The GOAT surprised by the talk of shortening season

[Angel Face]

Michael Jordan was surprised and a bit bewildered to hear LeBron James and Dirk Nowitzki suggest Wednesday that they'd like to see the NBA's 82-game regular season shortened.

"I love both of those guys, but as an owner who played the game, I loved playing,'' Jordan, who owns the Charlotte Hornets, told ESPN.com during a telephone interview. "If I wasn't playing 82 games, I still would've been playing somewhere else because that's the love for the game I had. As a player, I never thought 82 games was an issue.

"But if that's what they want to do, we as owners and players can evaluate it and talk about it. But we'd make less money as partners. Are they ready to give up money to play fewer games? That's the question, because you can't make the same amount of money playing fewer games.''

When asked about the NBA's experiment with a 44-minute exhibition game Sunday, as opposed to the usual 48 minutes, James and Nowitzki said they'd prefer a shorter season to shorter games.

"It's not the minutes, it's the games," James said before the Cavaliers' preseason victory over Indiana. "The minutes doesn't mean anything. We can play 50-minute games if we had to. It's just the games. We all as players think it's too many games. In our season, 82 games is a lot.''

Nowitzki said he'd recommend that the season be cut from 82 games to the "mid-60s.''

Jordan also didn't see the point in shortening games by four minutes.

He said the league informed its clubs of its intention to play a 44-minute game but that it was not presented as something the league is seriously considering instituting in the regular season.

"I would never shorten the game by four minutes,'' Jordan said, "unless guys were having physical issues.''

Jordan said basketball players generally don't incur the same long-term physical ailments as football players so he can't understand the talk of a shorter season or shorter games.

"It's not like football,'' he said. "We don't really have to worry about concussions and some of the physical damage that football players deal with after they retire. I can understand football players wanting to play fewer games from a physical standpoint. But basketball's not the same. I'm not diminishing the fact that we go through a grueling season. But I wouldn't want to shorten the game or play 15-20 fewer games.''

Both James and Nowitzki said they understood a shorter season would cut the league's revenue and therefore the players' salaries.

"I think you don't need 82 games to determine the best eight in each conference," Nowitzki said. "That could be done a lot quicker, but I always understand that it's about money, and every missed game means missed money for both parties, for the league, for the owners, for the players. I understand all that, and that's why I don't think it's going to change anytime soon."

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/11709451/michael-jordan-disagrees-talk-shortening-season-games

[Da Doc04]

if they shorten the season... then they need to shorten the offseason too. aint nobody trying to wait from march until october for the NBA season

[StephHamann]

They could start the season a month earlier and stop playing back to back games.

[DMV2]

I don't think I've heard players complain this much about the season until recently. You're paying paid $10-15 million a year, shut up and play! :facepalm

A better alternative would be distributing minutes to your teammates like the Spurs did last when nobody on their team played more than 30 MPG. Nobody got 20 PPG but they all got a ring out of it.

Unfortunately, most of these superstar want their 30 points, 10 rebound and 5 assists as much as a championship ring. So they won't sacrifice their minutes but rather they want less and less game so they can keep their superstar per game averages.

[DMV2]

LeBron's midget mentality is rubbing off on everybody. Even Dirk! :facepalm

[T_L_P]

It's fine the way it is. Injury prone players will always miss time. Maybe if some of these guys conditioned themselves properly they wouldn't be out for a couple of weeks every few months.

44 minute game idea is ridiculous though. Does nothing for the fans except make us watch more ads. When the reporter asked Duncan about it he looked confused. NBA games should always be 48 minutes.

[wally_world]

he's an owner, of course he thinks that

[sportjames23]

if they shorten the season... then they need to shorten the offseason too. aint nobody trying to wait from march until october for the NBA season


If they shorten the season, they need to shorten them paychecks, too.

I bet players will change their minds quick about that.

[ninephive]

Just make sure there are enough games for the Spurs to win 50.

[ninephive]

It's fine the way it is. Injury prone players will always miss time. Maybe if some of these guys conditioned themselves properly they wouldn't be out for a couple of weeks every few months.

44 minute game idea is ridiculous though. Does nothing for the fans except make us watch more ads. When the reporter asked Duncan about it he looked confused. NBA games should always be 48 minutes.
I don't like the idea of major changes that make it even harder than it already is to compare eras.

[sportjames23]

he's an owner, of course he thinks that

He also played the game, and with the exception of his second year with a major injury, rarely missed a game. 82-game seasons, 48-minute games. Dudes didn't complain about length of the season or games back then like these punk bitches today.

[BuffaloBill]

if they shorten the season... then they need to shorten the offseason too. aint nobody trying to wait from march until october for the NBA season


I think they would space the games out more rather than shortening the time frame. That way the season would still start and end at the same time, there would just be less games per week for teams, and probably no back to backs. But I doubt they would make any big time changes like that. Not anytime soon anyway.

[BuffaloBill]

Just make sure there are enough games for the Spurs to win 50.


:rockon:

[T_L_P]

I don't like the idea of major changes that make it even harder than it already is to compare eras.

Yep, this is one of the main things too.

You could never compare 66 game season players with Bird or Magic.

[Nikola_]

you know something is up when bran is saying those things

[ralph_i_el]

Easy to say that when you're watching from a box :facepalm:

"Back in my day we walked uphill both ways in the snow to the stadium and played 82 games and we liked it"

[Bless Mathews]

Bron is such a sissy.


MJ hit it on the head when he said even if they shortened season he'd still be playing games Cus he love playing.

Slayed bron.

[pauk]

Bron is such a sissy.


MJ hit it on the head when he said even if they shortened season he'd still be playing games Cus he love playing.

Slayed bron.

Has nothing to do with wear/tear, the physical stuff or love for the game.... its because of this:


"I think you don't need 82 games to determine the best eight in each conference," Nowitzki said. "That could be done a lot quicker, but I always understand that it's about money, and every missed game means missed money for both parties, for the league, for the owners, for the players. I understand all that, and that's why I don't think it's going to change anytime soon."

[The_Pharcyde]

Easy to say that when you're watching from a box :facepalm:

"Back in my day we walked uphill both ways in the snow to the stadium and played 82 games and we liked it"

Yeah cause Jordan didn't play the same exact schedule

Sheesh

[3ball]

part of the reason the 82 games has merit is because it ensures that both individual and team stamina and mental strength are part of what it takes to win a championship.

sounds like bron wants to eliminate these criteria for winning a championship... :facepalm

ofc, not surprised at all... standard lebron - it's just his latest cheat code in his futile effort to catch the all-time greats (while doing less than they did).
.

[fpliii]

It's a difficult question IMO.

On one hand, I don't like the prospect of <48 minutes or <82 games or <7 game playoff series. Never cared for the 5 game series, and from my understanding the 3 game series were even worse back in the day; I absolutely hate single elimination tournaments in the playoffs, and it's a big part of why I can't get into March Madness or the NFL playoffs. Hard for me to support a system that doesn't find the best team so much as the hottest elite team. I think our league does a good job of that.

Now, if it would improve the product, maybe it's something worth considering. But I don't think that's a lock. Smart teams (see the Spurs) put together quality rotations, and their stars aren't worn out come the postseason.

[3ball]

lebron wants to remove mental strength and stamina from the criteria for winning a championship.

shortening the games to 44 minutes or reducing the season to 60-odd games would be ridiculous.

getting to rack up a bunch of championships by only having to win 60-odd games is flat-out a lower bar than previous eras.
.

[pauk]

part of the reason the 82 games has merit is because it ensures that both individual and team stamina and mental strength are part of what it takes to win a championship.

sounds like bron wants to eliminate these criteria for winning a championship... :facepalm

ofc, not surprised at all... standard lebron - it's just his latest cheat code in his futile effort to catch the all-time greats.
.

Will you for once use your own judgement instead of trying to side with MJ all the time?

...you dont need 82 games to determine the 8 best teams for each conference, thats the main thing the regular season is there for afterall, playing 130 games or 60 games will give you the same exact results........ the only difference is that 60 games cuts to the chase the fastest...... after 60 games the games become more and more meaningless.... within 70-75 games many of the stars take even a break if you havent noticed, it has nothing to do with "rest" really, its just useless, its monotonous....

[3ball]

Will you for once use your own judgement instead of trying to side with MJ all the time?

...you dont need 82 games to determine the 8 best teams for each conference, thats the main thing the regular season is there for afterall, playing 130 games or 60 games will give you the same exact results........ the only difference is that 60 games cuts to the chase the fastest......
We've all seen the injuries and guys getting broken down.

The players want to reduce the length of the season because of mental and physical wear-and-tear.

Cutting the season to 60 games would reduce the level of stamina and mental strength that it takes to win a championship - you can't see that?

[G0ATbe]

GOAT..? :facepalm

[pauk]

We've all seen the injuries and guys getting broken down.

The players want to reduce the length of the season because of mental and physical wear-and-tear.

Cutting the season to 60 games would reduce the level of stamina and mental strength that it takes to win a championship - you can't see that?

The games would be played more regularely, more with urgency as each game means something more than it would with 82 games... it would be more competitive there AND it would give more health/energy hence competition where it truly matters in the playoffs..... with other words it would more like only INCREASE the criteria/stamina/mental strength for winning a championship.... you cant see THAT?

[fpliii]

...you dont need 82 games to determine the 8 best teams for each conference, thats the main thing the regular season is there for afterall, playing 130 games or 60 games will give you the same exact results........ the only difference is that 60 games cuts to the chase the fastest...... after 60 games the games become more and more meaningless.... within 70-75 games many of the stars take even a break if you havent noticed, it has nothing to do with "rest" really, its just useless, its monotonous....
Strongly, strongly disagree.

We usually don't know who the final seeds in the West will be until the last week of the season, and the battles for HCA and top overall seed are usually very tight as well.

If you cut the season down to 60 games, you'll have different teams 1-8 (in terms of inclusion, and seeding).

[lilteapot]

The games would be played more regularely, more with urgency as each game means something more than it would with 82 games... AND it would give more health/energy hence competition where it truly matters in the playoffs..... with other words it would more like only INCREASE the criteria/stamina/mental strength for winning a championship.... you cant see THAT?
No, he can't. He's a fking idiot :oldlol:

If teams are fresher for the playoffs they're less worn down and the competition is fiercer.

[3ball]

The games would be played more regularely, more with urgency as each game means something more than it would with 82 games... AND it would give more health/energy hence competition where it truly matters in the playoffs..... with other words it would more like only INCREASE the criteria for winning a championship.... you cant see THAT?
20+ less games per season INCREASES the requirement to win a championship eh?

It increases the requirement because guys would be fresher in the playoffs so they would play harder?

That's your argument?

This is evidence that apparently, you'll say the sky is red to support your guy... at least i come with real stats and logic.

[ArbitraryWater]

So players want to make sure their bodies stay healthy and MJ is like BUT WE LOSE MONEYYY!!

[lilteapot]

20+ less games per season INCREASES the requirement to win a championship eh?

It increases the requirement because guys would be fresher in the playoffs so they would play harder?

That's your argument?

This is evidence that apparently, you'll say the sky is red to support your guy... at least i come with made up stats and nonsense.
fixed

[senelcoolidge]

So let's keep making the game easier for guys that are suppose to be bigger, faster, and stronger than the guys that played before. The guys that played before didn't complain. In fact they had it much harder. The NBA continues to become more gimmicky. Lebron is sad. Like someone said already just a mentally weak guy. 82 games is just fine. Why not just put every team in the playoffs or just play 35 games and everyone gets in. The system is fine. I think they actually need to make the playoffs a little shorter like the first round at least..best out of 5. Injuries will always happen..it's just reality. If they play less than pay them less I say.

[Warfan]

Jesus Christ on ice skates will you ever let up? :oldlol:

And you deleted the post...

[oh the horror]

If they feel burnt out or run down shouldn't that be an issue with them and their coaches?


Pop is one that does a great job at preserving players for the regular season.


If I'm not mistaken I don't see them saying anything about it?

[ballinhun8]

The Bron Stans just have to defend their boy in his idiotic stance.




Why wasn't he saying this when he had an older squad in Miami?? He wants to be even more fresh with a super young team in the playoffs??

Cutting the season is stupid. And pauk is totally wrong on the ending games being meaningless. Many times we see fighting for those 6-8 seeds til the end of the season and those teams give the top seeded teams fits most of the time. Or you have a clearly talented more team finally gelling at the end of the season and capturing HCA within those final 10+ games or so ala the 01 Lakers.

Look at the Hawks of this year taking it to the Pacers. Never would've happened with a shorter season. Or take, hmm, let's see the 07 Warriors. #8 seed manhandling the top seeded Mavs. Never would've happened if we cut the season.


These athletes are becoming more entitled and less competitive with each coming generation. Their love and admiration for the game gets lower and lower every other year and it's what causes fans to turn away. No wonder the ratings for Finals are so much lower than they were even 15 years ago.

[3ball]

made up stats


like what exactly?

like lebron dominating the ball more than various point guards in 2014, and more than any NON-point guard in the game, but only having a 6.3 assist average to show for it?

no, those are all real stats... here's the ball dominance stat from SportsVu... http://stats.nba.com/playerTrackingTouches.html?pageNo=1&rowsPerPage=50&sortField=TOP&sortOrder=DES

so even after starting to play off-ball more in Miami, Lebron was still 37th in ball-dominance in 2014, the only non-point guard in the top 50 other than fellow ball-dominator and suboptimal style-user James Harden.

so nothing made up here... SportsVu confirms that Lebron is a severe ball-dominator, but averages almost the same assists in the playoffs (6.4) as off-ball players Bird (6.5) and Jordan (5.7)...

Indeed, one can only imagine how Jordan would have done if he dominated the ball - oh wait, we know how he would have done... He was put at point guard for the last 24 games of the 1989 season (http://www.complex.com/sports/2014/01/michael-jordan-point-guard-in-1989-posted-triple-double-10-of-11-games), and he averaged 30.4 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 10.9 assists (http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/j/jordami01/gamelog/1989/#322-345-sum:pgl_basic), with a stretch of 10 triple-doubles in 11 games.

Jordan's stretch as a primary ballhandler was clearly FAR better than Lebron has done in his entire career dominating the ball, and the numbers themselves are so ridiculous that they can only be viewed as a good indication of Jordan's own capability as the primary ballhandler... it's impossible to rack up those kind of numbers by chance.

So you accused me of making up stats - what stats here are made up?

[Beastmode88]

The games would be played more regularely, more with urgency as each game means something more than it would with 82 games... it would be more competitive there AND it would give more health/energy hence competition where it truly matters in the playoffs..... with other words it would more like only INCREASE the criteria/stamina/mental strength for winning a championship.... you cant see THAT?

So they've been playing 82 games for the last 50 years and no one else has complained about this. Now all of a sudden Lebron and Dirk are crying about minutes? I understand it from Dirk's point of view but Lebron? Dirk's 36 years old and his body is aging, that being said his coach should be managing his minutes like what Pop does with Tim Duncan. But Lebron is 29 years old, give me a break, this is asking for another shortcut. :facepalm

[navy]

Did anyone else notice Jordan forgot about his baseball stint?

[coin24]

Wow there's some clueless people in this thread.
The NBA is a business. Less games equals less money. Not going to happen.

What a surprise pauk blindly agreeing with anything bran says or does then trying to justify it:lol
Also bran should stick to his fake pube hair instead of intellectual matters:oldlol:

[Smook A.]

Why the **** is this even a discussion?

All of a sudden, the guys are thinking about changing so many things the NBA. First it was those retarded sleeved jerseys. Nobody likes those... Players look like they're suffocating in those things, and fans aren't even buying them cause they straight up suck shit. Next, we got advertisements coming on jerseys. This isn't god damn soccer. I don't wanna look at players and see a ****ing Pepsi logo or some crap like that when I see their jerseys. I get it... NBA wants to make more money and they want to expand the business to even newer heights, but they're doing it by making players look like clowns.

And NOW the NBA is talking about shortening the season? You know what that means? It means less basketball and a longer offseason. I don't want that and neither do the fans. Why is this even talked about? I've been following basketball since the late 90s and I've never seen a player say the season is too long. It hasn't been a problem and I have no idea why its being discussed. I mean the NBA does want to make more money right? Shortening the season will not help anything. Just keep everything like it is. Changing stuff will just make things worse.

[AlphaWolf24]

on the real.....the season is way too F'ing long....

- they need to cutback at least 15 - 20 games......teams should play twice a week max with at least 2 days rest in between.




- I wouldn't expect anything less from MJ.....he is the prototype Alpha.....sometimes pointing other lesser Men's weakness ( while never showing weakness yourself) is part of nature.

[inclinerator]

let's be real lebron probably has played as much as jordan did his entire career, still tho i'm surprised hearing this coming out of james mouth with the success he has had with his durability

[navy]

let's be real lebron probably has played as much as jordan did his entire career, still tho i'm surprised hearing this coming out of james mouth with the success he has had with his durability
The regular season is pointless for Lebron....

[dreamwarrior]

Bunch of pansies imo. Look at all the players who did the pre-season, regular season, playoffs and then the world cup. They were scheduled for 105 games. Lebron and Dirk want to cut 35-45 of those games.

[mehyaM24]

81 games, 60 games, one game a week, whatever the case, lebron will forever remain the better all-around player than jordan.

jordan doesn't want to see lebron get a competitive edge (like he did back in the 90s after snitching on the knicks, which completely changed how games were/are called - star treatment was born).

lol @ jordan being scared of lebron. bitch move.

[ArbitraryWater]

on the real.....the season is way too F'ing long....

- they need to cutback at least 15 - 20 games......teams should play twice a week max with at least 2 days rest in between.




- I wouldn't expect anything less from MJ.....he is the prototype Alpha.....sometimes pointing other lesser Men's weakness ( while never showing weakness yourself) is part of nature.


Seriously... I think everyone here knows/should know that 82 games is way too ****in much.... Its insane.

Also, the level of excitement will go even higher with "just" 58 games, and ALWAYS 1-2 days off at least between games.

[SHAQisGOAT]

The Bron Stans just have to defend their boy in his idiotic stance.




Why wasn't he saying this when he had an older squad in Miami?? He wants to be even more fresh with a super young team in the playoffs??

Cutting the season is stupid. And pauk is totally wrong on the ending games being meaningless. Many times we see fighting for those 6-8 seeds til the end of the season and those teams give the top seeded teams fits most of the time. Or you have a clearly talented more team finally gelling at the end of the season and capturing HCA within those final 10+ games or so ala the 01 Lakers.

Look at the Hawks of this year taking it to the Pacers. Never would've happened with a shorter season. Or take, hmm, let's see the 07 Warriors. #8 seed manhandling the top seeded Mavs. Never would've happened if we cut the season.


These athletes are becoming more entitled and less competitive with each coming generation. Their love and admiration for the game gets lower and lower every other year and it's what causes fans to turn away. No wonder the ratings for Finals are so much lower than they were even 15 years ago.


:applause: :applause:

[mlp]

mj didn't play every summer for his country like those guys do nowadays so that's another 2 months of preparation and 20+ games
so I get why they would like to cut down the regular season and get rid of b2b games

[Smoke117]

Welp...thats it...Michael Jordan is against it. All current players who want to shorten the season are soft and *******...the great one has spoken...yada, yada...yada, yada. :rolleyes: :facepalm

[OldSchoolBBall]

I don't think I've heard players complain this much about the season until recently. You're paying paid $10-15 million a year, shut up and play! :facepalm

Seriously. And on top of that, today's players have amenities and comforts that past players couldn't even dream of. Yet they still gripe. :oldlol:

[SamuraiSWISH]

Seriously. And on top of that, today's players have amenities and comforts that past players couldn't even dream of. Yet they still gripe. :oldlol:
That and the fact I thought these guys enjoyed playing the game?