WHY is Silver so desperate for a mid season tourney?

[FultzNationRISE]

Obviously the ultimate reason is money, but whats the logic here? Isnt the new TV deal enormous regardless? If the ratings are so good and the money is so big... why does he so adamantly have this issue on the front burner?

There are so many unknowns and so many ways it could flop, does it really add significant value above whatever trillions the league is trending towards without it?

I dont know why you take such a risk fixing what isnt broken if youve got record revenue.

[AlternativeAcc.]

LeBrons imminent retirement.

Silver knows once LeBron retires there's a good chance the NBA goes bankrupt and he's scrambling to prevent it.

My solution is to promote Bron Jr as the next face of the league irregardless of his ranking as a prospect/pick.

[FultzNationRISE]

LeBrons imminent retirement.

Silver knows once LeBron retires there's a good chance the NBA goes bankrupt and he's scrambling to prevent it.

My solution is to promote Bron Jr as the next face of the league irregardless of his ranking as a prospect/pick.


^ Ok, this guy definitely gets it.

[90sgoat]

I could see it being relevant for lesser teams.

Like how the Cups work in Europe.

Because in soccer you just need to get lucky a couple of times and you're in the semis or even finals. Anyone can have a bad day and making it to the finals as a bottom tier team or lower division team is a big deal.

Why would it work for the NBA though, they already play each other all the time?

If it were to make sense, it should be like only a few games, so luck can play a part.

I'd rather they made a World Cup of sorts with teams from Europe, Asia and South America. That would be fun.

[theman93]

Obviously the ultimate reason is money, but whats the logic here? Isnt the new TV deal enormous regardless? If the ratings are so good and the money is so big... why does he so adamantly have this issue on the front burner?

There are so many unknowns and so many ways it could flop, does it really add significant value above whatever trillions the league is trending towards without it?

I dont know why you take such a risk fixing what isnt broken if youve got record revenue.

Too much money ain't enough money.

[FultzNationRISE]

So a post from Im So NBA’d Out!!!! in another thread jogged my mind to the obvious answer:

Gambling.

A tournament is a much bigger gambling draw than regular season games, and the NBA has agreements with major books to get a cut of the action on its games.

Not sure exactly what the NBA’s leverage is - I dont think bookmakers are required to share proceeds with every sport they take bets on - but I do remember Silver mentioning these agreements at some point previously.

[Full Court]

LeBrons imminent retirement.

Silver knows once LeBron retires there's a good chance the NBA goes bankrupt and he's scrambling to prevent it.

My solution is to promote Bron Jr as the next face of the league irregardless of his ranking as a prospect/pick.

He's not even the biggest draw anymore. That has nothing to do with it.

[Full Court]

So a post from Im So NBA’d Out!!!! in another thread jogged my mind to the obvious answer:

Gambling.

A tournament is a much bigger gambling draw than regular season games, and the NBA has agreements with major books to get a cut of the action on its games.

Not sure exactly what the NBA’s leverage is - I dont think bookmakers are required to share proceeds with every sport they take bets on - but I do remember Silver mentioning these agreements at some point previously.

You're probably right, actually.

[iamgine]

There's really not much risk if at all. If it flops they just don't do it again. It's the same thing with play in tournament.

The thing people forget is, this tournament is competing with meaningless regular season game in December/January. There's really no risk. It's almost a guarantee this will bring more eyes.

Adam Silver is creating stuff for NBA's future. It's not brand new or ultra innovative stuff either. Mid season tourneys is a tried and true thing for a very long time in other places.

[FultzNationRISE]

There's really not much risk if at all. If it flops they just don't do it again. It's the same thing with play in tournament.

The thing people forget is, this tournament is competing with meaningless regular season game in December/January. There's really no risk. It's almost a guarantee this will bring more eyes.

Adam Silver is creating stuff for NBA's future. It's not brand new or ultra innovative stuff either. Mid season tourneys is a tried and true thing for a very long time in other places.

Thats fair enough. My point was just that to change format now when youve experienced so much valuation growth under the current format seems counter intuitive. But youre right it’s likely not a huge risk to take.

The tournament wont have any interest to me, but Im sure many will be glued to it just the same.

[Full Court]

The question I have how how do the stats get compiled for the mid season tourney? Are they considered regular season stats? I doubt they'll go in the post season category. Or do they get their own category? The whole thing is just weird, and as a concept I really don't like it.

[Gotterdammerung]

The question I have how how do the stats get compiled for the mid season tourney? Are they considered regular season stats? I doubt they'll go in the post season category. Or do they get their own category? The whole thing is just weird, and as a concept I really don't like it.

The same goes for those play-in tournament games. Since they are neither playoff games, nor regular season games, they do not count towards either one, statistically wise.
:kobe:

[E_Stamkos]

So a post from Im So NBA’d Out!!!! in another thread jogged my mind to the obvious answer:

Gambling.

A tournament is a much bigger gambling draw than regular season games, and the NBA has agreements with major books to get a cut of the action on its games.

Not sure exactly what the NBA’s leverage is - I dont think bookmakers are required to share proceeds with every sport they take bets on - but I do remember Silver mentioning these agreements at some point previously.

Good post.

Also... Whether or not bookmakers are ever to kick out a stipend to the NBA, gambling succeeds in drawing interest to the product. Especially these days where betting is so wildly accessible and commonplace to the casual viewer. It's a shrewd way to lure folks in.

But I'm with you... From a purist fan standpoint, I hate it.

[bison]

It’s been pointed out here by someone else, but it could be an attempt to expand into international markets. Having a European style tournament might draw European audiences, the tournaments final games are said to be in a neutral site which could include international cities, and they could invite foreign clubs to participate. That’s the only use I see for a mid season tourney other than the obvious cash grab.

[FKAri]

The grind of the 82 game season has led to things like coasting, load management, and tanking resulting in many uneventful games. If teams and players are going to value the regular season less then fans are going to lose interest in it. The NBA wants a way to keep the number of games but make them more meaningful to keep teams and fans engaged.

[FultzNationRISE]

The grind of the 82 game season has led to things like coasting, load management, and tanking resulting in many uneventful games. If teams and players are going to value the regular season less then fans are going to lose interest in it. The NBA wants a way to keep the number of games but make them more meaningful to keep teams and fans engaged.


But thats the thing, what reason do players have to view the tournament as any more meaningful than a regular season exhibition?

Also how do you have a mid season tournament while keeping every team to an equal number of games over the course of the season? The further you go in a tournament the more total games you play, which is a disadvantage toward winning an NBA chip. Maybe it isnt terribly hard to find a workaround, but in reality I dont think anyone views it as worthwhile except the accountants.