Patrick Kinahan: For some reason, Jazz method of tanking drawing widespread ire

SALT LAKE CITY — Jaren Jackson's first game with the Jazz will go down as the most obvious example of the team tanking with the intent to preserve a spot in the NBA lottery.

Acquired last week from the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for three draft picks and four players, Jackson played well in his debut in filling up the box score with 22 points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals against the Orlando Magic. In a potential pairing of two frontcourt All-Stars, Lauri Markkanen added 27 points and seven rebounds.

The trade signaled the end to the tanking nightmare Jazz fans have been forced to endure since the new management tandem of owner Ryan Smith and executive Danny Ainge decided to unload All-Stars Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert four years ago.

Jackson, a two-time All-Star and defensive player of the year, gives the Jazz a potent lineup capable of making a strong push for the playoffs next season.

Instead of focusing on upside the Jazz will have in the coming years, the national narrative in his first game was all about what transpired in the fourth quarter. Trailing by 17 points 90 seconds left in the third quarter, the Magic rallied for a 3-point win.

Jackson and Markkanen had front-row seats to witness the comeback, only rising out of their seats in the fourth quarter to cheer on their teammates and during timeouts. With eight seconds left in the game and Orlando leading by 2 points, cameras showed Markkanen and teammate Kevin Love apparently swapping a humorous story.

All in all, the losing team enjoyed a great night. The Jazz incorporated Jackson and two other players acquired in the trade into the lineup and kept their place in the lottery with 30 games remaining.

To further illustrate the team's desire to lose the game, coach Will Hardy skipped calling a timeout to set up a play with the Jazz down 3 points. The result was a difficult shot by Isaiah Collier that had virtually no chance of going in.

Afterward, various national voices expressed outrage at the obvious intent to lose the game. The reaction was as if the Jazz destroyed the league's credibility.

Legion Hoops, which boasts 691,000 followers on the social media platform X, recounted the 17-point lead and benching the two forwards and center Jusuf Nurkic, who had 14 rebounds through the first three quarters. Hardy exclusively went with younger players over the final 12 minutes.

"An absolute joke," the post said.

A sampling of posts from other X accounts included:

Commissioner Adam "Silver needs to do something, man. This is ridiculous. This has never happened in early February for this many teams."

"What makes this so absurd is the lottery odds don't truly reward this (expletive). It's morally indefensible and intellectually faulty."

"The Jazz not only benched their starters to blow a commanding lead in the fourth quarter, they blatantly threw the game in the closing seconds as well."

Similar posts ran into dozens, but the point was made. And to all of this, the Jazz response should be: "Yeah, so what? Get over it."

What else are they supposed to do? Winning games at this point, with no chance to make the playoffs even if the starters went all 48 minutes, only undercuts the prospects for next season.

By virtue of a Derrick Favors trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder years ago, the Jazz keep their first-round pick this year if it falls into the top eight. With a host of losing along with some lottery luck, the team could land one of the potential franchise-changers at the top of the draft.

Tanking has plagued the NBA for several years, dating back to when the Jazz regularly qualified for the postseason. The likes of the Thunder and San Antonio Spurs lost enough games to draft players used to win championships

In short, as painful as the process has been, team management is taking the laborious steps necessary to win. Yes, the rules need to change, but until they happen, don't blame teams for wanting to lose.

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