The NBA is bouncing around an idea to incentivize teams to try to win if the league adds a midseason tournament.
The league is debating a bunch of changes to scheduling, and one of the options is adding a midseason tournament. I think it’s stupid, but Adam Silver doesn’t call me for the answers. (RELATED: David Hookstead Is The True King In The North When It Comes To College Football)
However, according to Marc Stein, if the league does decide to go forward with the plan, a draft pick might be used to motivate teams to try and win.
All elements of the NBA’s potential midseason tournament remain in the discussion phase, but one idea proposed to incentivize teams to embrace the new competition is furnishing the tournament winner with an extra draft pick, league sources say
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) December 2, 2019
Any such measure would have to be ratified by league vote, but the league’s search is on for ways — on top of bonus compensation for players and coaches who do well in the tournament — to make teams eager to participate. A first-round pick would certainly help
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) December 2, 2019
The only way this is worth it is if it’s a high draft pick. For example, if they get a top 10 pick in the following draft, then teams are really going to try.
Peg it to the number 10 spot, and teams are absolutely going to go hard for an extra lottery pick. You can bet your life on that much.
However, I find it hard to believe teams are going to push themselves for the last pick of the first round, and they’re damn sure not going to take a second round pick seriously.
You’ve got another thing coming if you think teams will stop resting players for a second round pick, especially if they’re contending.
Which leads me to my main point, which is that I kind of find this whole tournament idea to be stupid. It won’t mean anything, people won’t care and it’s going to take a lot for players to care.
The NBA should just shorten the regular season and expand the playoffs if they really want more intensity. I’m not sold at all that a midseason tournament is the answer.