From Dennis Velasco,
Your Guide to Basketball.
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No matter who wins the first two picks in this year’s draft, unless the ping-pong balls decree it’s #13 and #14, the cries are going to go up, "They tanked to get there!" To what extent does "tanking" occur, if at all? One or two games? An entire season? What’s possible, and does it really happen?

Scott: Being from Cleveland, I’m pretty sure we saw this happen a few years ago when we landed LeBron James with the first overall pick. That team was horrible, and it definitely got ugly with ticket sales towards the end of that season. However, if you ask any Cavs fan around, he or she will tell you that it was well worth it. It’s a roll of the dice, as the Boston Celtics know best during the Tim Duncan draft, but to end a long-winded answer – yes, it’s possible. The amount of games would obviously depend on what the second-worst team is producing, but I’m sure teams "accommodate" for whatever needs to be done.

Dave: I believe it happens in the last weeks of the season as out-of-contention teams take a look at marginal players with an eye to next year’s roster. I wouldn’t put it past a couple of organizations to jockey for a position or two if they’re close. But I don’t think anyone sets out to tank an entire season, nor do I think it’s possible even if you tried. The sheer number of people you’d first have to convince--coaches who live and die by records and pride, players with a short enough career already--and then have to keep quiet about it is prohibitive. Doubly so when you consider you’d be asking these guys to damage their reputations for the sake of a young kid who’s going to come in, take their spot, and probably make more money than they will. Tough sell there...

Tom: I definitely think tanking is possible over 82 games, although done in a passive manner or even subconsciously. I'm specifically thinking about the Celtics in this case because with the key injuries they've endured, Doc can put in different combinations of young players under the guise of seeing how they play together or trying to find anything that will work. Maybe leave Bassy in a few extra minutes even though he's tossing it all over the gym. Let one of the young bigs stay on to pick up a fourth foul early. I'm not saying this is happening or has happened, but this is how I see a team "tanking" games. It's not so much that you don't try to score or win, but you don't put your team in the best position to succeed, so losing is more likely. Sorry, Commish, but everyone has these thoughts.

Dennis: Tanking over a whole season? No way. How could that not be obvious by the second month or so and why would any team do that? If tanking goes on, it'll happen towards the end of the season when teams that aren't making the playoffs know they're not. Then a strategy to lose in order to win - isn't that a paradox - can be formed. But, I'm not saying stuff like this happens. I mean, how do I know for sure? I just don't think it's out of the realm of possibility that teams tank.