NBA Commissioner Adam Silver received high praises following the success of the In-Season Tournament.
The Inaugural NBA in-season tournament was dubbed successful by players, fans, executives, coaches, and the architect, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. Before the start of the season, there was skepticism about whether the tournament was conducive to the league from an entertainment perspective. "I've loved the enthusiasm from the players and the teams. By far in a way that has been the best part, Silver said. With increased global viewers, fan engagement, and buy-in from the players, Commissioner Adam Silver remains optimistic about the in-season tournament returning next season. Despite executing the stellar debut in Las Vegas, the tournament did illuminate several challenges on certain aspects — prize money, court designs, scheduling, and more. "I know it doesn't come without challenges. There's no doubt there's some things that we are learning this time through," Silver said during the Championship Press conference on Saturday. Here are key aspects of the In-Season Tournament the league office will review for further execution next season.
Will the Cash Prize Increase?
The $500K cash prize for the Lakers represents 1% of James’ salary but 45% of Rookie Maxwell Lewis’ salary.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver believes that providing financial incentives to players triggered increased intensity levels. Silver also acknowledged players' request for prize money to be raised. “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with money being a motivator in certain cases," Silver said. The League created financial incentives — $500,000 for each player on the winning team, $200,000 each for runners-up, $100,000 each for the semifinal losers and $50,000 each for the quarterfinal losers.
Los Angeles Lakers Coach Darvin Ham when asked what changes should be made replied, "Add more money to the purse. If you want players to play at an extremely high level, increase the purse." For star players like LeBron, Giannis, Durant, and Brown, $500,000 represents a small chunk of their salaries. For players on two-way contracts, this prize money is a significant amount.
When analyzing a low-budgeted team like the Indiana Pacers, things get interesting. Indiana operates with the NBA's lowest payroll at $130 Million. One can argue that winning the in-season tournament provides financial incentives for its players to maximize part of the league's marquee teams. There's no question that the financial incentives have added a layer of motivation and, for the Pacers, Despite falling to the Lakers, they outlasted two championship-contenders Boston and Milwaukee.
New Court Designs
Following the success of the inaugural In-Season Tournament, one aspect that remains in conversation is the court designs. Multiple players have expressed their complaints regarding the overall safety hazards. Boston Celtics Guard Jaylen Brown said: "I think as players we're all here for the in-season tournament because it's going to generate revenue, excitement, competition, but we've got to make sure the floor is safe to play on". "I think they need to make sure that's the emphasis before somebody gets seriously hurt." Brown sustained a groin injury during the closing moments of their game vs. the Raptors.
Adam Silver has ensured that the safety of the players will remain in high priority and that the league office will conduct a review to assess further. "I'm a big advocate of the colourful courts," Silver said. "We want to make sure the players have confidence in them and the type of paint used isn't more slippery. I think we dealt with those issues, incidentally, but want to make sure they are not a distraction", Silver said.
From a fan perspective, the bright-colored courts received some mixed reviews from viewers making it difficult to watch. Courts with more bold designs like the Bulls, Knicks, and Clippers presented many issues for its fan base. Despite these concerns, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has received the feedback and announced that teams will have more input around court designs next year.
Add a Point Differential Tiebreaker
In international basketball competitions outside North America, the point differential tiebreaker is standard. This isn't the case for the NBA, which stirred up some confusion for players. Teams leveraged running up the score in late games. "I'm not ready necessarily to move away from it, but if ultimately there's going to be a sense, particularly from our American fans, that somehow it is an indication of poor sportsmanship, that's not a good idea for us to be doing it," Silver said. Silver is reluctant to make any changes but has been aware of the implications it may pose for the fans. The NBA league office has discussed the addition of a live standings graphic for fans to access real-time details instead of monitoring on a game-by-game basis. The tiebreaker adds more excitement to tournament allowing for more opportunities for fan engagement.
Will the Pools Look Different Next Year?
During the inception of the In-season tournament, the NBA created five-team pools based on standings from the previous season. This concept created some confusion across the league. The group draw placed non-divisional teams in the same pool. Fans also have mixed reviews on the naming of the groups, making it difficult to follow during pool play. Sources say league insiders proposed to have the groups be division teams compete in, which ultimately can solve the naming issue. However, if the league takes this approach, it may compromise the tournament from a competitive perspective.
The Orlando Magic was one of the five teams within each pool eliminated before the final night of group play. An easy fix to this problem can be shifting to five six-team groups, which allows for an extra group game and provides pathways for wild card teams' chances to advance. However, on the flip side, this will cause more complications around the league schedule because of the added groups throughout the Eastern and Western Conferences.
The league office has been adamant on restructuring the group draw. "Certainly from a competitive standpoint, it's more optimal and in some cases more fair to have everybody playing," Wasch said. Looking ahead, if the league adds another franchise within the next couple years, they can adopt the FIBA World Cup format providing eight four-team groups.
Published by: TGQ Inc.
Written by: Hussein Abdullahi
