Man, how I used to be such a fan of the National Basketball Association. Nowadays, the NBA is borderline unwatchable. With a whistle every time down the court, jacking up three-pointers, and a meaningless regular season, the product simply doesn’t appeal to me.
I have attempted to try to get my basketball juices flowing like they once were since my Detroit Pistons are back on top of the Eastern Conference. Despite that, this issue isn’t about my personal feelings about the Association, but the real issue that the league is facing. Between load management and tanking, Adam Silver has his hands full trying to find a resolution for the fans.
Load Management is a Load of Crap
On February 25th, the best team from the Western Conference and defending NBA Champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder, are traveling to Detroit to play the Eastern Conference’s best team and this year’s biggest surprise, the Pistons. ESPN has been advertising this matchup for days leading up to the “Showdown in Motown.” Then the injury report came out.
No SGA, no Isaiah Hartenstein, no Ajay Mitchell, no Chet Holmgren, and no Alex Caruso in the lineup. Now, some of these “injuries” may be legit, but some are believed to be part of the “load management” style that the NBA adopted. What should have been a marquee game for the NBA is now one up-and-coming team and a bunch of backups.
When did the league get like this? Everyone always says their “era” was the best, and they usually sound like the “back in my day” guy. Well, back in my day, players used to take pride in being iron men, dedicated to playing as many games as they physically could. Now that’s a lost art.
25 years ago, NBA players averaged playing over 70 games of an 82-game season. In today’s game, the Association has lowered the standard with players aiming to play 65 games to be eligible for the major end of the season awards. Now, the possible instant classic between the Pistons and Thunder on ESPN seems like a preseason game.
Does the NBA Care About Its Fans?
It doesn’t seem like it. Little Vinny, who was all excited to go to his first Pistons game and see his favorite player in the league, SGA, will be disappointed to know he’s not playing in his only trip to Detroit. His dad spent a bunch of money on his surprise birthday gift only to see a bunch of backups, but does the NBA care? Nah, tough luck, kid, maybe next year.
On top of the load management issue, the league also has a serious tanking problem. It seems like half of the NBA doesn’t bother showing up on a night-to-night basis. Now, there are rumors that they may stray away from the entire NBA Draft concept, allowing college players to enter the league as free agents instead. Like that will solve any problems.
Here’s a thought. What if the league penalized tanking teams in a way that would really hurt? Not talking about fines or fewer lottery chances, but real stakes. If you sit an amount of starters for a certain percentage of time, those players who sat can’t play or get limited time in playoff games. I know they won’t do this, but it will definitely fix the load management and possible tanking.
Final Thoughts
If only these guys got paid more for their craft, oh wait! NBA players are getting bigger contracts than ever before and playing fewer games. At this point, the Association should shorten the somewhat meaningless regular season and just get to the playoffs. Fans don’t see their favorite players as they once did.
Maybe there will be a change once the networks and streaming platforms feel the dip in ratings and money, things will change. I have a hard time believing that these bidding wars for top games will continue when the biggest stars sit out against top competition. But, hey, Chet, we love the State Farm commercial. SMH!
Point of Vision 