No, Utah Jazz, you’re doing it wrong.

    For months I have been using the hashtag “Sorry for Jabari” in the same tweets as my favorite National Basketball Association team.

    Slapping a #SorryForJabari onto every tweet referencing the Jazz is my way of expressing my desire for Utah to pick Duke star freshman Jabari Parker with its top pick in June’s NBA draft.

    In order for that to happen, the Jazz must have one of the top picks. It’s my opinion — and many national pundits and NBA analysts feel the same way — that Parker is a top-three draft pick.

    Through a process known as tanking — or collecting ping pong balls — teams in the Association with the worst records improve their chances of getting a higher pick. The more ping pong balls your team has, the more likely it is you will have a top choice.

    Here’s the problem: Utah refuses to tank.

    Don’t get me wrong, the Jazz aren’t very good at all. Their 21-38 record proves it. But they keep winning games they have no business winning.

    This season, Utah has beaten the likes of Phoenix (35-24, seventh in the Western Conference standings), Miami (42-14, second in Eastern Conference), Oklahoma City (45-15, first in WC) and Houston (40-19, fifth in WC). Those are the matchups the Jazz should be tanking.

    I’m not insinuating that an NBA team should purposely throw a game. They should just stop trying so hard. That’s all I’m saying. If you are serious about wanting Jabari (or any other top prospect), you can’t be beating better teams.

    As of Sunday night, there are six non-playoff teams with worse records than the Utah Jazz. If the NBA Draft Lottery were held today, the Milwaukee Bucks would have the best chance of securing the top pick (25 percent).

    The No. 2 team has a .19.9 percent chance of picking first and the Jazz —remember, seventh worst non-playoff record in the league — would have a 4.3 percent chance at it. Utah would also have a 4.9 percent chance at the No. 2 pick and a 5.8 percent chance at the No. 3 pick.

    Would I be OK if the Jazz didn’t get Parker? Sure, my fandom has been and always will be firmly intact regardless of who suits up for them. There are a number of other reputable and talented players available in the draft. I just prefer Parker over all of them.

    Plus, you don’t want him going to a train wreck like Milwaukee, anyway.

    Tank harder, Utah. Those ping pong balls aren’t going to collect themselves.