ontnut wrote:- Gambling taking over the NBA. <--- I think this was inevitable, the NBA just dove head first into it. It's been a long time coming with daily fantasy leagues taking over for the last decade or two. I don't particularly like how MUCH of it is around, but gambling ads were all over youtube basketball videos and stuff before it became legal in the NBA. I think they will eventually tone down the frequence of gambling ads, but with the NBA being such a counting stat based sport, I do think it was inevitable.
Saying "it was inevitable" is a poor excuse for any behaviour. I don't see them slowing down at all, I see it accelerating with these in game live reads by the talking heads, eventually it will be an in game ticker with live updates to odds, all it does it help create a generation of gambling addicts. They know kids watch this stuff, right? Of course they do, they don't care about the lives they will ruin, just the extra income they will generate for their business.
ontnut wrote:- The degree to which ads are crammed into broadcasts (on court ads, jersey patches, in game ads). <--- Also inevitable, most pro leagues have tons of ads on the playing surface/jerseys/broadcast. Nothing new here.
The other leagues need more advertising revenue because they are poor and their players don't make enough money to support themselves in some cases. The NBA is not anywhere close to that position, the smallest amount of money a player can make on a year long contract is millions now, and there are players making over $50M/year, soon they'll be players making over $60M/year. It's all just owners, players, and the NBA being greedy, they'll ruin the game with pervasive advertising just for a few more dollars in their pockets even though they're already filthy rich.
ontnut wrote:- The 3 point explosion, there's been little to nothing done to address it. <--- I'm not sure what Silver can do to fix that beyond entirely changing the game by lengthening the 3ptline (which I doubt most fans want to see).
They've already made some small changes that have had an impact, getting rid of a lot of the Harden type rip through 3 free throw fouls, that proves there are changes that can be made with officiating. It took them a long time to do it though, half a decade went by before they woke up. And just because you can't think of a creative way to address the problem doesn't mean there isn't one.
One option is making the step-back 3 illegal, it's a tool a lot of players use to get a clean look and it should be a travel IMO.
ontnut wrote:- Players don't care about the All-Star game and it's basically unwatchable. <--- True, but that's not really Silver's fault. It was an issue before he took over. There's no clear fix to this because it's pretty hard to incentivize the top stars in the league monetarily, vs. the risk of injury. NHL ASG is the same, as is the Pro Bowl...
If players don't care and it's unwatchable, get rid of it. Replace it with something else, like an in season single elimination tournament between the league's top teams instead of baking it into the regular season.
ontnut wrote:- Timeouts, coach's challenge, and video review making the ends of games take forever. <--- I think the challenge/video review system could use tweaking, but the fact that we have them at all I think is beneficial to the league vs. before where sh*tty calls just stood because there was nothing you could do about it. I think that's a PLUS for Silver, not a negative.
I disagree, the challenge doesn't solve the issue of bad calls and just makes the product worse, coaches often waste time challenging something they know they won't win just basically as a protest. Should never have been brought in and definitely shouldn't have been extended to two per game instead of one.
Like any sport, there has to be an acceptance that bad ref calls are a part of the game. Why does the call at the end of the game get such close scrutiny instead of the one at the beginning with video reviews? If they're going to have video reviews, why not have a ref in the video booth who can see things from every angle and do it quickly so the refs on the floor don't have to walk over to the monitor and do it? All of this slows down the game, especially the end when the game should be the most exciting, instead it's boring because it's a constant steady stream of commercials. I guess the NBA likes that because more money for them.
ontnut wrote:- Play in tournament (some people like it but some hate it because it makes the regular season less meaningful). <---For the most part I think it has been a success. Typically, the best teams still make it in, and the RS was not as meaningful anyway beyond getting HCA in the first round. The top 4 still play hard to secure HCA, 5-6th seeds play hard to avoid the PIT, and teams from 7-12 or so continue to play hard for the chance at the PIT. I think it actually makes the RS MORE meaningful vs. what we had before with teams anywhere from 9th seed onward actively trying to tank.
There should at minimum be a game differential to initiate a play-in, it's insane that the 36-46 Hawks and the 39-43 Bulls had a chance to get into the playoffs over 47-35 Sixers or the 46-36 Heat. I can see it when there's a tie for the 8th seed, or maybe a 1-2 game difference, anything beyond that you've lost me. The worst part of it is that the team that gets in as a 7 or 8 seed is then coming off little rest while the top seed has been sitting back scouting the whole time, it makes those early playoff round even more pointless. Jimmy Butler getting injured in one of the play-in games is also the perfect example of why it's a dumb idea, so much for the actually interesting 1-8 Celtics Heat matchup we thought we were getting.
As for tanking, I still see lots of teams doing it, so it hasn't solved anything. The real reason they have it is so they can make more money, just like everything they do (more games, more advertising, more money).
