Loading ...
The past couple seasons have seen David Stern make many decisions in attempts to improve the league. The ‘Commish’ has resorted to dress codes, age restrictions, and synthetic basketballs.
Unlike the aforementioned decisions, these would ‘positively’ impact the future of the NBA.
1. Due away with the ‘Eastern’ and ‘Western’ conferences. It’s a question of risk and reward. In this case the rewards (a fair and balanced NBA) far outweigh the risks (inconvenient tipoff times).
2. No more guaranteed contracts. Guaranteed contracts are severely hampering the worst teams in the league. There are many players in the league today who have played big in their contract years and then proceeded to take the next 5 seasons off (Adonal Foyle, Tim Thomas etc., etc.). The NFL allows for teams to cut players for poor performance, the NBA would be wise to follow suit.
3. Get rid of the preseason and shorten the regular season. The preseason is a waste of time. The NBA should have each team play one another two times a season. There are 30 teams in the league. 29 x 2=58. A 58 game regular season is long enough. In the event that two teams have an identical record and tied their season series, there’s a one game tie breaker to determine who gets the higher playoff seed.
4. Scrap the draft lottery system. Since the NBA switched to a weighted lottery system in 1994, only two NBA teams with the best chance of landing the top pick have gotten it, the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2003 (LeBron James) and the Orlando Magic (Dwight Howard) in 2004.
If teams want to compete for the least amount of wins to get the top pick than so be it.
5. Bring back physical basketball. There’s a difference between being physical and being dirty. The 80’s Pistons and early 90’s Knicks were dirty.
Today’s NBA has become soft. Fans don’t pay to watch star players shoot 20 free throws a night. It’s become impossible to defend opposing guards from getting into the paint because the league has sought to it that every soft touch foul is called.
Hard nosed defense involves contact. The NBA is a man’s game. I want to see men at competition. I don’t want to see one player win a game at the free throw line.
