Regular season tournaments are cool. Single elimination basketball is really cool. Whether it will be cool for the NBA remains a question.
The league’s announcement of an in-season tournament this November sparked many questions even before it was officially announced on July 8th. And when it was announced, it just drew further questions. Many uncertainties aside, the announcement and the tournament itself are undoubtedly new cogs in the NBA’s perpetual 12-month calendar.
Arguably the slowest portion of that calendar is the fall, its going up against the NFL and MLB playoffs and unless you’re a total nerd for the game (ahem) most fans don’t really start paying attention until the Christmas Day sleight of games.
So, what do you do? How do you keep your league in the primetime spotlight once the opening night glow fades? Enter the NBA Cup.
For years now the regular season has been criticized for not mattering, players not caring enough and taking nights off. And with two conference finalists including the finals runner up coming from the play-in, it’s truer than ever. Not that what the Heat and Lakers did is imitable, but others will try. Thinking, why should the 82 games matter when all a good team needs is to get in the playoffs (in theory)? Naturally this has sparked numerous ideas in attempts to find a remedy. Fewer games, minimum games for award eligibility, and now the in season tournament which despite being explained, no one knows how it will really work.
Regardless of how successful it is though, the announcement and the tournament itself has accomplished something. It’s kept the hype machine churning. Looking at this on the calendar, Vegas Summer League, the ultimate schmoozefest for the league, is officially in full swing. The top three picks have all played at least once, and trade rumors are at a stand still. It’s perfect timing. The association is still a buzz but not in the dead days of summer, its just enough to keep things fluttering. Fast forward four months, when the opening night hype has lulled and the rumor mill gone quiet once again, the tournament will re-enter our feed. It keeps things churning.
Thus far, the tournament itself is still confusing and there are multiple questions left unanswered regarding player incentives, scheduling, stats, and other areas still unthought of. But its definitely happening.
The critical analysis to all of this is to remember Adam Silver’s role here. It’s to run the league, but above all else he works for the owners. It’s his job to keep the league economy growing for these big bosses. Yes, along with that comes other responsibilities to the players, coaches, and countless other staffers, but as things grow its his job to keep the machine moving and efficiently. So successful or not, he has at least done that for the time being. If it all blows up in his and everyone’s faces he’ll have to redirect, but the ship has been profitable thus far as the hype machine turns.