Ways to Improve the League

[pipfan]

Please vote for each one you think is a good improvement.

1-Expansion, adding Seattle and Vegas adds $ and markets to the league-setting up international expansion in 10 years or so, when travel is faster

2-Alternating possessions. The jump balls slow down the game and the toss is REALLY hard to do right

3-Only lottery protection 1st round picks. The Dallas/Utah/Toronto recent tanks are disgraceful (but smart by the team). The league wants to improve competitiveness in the RS. Teams probably won't miss the playoffs to keep a #13 pick, but the March/April part of the season is a joke every year for a team or two.

4-Take out Illegal defense-this one seems obvious-let teams play however they want. It's so inconsistently called anyway.

5-Start handing out more T's for whining-it's really getting out of control. I honestly don't understand why the league allows SO MUCH complaining. It's on 80% of the calls now. Hand out T's more often, and players/coaches will adjust quickly.

6-Drop the All Star Game. Make the In-Season Tournament have their Final 4 on Friday night in the select city-then Saturday night they have the shoot-out and dunk contest stuff, then Sunday is the Tournament Final. They can plan it on the week between the football conference finals and the Super Bowl, to make it a bit closer to mid season.

7-Limit 1st round pick trades to 5 years in the future, instead of 7. It seems a bit much to talk about the 2031 draft this June.

8-Drop the season to 76 games when they expand. This is the biggest one. I think that's the right number. It doesn't cut revenue much at all (3 home games), it helps the National TV deal (fewer stars sitting out for RS games, fewer injuries) and makes each game count a little more. 72 games is too much-but I think 76 is the sweet spot. Play each team in your division 4 times, and 2x with the other three divisions.

East-NY, BRK, Philly, Wash, Char, Orl, Miami, Bos
Midwest-Minny, Milw, Chi, Indy, Det, Clev, Tor, Atl (a bit awkward here for the Hawks)
West-LAL, LAC, GS, Sac, Seattle, Port, Suns, Vegas
Great Plains (or whatever name)-Dal, Hou, SA, NO, Utah, Den, OKC, Memph

[UcanUwill]

Out of your suggestions. I picked numbers 5 and 6. On one hand, I hate how everything is a tech now, you cant even stare down opponent after a poster, you cant hang on a rim for more than whatever ref feels is not showboating. I hate that, on the other hand, at least some guys really get away with complaining too much, it is just annoying.

All star games, no ones wants to be there or see it, just get rid of it, do what euros did, final domestic cup rounds is your all star weekend...

Overall, none of these tackle my biggest problem with the NBA, which is pacing. I have said this before, but NBA being the only Basketball league that is trully profitable, is kind off a terrible thing, because now they only care about money not product. Thats is why timeouts everywhere else is 60 seconds tops, where in NBA it's 3 minutes or more. Game is 8 minutes longer but broadcasts are 50+ minutes longer, when I watch NBA, I need to be in certain mood and be busy with other activities, because a big portion of broadcast I know will be parts where game is not progressing at all. I have watched both NBA and Euroleague play offs this past week, and Euroleague games are like 10 times more enjoyable to watch, I often realize I only watch NBA because of some kind of obligation. It is not very enjoyable product anymore, to me.

[Astaluego]

I would add playing fewer games in the regular season and lengthening the season...one home game and one away game for each team should be enough...in theory this should lengthen the players' careers and prevent many injuries...I feel like luck is too important a factor

[pipfan]

Out of your suggestions. I picked numbers 5 and 6. On one hand, I hate how everything is a tech now, you cant even stare down opponent after a poster, you cant hang on a rim for more than whatever ref feels is not showboating. I hate that, on the other hand, at least some guys really get away with complaining too much, it is just annoying.

All star games, no ones wants to be there or see it, just get rid of it, do what euros did, final domestic cup rounds is your all star weekend...

Overall, none of these tackle my biggest problem with the NBA, which is pacing. I have said this before, but NBA being the only Basketball league that is trully profitable, is kind off a terrible thing, because now they only care about money not product. Thats is why timeouts everywhere else is 60 seconds tops, where in NBA it's 3 minutes or more. Game is 8 minutes longer but broadcasts are 50+ minutes longer, when I watch NBA, I need to be in certain mood and be busy with other activities, because a big portion of broadcast I know will be parts where game is not progressing at all. I have watched both NBA and Euroleague play offs this past week, and Euroleague games are like 10 times more enjoyable to watch, I often realize I only watch NBA because of some kind of obligation. It is not very enjoyable product anymore, to me.

I watch all the games on League Pass-so this is not an issue for me. Games take one hour, tops. I can't imagine watching a full game live now-way too much time for me

[UcanUwill]

Out of your suggestions. I picked numbers 5 and 6. On one hand, I hate how everything is a tech now, you cant even stare down opponent after a poster, you cant hang on a rim for more than whatever ref feels is not showboating. I hate that, on the other hand, at least some guys really get away with complaining too much, it is just annoying.

All star games, no ones wants to be there or see it, just get rid of it, do what euros did, final domestic cup rounds is your all star weekend...

Overall, none of these tackle my biggest problem with the NBA, which is pacing. I have said this before, but NBA being the only Basketball league that is trully profitable, is kind off a terrible thing, because now they only care about money not product. Thats is why timeouts everywhere else is 60 seconds tops, where in NBA it's 3 minutes or more. Game is 8 minutes longer but broadcasts are 50+ minutes longer, when I watch NBA, I need to be in certain mood and be busy with other activities, because a big portion of broadcast I know will be parts where game is not progressing at all. I have watched both NBA and Euroleague play offs this past week, and Euroleague games are like 10 times more enjoyable to watch, I often realize I only watch NBA because of some kind of obligation. It is not very enjoyable product anymore, to me.

I watch all the games on League Pass-so this is not an issue for me. Games take one hour, tops. I can't imagine watching a full game live now-way too much time for me

Yes, live NBA games is a bit of a torture. If I do watch, I usually at least read gamethreads from here, it is actually entertaining to me. Problem how nowadays everyone who watches live, none of us see real time, so you can tell which posters get to see what happens first. Or maybe they type fast, but happened to me many times where gamethread reacts to something my "live" feed hasn't shown it yet...

[jbk1234]

In reverse order:

Cut 6 games is the answer but as the owners and players share BRI 50/50, that's never going to happen.

Instead of limiting the range to 5 years, they should 86 swap rights. It was a deliberate circumvention of the Stepien Rule and that rule exists so that no fan base has to suffer through a half a decade of hopelessness. That's bad for the franchise and bad for the league.

Just get rid of all star game and stop there. This won't happen under the current CBA as it's tied to players' salaries.

There really isn't a way to deal with the fact that you can't challenge a non-call. If you're going to hand out more techs for complaining, I think they need to be made after the game by the league, count towards the season total, and should only be issued if the player complaining doesn't have a good faith basis to complain.

I'm fine with 86ing illegal defenses but it's not going to happen as the NBA has already concluded that a more free-flowing game with higher scoring draws in more eyeballs and produces better highlights.

Disagree here. Those protections are negotiated at arms length and lottery protected 1sts don't hold much value.

Don't like this one. It's going to lead to way more aggressive play at the end of games and cause injuries.

I'm ambivalent as to expansion but I'm skeptical that it will improve the NBA. The NBA has more teams genuinely competing now than since the association was formed.

The one you left off that I would definitely put forward is having the league disassociate itself with gambling. Having pre or post game shows talk about the line and parlays is cringe. You wouldn't have Barkley hocking booze or cigarettes as part of the coverage.

[cgf]

I’d cut a lot more than 6 RS games. 1 home & 1 away against everyone else in the league would be a much better balance of making sure fans get to see everyone against their team and keeping players healthier for the playoffs.

[strokerace]

Watching players like Doncic out there whining non stop almost gives me anxiety. I want to punch him in the face. It makes the players look like 10 year olds and is a really bad look. I don't understand why anyone wants less games to watch. More teams only dilutes the talent on each team.

[UcanUwill]

I’d cut a lot more than 6 RS games. 1 home & 1 away against everyone else in the league would be a much better balance of making sure fans get to see everyone against their team and keeping players healthier for the playoffs.

I agree with this, but do fans really want that? It is good for the league in a sense structure would make more sense, but people hate when game ends and its a weird schedule where team does not play for another 3 days. People like watching basketball.

At this point, I would kind off hate such change purely from historical perspective. It would make nearly impossible to break all time records, and I know most players rest and barely play anymore as it is, but if Wemby wants to break some kind of all time block record, or whatever, he is given the chance. Also, there would always be talking points how past players were better and "tougher" - "John Stockton played 80+ games for 18 years and he was fine, and he did it for relative pennies etc."

[JustBuzzin]

Give the refs a point system for missed calls.

At some point they need to be held accountable. Shaming them with a point system will put pressure on them to call a fair game. I'm tired of the refs taking over games.

[pipfan]

Watching players like Doncic out there whining non stop almost gives me anxiety. I want to punch him in the face. It makes the players look like 10 year olds and is a really bad look. I don't understand why anyone wants less games to watch. More teams only dilutes the talent on each team.

Totally agree about the complaining-I just don't understand why the league allows it. It's an issue that would be VERY easy to improve

Less games is just 6/season, to help the overall quality of the league

[UcanUwill]

Give the refs a point system for missed calls.

At some point they need to be held accountable. Shaming them with a point system will put pressure on them to call a fair game. I'm tired of the refs taking over games.

Not sure about shaming, but the fact there is no public NBA ref ranking is ridiculous to me. Every sports organization and league I know off, has that.

[cgf]

I’d cut a lot more than 6 RS games. 1 home & 1 away against everyone else in the league would be a much better balance of making sure fans get to see everyone against their team and keeping players healthier for the playoffs.

I agree with this, but do fans really want that? It is good for the league in a sense structure would make more sense, but people hate when game ends and its a weird schedule where team does not play for another 3 days. People like watching basketball.

At this point, I would kind off hate such change purely from historical perspective. It would make nearly impossible to break all time records, and I know most players rest and barely play anymore as it is, but if Wemby wants to break some kind of all time block record, or whatever, he is given the chance. Also, there would always be talking points how past players were better and "tougher" - "John Stockton played 80+ games for 18 years and he was fine, and he did it for relative pennies etc."

I would, but I’m a football fan used to seeing my team play 1 game a week + cup competitions. I get the appeal of having your team play every other day, but I’d rather they play every two days and the stars be less worn down / banged up by the postseason.

This season in the east we’ve got Porzingis, Randle, Giannis, Dame, Mitchell, Haliburton, Embiid & Butler all who either couldn’t play in the playoffs, or were limited. I’d gladly give up a couple dozen RS games to see these teams much closer to 100% in the playoffs.

That records will change argument doesn’t do much for me. All performances need to be contextualized, games played will just be a new layer of context to be considered.

[cgf]

Watching players like Doncic out there whining non stop almost gives me anxiety. I want to punch him in the face. It makes the players look like 10 year olds and is a really bad look. I don't understand why anyone wants less games to watch. More teams only dilutes the talent on each team.

Fewer games should mean teams need to rest players less and the best players miss less time. So the games we saw would be a higher standard of basketball and the playoffs wouldn’t be hampered by each team having a star limited or out.

But I’m not a fan of the war of attrition view of sport. I’d rather see who can reach the highest levels of the sport, not who can survive being hammered by injuries less.

…thus my complicated relationship with the NHL despite hockey having been the sport I was best at and had former team-mates get drafted in.

[UcanUwill]

I’d cut a lot more than 6 RS games. 1 home & 1 away against everyone else in the league would be a much better balance of making sure fans get to see everyone against their team and keeping players healthier for the playoffs.

I agree with this, but do fans really want that? It is good for the league in a sense structure would make more sense, but people hate when game ends and its a weird schedule where team does not play for another 3 days. People like watching basketball.

At this point, I would kind off hate such change purely from historical perspective. It would make nearly impossible to break all time records, and I know most players rest and barely play anymore as it is, but if Wemby wants to break some kind of all time block record, or whatever, he is given the chance. Also, there would always be talking points how past players were better and "tougher" - "John Stockton played 80+ games for 18 years and he was fine, and he did it for relative pennies etc."

I would, but I’m a football fan used to seeing my team play 1 game a week + cup competitions. I get the appeal of having your team play every other day, but I’d rather they play every two days and the stars be less worn down / banged up by the postseason.

This season in the east we’ve got Porzingis, Randle, Giannis, Dame, Mitchell, Haliburton, Embiid & Butler all who either couldn’t play in the playoffs, or were limited. I’d gladly give up a couple dozen RS games to see these teams much closer to 100% in the playoffs.

That records will change argument doesn’t do much for me. All performances need to be contextualized, games played will just be a new layer of context to be considered.

I agree, I just think most fans wouldn't. For the good of the league, season should be shortened, the American model of long season and then play offs is kinda messed up as it is and now people have learned how irrelevant some of these regular season games are. We cant unlearn it again.

Personally, I can be traditionalist, but I am in huge favor of IST, not only because I am Euro and that is how we do it, but also, because it opens an opportunity to shorten NBA regular season, but still have games. I think IST games counting as regular season games was very smart at first, but going forward, I imagine everyone plans of it just being a separate thing.

[Godymas]

All Star weekend and the IST should combine. The All Star game should be removed, but the skills challenge, dunk contest, and 3 point shooting contest all need to stick around.

[UcanUwill]

All Star weekend and the IST should combine. The All Star game should be removed, but the skills challenge, dunk contest, and 3 point shooting contest all need to stick around.

Yes, I think that is the idea. In Europe, most donestic leagues I know off did just that. Now we usually get a week off where none of euro competitions happening, no Euroleague etc. And its a week for domestic cup final round extravaganza in all countries. And before finals, we still have 3 point shoutout and stuff, but instead of all-stars, it is last two teams standing, play for national cup.

[xchange55]

Surprised at all the expansion votes. I suppose if your city doesn't have a team that would be a popular choice. But it just diliutes the league talent. As it stands now, we usually have at least 4 junk teams per season, and more typically 6+. Many of the playoffs series involving bottom seeds is just a waste of time.

[brackdan70]

I think reducing regular season games is the biggest improvement possible. Eliminate back to backs.
Expansion could be good as there is a ton of Talent in the world these days. I also like the idea of balancing the schedule.

[Gusto1903]

Call ballcarries and illegal screens