If you were the coach / general manager / owner of a professional sports team with a losing record, do you tank the rest of the season in hopes of getting a higher draft pick? And by tanking, I mean intentionally losing games. If it were me, I would definitely tank the season.
There are multiple criteria before I would tank a season. The team would need to be completely eliminated from the playoffs, with no hope at all. Take the NBA Eastern conference this year for example. Teams with a losing record still have a chance at making the playoffs. If there's still a possibility of making the playoffs, you would be crazy to tank games.
The players in the upcoming draft could also affect my decision. If it is a deep draft class, as in there are many highly ranked players available in the draft, then your team can still draft a top quality player with a lower round pick. There would be less incentive to get a higher draft pick because you can still draft a great player with the 14th pick, such as LA Clippers' Al Thornton in NBA's 2007 draft. You would still want the highest possible draft pick for your team, so you could draft Thornton in the top 10 instead of having him slide. And to do that, you'd still need to tank.
The easiest way to tank is to start third string players. A good example is this year's Miami Heat. Pat Riley is an old veteran coach, so he knows all the tricks. Looking towards the future, the Heat systematically shut down their starters. These players have varying levels of injuries. If this was the playoffs, you better believe most, if not all, of the starters would still be playing. Then the Heat signed a bunch of D-Leaguers like Stephane Lasme to fill the roster spots. This is the equivalent of bringing a spoon to a knife fight.
Thinking about it, I don't see any reason not to tank a season. There is no chance of winning the championship this year, and that is what everyone is playing for. Losing games means better chances at a higher draft pick. In most professional sports league, such as the NBA and NFL, one good draft pick can be the only thing separating your team from a championship.
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