After the NBA watched Philadelphia tank its way into a stellar young roster, coaches are getting blasted by their bosses for doing their jobs.
The 76ers spent four years throwing games, but the Process netted them Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. Now, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski spoke on his weekend podcast about teams “determined to lose,” with GMs calling up players they knew weren’t NBA-quality and owners lambasting coaches for winning.
“I know of an instance of an owner berating — really berating — his coach here in the last several weeks of the season for going in and beating a pretty good team on the road, going, ‘What are you doing?’” the NBA insider reported.
It’s unclear which team he’s referring to. The teams on a hunt for losses included the Suns, Grizzlies, Magic, Hawks, Kings, Mavericks and Bulls. The Knicks also were included, giving their younger players a longer look, but they won enough to wind up with the ninth-best lottery odds.
Wojnarowski’s podcast partner, Bobby Marks — the Nets’ former assistant general manager, not related to current Nets GM Sean Marks — pointed out that Atlanta and Chicago are unlikely to spend this summer or any time soon.
“I mean, I never heard more talk from front office executives, frustration with coaches who were winning games that they didn’t want them to win,” Wojnarowski said.
