Winner should get a playoff berth if they wouldn't qualify otherwise, and if they would have then they get to pick their first-round opponent. That, and/or a supplemental first round pick at ~#10.

Something with actual juice. No half-measures bullshit. Do it, or don't.

Logically it should become a battle of end of bench players where the funds are the reward to those that it matters and the starters sit. NBA will probably lean on teams to not have that happen tho.

Just read the ESPN article. This is dumb, it's akin to winning the summer league championship.

It mentions that they decided against ensuring a playoff berth, yeah bc some teams don't want to make the playoffs. That's why there should be an alternate option, but they don't want the PR of a team taking a draft pick over a PO spot.

Again, it's dumb. Teams are still going to sit guys on a b2b and they're going to want the façade of it being playoffs-lite.

Just have it be for a pick so at least the org will be behind it.

I personally would prefer they do a 1v1 tournament or add other elements like that as apposed to the playin and in season tournament that way they can add new wrinkles without altering the history of the game.

Imagine the schedule last year, but some games have "This counts as a Mid-season tournament" written under them.

We count those games as both part of the 82 game regular season as well as towards the standings of a separate (but equal) in-season tournament.

There's a little more to explain than that, but that is the easiest way to get people to understand how little is changing here.

As for the prize, yeah, it's too weak. Need to give something like "+3 spots in the draft" which players won't care about but orgs will or something like "gain X spots in playoff seeding" which tanking teams will not-so-quietly hate. I guess you could add the caveat that teams whose playoff seeding is improved via that method are still eligible for the lottery if they otherwise would've been, but that's complicated as hell for fans.

Everyone calling it stupid will be watching the championship game

Well it’s obviously not going to drive away anyone who cares enough to have an opinion.

Question is will it get people who didn’t care before to tune in.

The championship games will go one of two ways:

1. G-league and 2nd team try hards which I will watch cuz that’s a little compelling
2. All-star game re-enactments where teams do **** all for 3.5 quarters and make an effort in the final 6 minutes which I won’t watch cuz this **** is stupid enough as is

I watch summer league.

I'm saying it's stupid from an incentivization angle. Teams are already shitting all over the regular season (which I don't mind fwiw). This is even weaker stakes than a regular season game.

They're trying to import soccer culture wholesale when it's a square peg in a round hole.

Agreed.

Year 1 it might be watever but it will devolve to this if it stays as-is.

All teams should be incentivized to make the playoffs. You could still let the playoff birth winner keep the better draft position if they finish below the top 8 in the season.

Yeah, thought of that.

One unintended consequence of that is that the tourney winner would be incentivized to literally tank every game the rest of the regular season.

I think a static lottery pick like expansion teams used to get is the thing with no downsides.

The Romans never had this problem.

MJ never won an NBA cup, I think you can be sure if the Lakers make the finals, at least one player will be Letrying his hardest.

Wemby having a much better game today now that he’s had some time with his teammates.
27 pts 12 reb 3 blocks 2-4 from 3


Sochan also said Popovich been going hard in the gym working out (at age 74!). He’s pretty much the Chuck Norris of NBA Coaches.

Much, much better tonight.

I already have him as a top 12 NBA player of all time. He probably cracks the top 3 before they leave Vegas.

How many rangz?

Infinity+1.

Infinity gauntlet

Wemby and Chet are gonna do a Magic/Bird style doc in 20 years called "How the West was Won". Those two are going to win every WCF for the next 15 years

CHETCODE w SGA just doesn’t seem fair.

Chets gonna go up for a dunk and land perfectly fine which will break his fibula in half and his career will be over at 22 years old. Sad sad sad. But his name shouldn't have been Chet, blame his parents.

Jabari would like a word

Jabari can have all the words he wants.

ChetCode or WIMby are going to the Finals

Every
Single
Year

It's OKC, one or more of these youngs are going to be traded to avoid paying the luxury tax; they also have 4 first round picks in both 2024 & 2025 & 3 in 2026; OKC just can't pay everyone on their roster and future prospects.

Solution: move it back to Seattle and have Bezos buy the team. If anybody’s got money to blow it’s that guy!