The NBA is done playing games with teams that are playing games.
In an unprecedented move, the league announced it will send independent doctors to verify Utah Jazz star Lauri Markkanen's ankle and hip injuries on Thursday, according to The Athletic. The Finnish star reportedly sustained the injuries during a team practice, but Commissioner Adam Silver clearly isn't buying it without proof.
Let me say this loud and clear: I hate tanking. Always have, always will. Fans pay good money to watch basketball, not to watch healthy players sit in street clothes because management wants a better draft pick. It's a disgrace to the game.
But here's where this gets messy, folks. The Jazz are getting the full investigation treatment - league doctors flying in, examining MRIs, the whole nine yards. Meanwhile, other teams around the league have been doing the same thing for weeks, and they're not getting this level of scrutiny.
Why? Because the Jazz are a small-market team, and Silver needs a villain. He needs to look tough on tanking without actually fixing the system that encourages it.
Markkanen has been one of the few bright spots in Utah this season, averaging 22.8 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. He's a legitimate All-Star-caliber player. If he's actually hurt, this investigation is insulting. If he's not hurt, well, that's a different conversation.
The league has been cracking down on what they call "player rest" all season, fining teams that sit healthy players for nationally televised games. And I get it - ESPN and TNT pay billions of dollars for these broadcast rights. They don't want to promote a game featuring only to have him in a polo shirt on the bench.
