and Meyers Leonard 25 minutes per night, allowing Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Aldridge to develop some chemistry, and are even working Eric Maynor into the mix.

The Trail Blazers will be a team to watch next year: With a full NBA campaign under his belt, Lillard will be even better as a sophomore, and a healthy Blazers unit could easily snag a back-end playoff spot in 2013-14. Even if the team isn't able to re-sign center J.J. Hickson in the offseason, Portland is still a talented team that would definitely be a 44-46 win squad if it were granted a special exemption to play in the Eastern Conference.

10. Sacramento Kings

The Sacramento Kings have that whole "relocation" thing to worry about, so it's completely understandable if they aren't concerned with tanking over the next 10 days or so.

Most of the Kings roster is under contract for next season, but every player has a very reasonable, cap-friendly deal that could be moved to an interested suitor. So down the stretch, it would be best for Sacramento to showcase those players who may not necessarily fit into its long-term plans. Otherwise, the Kings may be stuck with the same mediocre core for yet another disappointing campaign.

11. Toronto Raptors

This was a rebuilding/retooling season for the Toronto Raptors: With Rudy Gay now in the mix and with the emergence of Jonas Valanciunas, the future is bright for the first time in a long time in the Great White North.

The aforementioned two—along with Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan—anchor a fairly talented Raptors team that should be in the hunt for a playoff spot next year. Now is the perfect time to figure out which members of the supporting cast should be around for the ride next year, and which need to be jettisoned this offseason.

As it stands now, Toronto will be flirting with luxury-tax territory next season, and that's no position for a borderline postseason team to be in. Perhaps some players on the end of the Raptors bench will have a strong enough showing over the next week or so that the team will be able to move them with relative ease this summer.

12. Washington Wizards

The Washington Wizards' success in the immediate aftermath of John Wall's return proves that the team could potentially make a run at the postseason next year. But with shooting guard Bradley Beal done for the season with a stress injury, it's time to put the focus on the 2013-14 campaign.

Now would be the perfect opportunity to see what 6'11" forward Jan Vesely can do with extended playing time, just as the team has done with shooting guard Garrett Temple. The Wizards are only a few pieces away from putting it all together—by playing some of their younger players over the next few days, the Wizards may find that they don't need to make many moves this offseason.