NBA’s In-Season Tournament

[Ed Monix]

The NBA reportedly has outlined a plan for the in-season tournament that could be implemented as soon as the 2023-24 season.

Per Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, cup games will be played through November with the top eight teams advancing to the single elimination final and all games will be counted toward the 82 game regular season schedule.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver and the board of governors have talked about the possibility of an in-season tournament for years.

Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press reported in December 2019 that the league sent a proposal to all 30 teams that would have cut the regular season to 78 games with an in-season tournament featuring every club that would have taken effect for the 2021-22 season on a trial basis.

"The plan laid out for teams calls for a play-in tournament to decide the seventh and eighth seeds in both conferences—the top 10 finishers in both the East and West would therefore have a chance at the playoffs—as well as a $1 million per player prize for the in-season tournament," Reynolds wrote.

[celticsclay]

The NBA reportedly has outlined a plan for the in-season tournament that could be implemented as soon as the 2023-24 season.

Per Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, cup games will be played through November with the top eight teams advancing to the single elimination final and all games will be counted toward the 82 game regular season schedule.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver and the board of governors have talked about the possibility of an in-season tournament for years.

Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press reported in December 2019 that the league sent a proposal to all 30 teams that would have cut the regular season to 78 games with an in-season tournament featuring every club that would have taken effect for the 2021-22 season on a trial basis.

"The plan laid out for teams calls for a play-in tournament to decide the seventh and eighth seeds in both conferences—the top 10 finishers in both the East and West would therefore have a chance at the playoffs—as well as a $1 million per player prize for the in-season tournament," Reynolds wrote.

This just feels like a gimmick to me.

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

What's the point of this? Does doing well in the in-season tournament improve your playoff positioning?

[Roy H.]

Stupid and meaningless.

[Ed Monix]

What's the point of this? Does doing well in the in-season tournament improve your playoff positioning?

Charania also added talks between the NBA and National Basketball Players Association "are still working to finalize" the in-season tournament, as well as potential prizes and rewards for the teams that advance to the single elimination portion.

[celticsclay]

What's the point of this? Does doing well in the in-season tournament improve your playoff positioning?

Charania also added talks between the NBA and National Basketball Players Association "are still working to finalize" the in-season tournament, as well as potential prizes and rewards for the teams that advance to the single elimination portion.

I mean the play in tournament already gives teams that have no business in being in the playoffs a shot at it. Now you could have a really crappy team get hot and win 4-5 games and get into the playoffs? Just stop with these gimmicks

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

What's the point of this? Does doing well in the in-season tournament improve your playoff positioning?

Charania also added talks between the NBA and National Basketball Players Association "are still working to finalize" the in-season tournament, as well as potential prizes and rewards for the teams that advance to the single elimination portion.

I mean the play in tournament already gives teams that have no business in being in the playoffs a shot at it. Now you could have a really crappy team get hot and win 4-5 games and get into the playoffs? Just stop with these gimmicks

I guess it's the only hope for relevance that some teams have. If the league really wanted to spruce up competition, they'd eliminate about a half dozen teams that are never good/never pull in crowds.

[slamtheking]

garbage gimmick.  hate this idea.

[Celtics2021]

I don’t hate it.  Eurobasket’s been fun to watch, and I think a mini-tournament done well could work.  6 5-team pods (divisions matter again?!?) where everyone plays once, and then the winner of each pod plus two wild cards (best record/point differential) play in a 3-round elimination tournament.  Winner gets something cool (money plus a minimum of the 4-seed in the playoffs, maybe with some sort of consideration that your overall record will still decide your draft position, so bad teams don’t rank the tournament).  4 games for most teams (they could drop the regular season from 82 to 78 there’d be no impact) and then 1-3 extra games for those advancing to the elimination round.

Play it primarily between Christmas and New Years..  It could be fun.

Doesn’t seem like that’s the proposal (drawing out the games over a month and having them be part of the regular season feels silly), but oh well.

[Donoghus]

Stupid and meaningless.

Yup.

[tenn_smoothie]

What's the point of this? Does doing well in the in-season tournament improve your playoff positioning?

Charania also added talks between the NBA and National Basketball Players Association "are still working to finalize" the in-season tournament, as well as potential prizes and rewards for the teams that advance to the single elimination portion.

I mean the play in tournament already gives teams that have no business in being in the playoffs a shot at it. Now you could have a really crappy team get hot and win 4-5 games and get into the playoffs? Just stop with these gimmicks

Gimmick is definitely what this is. And your comment about the play-in games as well.

Gimmick scoring is one big thing that has damaged NASCAR.

I would be in favor of cutting the 82-game schedule a little. Would improve quality of play and reduce injuries.

But as Nicky said in Casino, it's always about the dollar.

[Roy H.]

Cuban, though, told me he is a proponent of expanding the NBA draft from its current two rounds to four and proposing that the winner of an NBA in-season cup gets the top pick in both the third and fourth round of an expanded draft ... with the proviso that picks can't be traded.

Um, yeah.  A gimmick where the “prize” is getting to play an 83rd game to win the 61st and 91st pick in the draft.  Players, teams and fans will surely go all out to win this.

You want to make the tournament worthwhile?  $15 million to be split by the players on the winning team, and the 15th pick in the draft.

[Birdman]

This is a joke!! Stupidest thing NBA ever done..and why?

[Ed Monix]

This is a joke!! Stupidest thing NBA ever done..and why?

Nope, this has been Adam Silver’s pet project for years. I’d guess that it’s coming in so soon because the NBA wants to use it as a bargaining tool for the upcoming broadcast negotiations.

I may be in the minority, but I hate Adam Sliver as the NBA Commissioner. I actually miss David Stern.

[nickagneta]

Not sure why the NBA is trying to turn the NBA into European soccer with these ideas that they have. The play-in the last couple years sucked and only put in fodder for the first round. Everything I have read in this thread is a terrible gimmicky idea. Just leave it as is.

I wouldn't want it to happen, but if a tourney has to happen, how about this gimmick of a in-season tourney. Make the draft 31 picks in the first round. The 14 teams in last year's lottery play for the next year's #1 pick, an extra pick, in a one out tournament. The draft lottery stays the same but only the four lottery positions are picks 2-5 instead of 1-4.

Teams at #13 and #14 from the year's previous lottery get byes.

First round
Game 1: #1 vs #12
Game 2: #2 vs #11
Game 3: #3 vs #10
Game 4: #4 vs #9
Game 5: #5 vs #8
Game 6: #6 vs #7

Second round
Game 7: Game 1 winner versus #14
Game 8: Game 2 winner vs #13
Game 9: Game 3 winner vs Game 6 winner
Game 10: Game 4 vs Game 5 winner

Third round
Game 11: Game 7 winner vs Game 10 winner
Game 12: Game 8 winner vs Game 9 winner

Tournament Title Game for #1 pick
Game 11 winner vs Game 12 winner