NBA Between Tanking and Declining Ratings: “Let’s Make Games 40 Minutes”
NBA tanking has become a structural issue, but the league’s proposed solutions may not be enough. Mark Cuban counters with a radical idea: change the game itself
The issue of NBA tanking is back at the center of the conversation, but this time with a different level of urgency. It’s no longer just a debated strategy – it’s a structural problem the league is trying to contain.
After the new measures reported by Shams Charania, the debate quickly intensified. And while the NBA looks to tweak its rules, some influential voices are questioning the system itself.
Among them are Bill Simmons and Mark Cuban, both convinced that the real issue isn’t the Draft… but the on-court product
The Tanking Problem Starts with an Overlong Schedule
According to Simmons, the league’s proposals completely miss the mark. Why? They ignore the root of the problem: the 82-game regular season.
0 out of 3!
Bill Simmons
He bluntly criticized the anti-tanking ideas as ineffective in truly increasing competitiveness and urgency.
His proposal is clear: reduce the season to 72 games. Fewer matchups would mean more value per game, less strategic losing, and a more intense overall product.
Here lies the first logical crack in the NBA’s strategy: trying to fix team behavior without changing the environment that creates it.
Mark Cuban: “Make Games 40 Minutes to Save the NBA”
Even more radical is Cuban’s stance, proposing a solution as simple as it is revolutionary:
Let’s make games 40 minutes
Mark Cuban
His reasoning is mathematical before it is basketball-related:
- Reducing from 48 to 40 minutes cuts 16.7% of playing time
- It’s equivalent to eliminating roughly 14 games from the schedule
- Without touching contracts, arenas, or the structure of the season
And it’s not uncharted territory. Cuban points out that this format is already standard in:
- Olympic competitions
- FIBA basketball
- WNBA
- NCAA
The NBA remains the only major league to keep 48-minute games.
More Pace, More Audience: The TV Factor
Cuban adds another often overlooked point: the relationship between duration and attention.
Less real playing time, higher ratings
Mark Cuban
Today, an NBA game easily stretches beyond two hours. Cutting minutes wouldn’t solve stoppages by itself, but it would increase the percentage of live action, improving the viewing experience.
The numbers suggest something isn’t working:
- -19% in regular season ratings at the start of 2024
- Over 5 million average viewers in the 2023 playoffs
Fans respond when games truly matter. The challenge is making every game meaningful.
The Real Question: Change the Rules or the Product?
This is where the core issue emerges. The NBA’s proposals address symptoms: probabilities, lottery odds, incentives.
Cuban, instead, targets the cause: the excessive weight of the season.
There is, however, a key point to test in his reasoning:
- Would reducing minutes actually increase competitiveness – or simply change the pace?
- Is tanking driven only by the length of the season, or also by the disproportionate value of top Draft picks?
A skeptic might argue that:
- Teams will keep losing intentionally if the reward remains high
- The issue is economic and strategic, not just physical
At the same time, ignoring the wear and tear of an 82-game season risks preserving the very context that makes tanking a rational choice.
A Different Perspective on NBA Tanking
In the past, Cuban has been even more provocative:
The NBA should accept tanking
Mark Cuban
According to him, fans don’t only seek immediate wins – they want vision and growth. Losing today can mean building something greater tomorrow.
This opens another interpretation: tanking isn’t just a problem to eliminate, but a side effect of a system that rewards rapid rebuilding.
The Solution Is Deeper Than It Seems
Changes to the lottery can make tanking less convenient.
Reducing game length could make each contest more intense.
But the real challenge is another: is the NBA willing to change itself?
If the goal is to increase competitiveness, interest, and product quality, the answer might not lie in the Draft.
It might lie in how the game itself is played.