NBA thread
- Thread starter 14Red
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14Red
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It certainly isn't just an NBA thing. Although it seems like the stars move more than ever. To me, that is ultimately a bad thing for the league and franchises.
Auggie
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I use to like the NBA all star game but I agree with cjb that this thing was borderline unwatchable. So the 1st weekend after the NFL was done gave us 2 signature events, Daytona 500 & NBA All Stare Game, and both were not very good. People wonder why the NFL is so popular, the sport really is made for TV viewing.
AEW Champion
Well-known member
I only watched the live draft and then most of the first quarter (mainly to listen to the Inside crew calling it on TBS). They need to go back to East vs. West (or try USA vs World) and give some kind of actual stakes to the game. What that would be, I don’t know. Maybe a healthy financial bonus written into every NBA player contract that is accrued if you play on a winning All-Star Game team. And obviously such a bonus wouldn’t count against any team’s cap.
I hardly consider the All-Star Game a signature event — All-Star Saturday Night used to be up until Dwight Howard-era nonsense infiltrated the dunk contest.
I ended up watching some of the second half of Iowa-NW hoops on BTN and some WWE documentaries on A&E.
The Genesis Invitational was easily the best sport on TV yesterday.
It’s true, it’s true. Trust me …
soccerdad72
Well-known member
The Genesis Invitational was really good this weekend, I agree.
14Red
Well-known member
The NBA has dropped the ball. As you say, this begins the "non-football" weekends unless you like XFL. Unfortunately the leadership of both the administration of the NBA and the best players can't see more than a few feet in front of their faces. All star weekend is a joke. Players will not participate in the 3 point contest or the slam dunk contest, and the game is a glorified bad pickup game.
The NBA really needs to address this and the players need to take ownership of this.
AEW Champion
Well-known member
Unsurprising, the NBA All-Star Game crumbled to an alarming all-time low rating, which shouldn’t be a surprise when the game’s participants regard it as a glorified layup line like Jaylen Brown said.
The NBA badly needs to rethink the entirety of All-Star Weekend.
It’s true, it’s true. Trust me …
Auggie
Well-known member
I heard that the highest viewership of the entire broadcast was the draft. That says a lot about where this thing stands at this time.
A suggestion I have heard for the NBA to kick off the start of the non-NFL part of the season is to do some sort of Euro soccer style cup but maybe as a neutral court one and done tourney with a big cash prize to incent the players. Take the top 8 teams and seed them then send them to Vegas or Nashville to see who wins a big prize pool. Think any player will sit out due to load management if a big pay day is involved?
14Red
Well-known member
I've heard this too, but so many questions. First of all, how do you or more importantly why do you need to incentivize the players monetarily when they make generational wealth already? Second, the crowning achievement for an NBA player is championships. I don't think you'd see some of the leagues elite play in this type of a format and expose themself to injury a few months before the playoffs.
Just a random thought, how about the best players in the world just play hard for afew hours and put on a good show? You can play defesne without killing yourself, just limit the shot block attempts and don't take charges which none do anymore anyway.
This is clearly a player issue. You need players to self reflect and remember when they were growing up and how important the all star game was for them.
AEW Champion
Well-known member
The issue I see with doing an NBA midseason tournament is: Wouldn’t that be like doing an extremely condensed version of the forthcoming NBA playoffs?
The reasons the various soccer tournaments like the Champions League and English FA Cup can run concurrent to a Euro domestic soccer season are:
1. The domestic leagues have no year-end playoffs.
2. Those events don’t include the same pool of teams as a domestic league. e.g. Only 4 EPL teams are in Champions League, English FA Cup includes all divisions, etc.
On the other hand, if the NBA took its two finalists from the prior season and then invited the prior-year champs of 6 other domestic leagues like Australia, Spain, France, etc., I could get behind the idea of an 8-team club cup tournament held in Vegas or Nashville instead of the All-Star Weekend stuff.
It’s true, it’s true. Trust me …
14Red
Well-known member
Now I could see the NBA doing something like that. The NBA is already global and the since the dream team in the late 80's, the gap between international and American talent has shrunk and it won't be long before you see a team other than the US win the gold in the Olympics.
arizonawildcat
Well-known member
It's already happened.
14Red
Well-known member
I see Nate McMillian of the Hawks was canned yesterday. Remember a couple of years ago when many thought Trey Young would be a star?? Never bought into the guy. High volume, low percentage shooters and can't guard. You make him your markee player and you'll eventually get fired.
All -Star Game gets record low viewership:
www.aol.com
NBA All-Star Game 2023 was least-watched edition in history as ratings hit record low
The non-competitive game had similarly non-competitive ratings.
www.aol.com
Auggie
Well-known member
What happened was a rule change that killed his career. Along with Steph Curry Trae Young was one of the prime players that got the NBA to no longer reward offensive players from launching themselves into defenders at the start of the 2021-22 season, notably the (in)famous leg kick, in an attempt to draw shooting fouls; especially when shooting 3s. Steph adjusted and has been fine, Young not so much.
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14Red
Well-known member
Steph's career seems to be fine. Young has always been a low percentage shooter and was never coached to become a true PG.
Auggie
Well-known member
Looks like the Hawks are going to hire Quin Snyder as their next coach, the one thing about the NBA is they like to retread head coaches more than any other league, Too bad Gene Shue died last year, if he was still alive maybe he would get a look so he could add a 6th stop to his coaching resume.
nwwarrior09
Well-known member
No real playoff success, but pretty good resume IMO. Won nearly 60% of the time over his eight years in small market Utah.
Auggie
Well-known member
Sources: Lasry to sell Bucks to Haslams for $3.5B
Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry has reached an agreement to sell his portion of the Bucks to Cleveland Browns owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam for a $3.5 billion valuation, sources told ESPN.
www.espn.com
Let's hope the Haslams have the same success with the Bucks that they've had with the Browns...would be great news for the Cavs!Sources: Lasry to sell Bucks to Haslams for $3.5B
Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry has reached an agreement to sell his portion of the Bucks to Cleveland Browns owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam for a $3.5 billion valuation, sources told ESPN.
14Red
Well-known member
Don Nelson available? It's it funny that in a league that is much more black than the NFL, a white coach is hired and not a peep from the woke left.
Basically NBA coaches are hired to be fired. You have a player like Trae Young leading your team, and you don't have a chance to win big. Now a guy like young, with some good wings and a solid post CAN win, but is he willing to give up shots to do it? Likely not. Young isn't even an all star now so you're looking at a middle of the road guard.
Might have something to do with there are already something like 14 or 15 black coaches … just my opinion
14Red
Well-known member
It's actually interesting to note there are more white coaches in the NBA, in a league that more predominately black and very socially driven, yet there isn't near the same angst that there is with NFL coaches. May just be chalked up to lack of interest in the NBA as compared to the NFL. To me the lack of interest in the NBA is falling back to the pre 1980's level. Sure the games are on TV, but the viewership is bad and ther is just little talk about it. ESPN is a partner of the NBA and of course we get alot of coveage from them, but it's major compeititor now, Fox Sports talks next to nothing about NBA basketball.
14Red
Well-known member
There really is no rethinking. It's all about poor leadership. David Stern LED the NBA. He didn't take crap from the players. He constantly was on the guys about marketing, about being visible for the league. Remember the big issue with Allen Iverson and guys dressing like thugs for postgame pressers? Stearn said no, you represent the league, your teams and people who BUY tickets want to you to look professional.
It sounds very elementary, but these guys are competitive. You just have to instill in them that the game is unwatchable now. Now you don't need to be taking charges and going all out at 110% all the time, but you can play good defense without potential injury. Also, I'd get with the players union and make it clear that the all star weekend is a company function and the "key" players need to participate. As good of a story that it was, it's embarrassing that Mat McClung was even in the slam dunk contest, let alone winning it. Have the union put a committee of players together and appoint players to be in these contests, whatever it takes.
Auggie
Well-known member
Ja Morant is not helping the stereotype of a current NBA player.
www.espn.com
Morant to miss two games after video with gun
Ja Morant will miss at least the next two games following an Instagram Live video that showed the Grizzlies point guard displaying a gun while at a nightclub early Saturday morning.
www.espn.com
14Red
Well-known member
Ja Morant needs to grow up.Ja Morant is not helping the stereotype of a current NBA player.
Morant to miss two games after video with gun
Ja Morant will miss at least the next two games following an Instagram Live video that showed the Grizzlies point guard displaying a gun while at a nightclub early Saturday morning.
This is the biggest deterrent I feel with the one and done rule for NBA players. So many of these guys are just kids going into adult life and many have little experience with "doing the right thing". These guys have been stars since they were in their mid teens, and no one teaches them. You would think these guys agents would get them with a good marketing company and between the two of them, keep these guys out of trouble. If you're the agent, it behooves YOU to keep these guys money coming in.