Saying the NBA owners were unanimously behind him, NBA Commissioner said that the league needed to do something more “extreme” than it has done in the past to curb tanking.
“We are going to fix it… full stop…” Silver said at a press conference Wednesday in New York following the league’s Board of Governors meeting (quote via the Associated Press). “Exactly what that change is, we’re continuing to work on… [but] going into next season, the incentives will be completely different than they are right now.”
Silver was not giving out details on exactly how the league would suddenly curb a tanking issue that has plagued the league for more than a decade, since analytics showed the easiest path to build a championship roster starts with high draft picks. Silver has been on a quixotic quest to end tanking in recent months, in part because tanking has peaked this season due to a particularly deep draft at the top, with nine teams actively focused more on their draft spot than winning games right now.
Silver said there will be a special Board of Governors meeting before this year’s NBA Draft to put in the new tanking rules for next season.
65-Game rule
In the wake of Cade Cunningham’s collapsed lung, which very possibly means he will fall short of the league’s 65-game threshold to qualify for postseason awards, there has been a rash of criticism of the league’s 65-game rule. That includes the NBPA, the players’ union, as well as from agents and media members.
Silver still supports it. He thinks it’s doing its job.
“We always knew when there’s a line you draw that somebody’s going to fall on the other side of that line and it may feel unfair in that particular instance,” Silver said. “Let’s see what happens at the end of this year. By the way, Cade Cunningham, he’s an incredible player. I’m sorry that he’s injured and can’t wait to see him back on the floor.
“But having said that, we also have to remember that to the extent that one player is no longer eligible, some other player will then be All-NBA and will slot into that spot. I’m not ready to stand here saying, I don’t think it’s working. I think it is working.”
Yes, if Cunningham falls short of 65 games (as appears likely), another player will slide into the All-NBA teams — but not as good a player. Not one who had the franchise-changing impact of Cunningham in his 61 games. Voters (made up of select media members) already took games played (and minutes played) into account in making their teams, why take that discretion out of their hands, much like minimum mandatory sentences for judges (something that has frustrated many on the bench).
That said, if Silver wants the 65-game rule to stand, it likely will.
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