If you could change the game what would you do ?

[angryguy77]

No start treatment. Consistently called games.

[GreenCoffeeBean]

Drag the 3 point lines out until they create a Venn diagram. Anyone that takes a shot from the overlap automatically gets blasted with a laser that turns them into baking powder that LeBron will use for his next pre-game ritual.

[LilRip]

I think my biggest gripe is that it’s almost impossible to play physical defense anymore. I think defenders should be able to put their hands on guys again. Bring back hand checking.

Also, I’d reward show-hands defense. If defenders have their hands up or arms out, an offensive player initiating contact and trying to get the foul by going through the guys arms should result in a no-call. I realize this stifles a lot of James Harden’s free throws and will suddenly make guys like Draymond and Smart even more amazing defenders but I think that’s the right direction for things to go.

[GreenlyGreeny]

Bring back hand-checking, eliminate the backcourt violation, and only call fouls for undeniable fouls, not instances with reasonable doubt either way. Bring back the physicality. Show-hands defense in particular should almost never result in a defensive foul (when the player with the ball just jams into the defender, start calling it an offensive foul instead of a defensive call, or don’t even call it).

Also, start calling the step-back three what it is: traveling.

Perhaps biggest of all: Get rid of sponsorships on jerseys. It’s so ridiculous looking. I bet it affects the players being forced to sponsor uncool s...stuff...it definitely diminishes the franchise and feels like one more instance of greed that just goes a little too far. Bad enough naming the arenas after the highest bidder...

[tenn_smoothie]

Bring back hand-checking, eliminate the backcourt violation, and only call fouls for undeniable fouls, not instances with reasonable doubt either way. Bring back the physicality. Show-hands defense in particular should almost never result in a defensive foul (when the player with the ball just jams into the defender, start calling it an offensive foul instead of a defensive call, or don’t even call it).

Also, start calling the step-back three what it is: traveling.

Perhaps biggest of all: Get rid of sponsorships on jerseys. It’s so ridiculous looking............. it definitely diminishes the franchise and feels like one more instance of greed that just goes a little too far. Bad enough naming the arenas after the highest bidder...

Kinda like the way you think Greenly

[GreenlyGreeny]

Take away the power from the players. No more picking where you want to go unless you've been in the league for 7 seasons.

Only one ref on the floor that watches only the ball handler and the player defending the ball handler. Another official on the sideline watching what the viewer at home sees looking for anything egregious or out of bounds plays.

Only one max player per team, and the rest of the roster is role players.

Feel like your first and third point would be literally impossible, unless you somehow scrap the players association

Ohh and do away with the players association.

Absurd. At least 50% of all revenues should go to the players. Without the players, there’s nothing. Owning a professional basketball team is certainly not a high-risk endeavor; more like a printing press because of consumers’ willingness to pay to watch the players play and fantasize about being the players (which turns into fantasizing about being the owner or GM once we’re obviously too old and not good enough to make it in the NBA). If the owners have a problem with 50% going to the players, they can sell the team for top dollar because there is no shortage of people who have wealth in the hundreds of millions, even billions, who would love the prestige of owning an NBA franchise. If I had $3 billion, I’d spend 99% of it to own the Celtics and gladly give the players over 50% of the revenue so long as the breakeven point is met in the long-run  (obviously with required investments in facilities/operations being met).

[tenn_smoothie]

Take away the power from the players. No more picking where you want to go unless you've been in the league for 7 seasons.

Only one ref on the floor that watches only the ball handler and the player defending the ball handler. Another official on the sideline watching what the viewer at home sees looking for anything egregious or out of bounds plays.

Only one max player per team, and the rest of the roster is role players.

Feel like your first and third point would be literally impossible, unless you somehow scrap the players association

Ohh and do away with the players association.

Absurd. At least 50% of all revenues should go to the players. Without the players, there’s nothing. Owning a professional basketball team is certainly not a high-risk endeavor...

Oh uh, on second thought .......

Owners get to be owners because they built themselves into multi-millionaires. They shouldn't be penalized for it.

Players, on the other hand, are making completely ridiculous salaries for being skilled at a game.
Remember when Larry Bird signed a record rookie contract for $600,000/year ? That's not even the league minimum anymore.

[Sophomore]

Take away the power from the players. No more picking where you want to go unless you've been in the league for 7 seasons.

Only one ref on the floor that watches only the ball handler and the player defending the ball handler. Another official on the sideline watching what the viewer at home sees looking for anything egregious or out of bounds plays.

Only one max player per team, and the rest of the roster is role players.

Feel like your first and third point would be literally impossible, unless you somehow scrap the players association

Ohh and do away with the players association.

Absurd. At least 50% of all revenues should go to the players. Without the players, there’s nothing. Owning a professional basketball team is certainly not a high-risk endeavor...

Oh uh, on second thought .......

Owners get to be owners because they built themselves into multi-millionaires. They shouldn't be penalized for it.

Players, on the other hand, are making completely ridiculous salaries for being skilled at a game.
Remember when Larry Bird signed a record rookie contract for $600,000/year ? That's not even the league minimum anymore.

Nobody pays to see the owners or the referees. Why do movie stars make huge salaries? They have a rare, extremely valuable talent and agents to maximize their return.

If the owners thought they could make more money by cutting any stars who got out of line, they would do it in a heartbeat. They don’t because the talent drives their revenue.

[GreenlyGreeny]

Take away the power from the players. No more picking where you want to go unless you've been in the league for 7 seasons.

Only one ref on the floor that watches only the ball handler and the player defending the ball handler. Another official on the sideline watching what the viewer at home sees looking for anything egregious or out of bounds plays.

Only one max player per team, and the rest of the roster is role players.

Feel like your first and third point would be literally impossible, unless you somehow scrap the players association

Ohh and do away with the players association.

Absurd. At least 50% of all revenues should go to the players. Without the players, there’s nothing. Owning a professional basketball team is certainly not a high-risk endeavor...

Oh uh, on second thought .......

Owners get to be owners because they built themselves into multi-millionaires. They shouldn't be penalized for it.

Players, on the other hand, are making completely ridiculous salaries for being skilled at a game.
Remember when Larry Bird signed a record rookie contract for $600,000/year ? That's not even the league minimum anymore.

It’s all about consumers’ willingness to pay. The enormous volume of revenue is being generated by demand to watch the players. They are the product that drives the whole thing. And there’s practically no-risk to owners now once you’re in this exclusive club that is difficult to join. 

When you own an NBA franchise, the whole point should be to create the best facilities/operations and build the best team in the world. Not be concerned with profits, except to the extent of reinvesting the profits in growing the quality of your facilities/operations/support staff. There are plenty of other areas of opportunity in the economy for focusing on ROI...

[GreenlyGreeny]

For the record, I do think it’s gotten a bit absurd how much people (in aggregate) pour into the NBA. Mind you, I live out west now and only see the Celtics once per year, but I do pay an absurd amount  for a seat extremely close to the bench since it’s once per year (although maybe I would pay that every game if I lived in Boston). I’ll also go to non-Celtics games if people offer me a good ticket/suite seat, and I’ll pay for at least one beer at the ludicrous prices. I make sure to pay for the NBA TV/app, always buy NBA 2K on day one, and usually buy one Celtics-themed home good or clothing article per year...so who am I to talk, right? lol

But so long as people are willing to pour that much in, at least half of the absurd pool of money should go to the players who are the product. I definitely feel better about paying for all the above knowing that half of it goes to the players. No way would I pay these prices if the owners received most of the revenue.

[GreenWarrior]

Take away the power from the players. No more picking where you want to go unless you've been in the league for 7 seasons.

Only one ref on the floor that watches only the ball handler and the player defending the ball handler. Another official on the sideline watching what the viewer at home sees looking for anything egregious or out of bounds plays.

Only one max player per team, and the rest of the roster is role players.

Feel like your first and third point would be literally impossible, unless you somehow scrap the players association

Ohh and do away with the players association.

Absurd. At least 50% of all revenues should go to the players. Without the players, there’s nothing. Owning a professional basketball team is certainly not a high-risk endeavor...

Oh uh, on second thought .......

Owners get to be owners because they built themselves into multi-millionaires. They shouldn't be penalized for it.

Players, on the other hand, are making completely ridiculous salaries for being skilled at a game.
Remember when Larry Bird signed a record rookie contract for $600,000/year ? That's not even the league minimum anymore.

Nobody pays to see the owners or the referees. Why do movie stars make huge salaries? They have a rare, extremely valuable talent and agents to maximize their return.

If the owners thought they could make more money by cutting any stars who got out of line, they would do it in a heartbeat. They don’t because the talent drives their revenue.

Ok, ok I think you're taking it to an extreme  analogy.


I'm not stupid I know the league is nothing without the players. It's also nothing without the fans.

To use your analogy about movie stars, do the movie stars get catered to? Yes, absolutely. But without the director and producer a movie doesn't get made and the whole film making process would be chaos.

If an actor made all the decisions for instance could come onto a set and say - I love the color red everyone in the film should wear the color red or I'm not going to continue in this movie.

It would make for an awful movie and experience for everyone. There needs to be some order.

The nba stars are going to get theirs, I don't think it's too much to ask to let the owners and gm's run the team's.

And if they're gonna cry and threaten to run to europe, let em. Let em go compete against inferior competition, they'll look like a bunch of losers.

[dannyboy35]

Outlaw all ball screens. Get the ball off the floor and moving by the pass again.
I know it would never happen, but gawd, it's an ugly game and college with less skill level is almost unwatchable at times.

 Wow! This is such a different idea! So no pick n roll whatsoever? 

[Ed Monix]

I would add two new franchises thus giving the league 32 teams, then instead of having 3 divisions in each conference split them into 4, each winner of their division goes into the playoffs and similar to mlb the most winning runners up go into a wild card. This would help create rivalries in divisional play and make the regular season games actually mean something as essentially you could have 50 wins but if a divisional rival has 51 you would have to fight for your life in a wild card playoff.

[hodgy03038]

I would make a 4 point line for Damian, Steph, KD and Trae Young. Just kidding!

[gouki88]

I would make a 4 point line for Damian, Steph, KD and Trae Young. Just kidding!

Just know that Marcus Smart would be a 4 point chucker!