Very much in favor of the 65 game rule

[slamtheking]

Maybe what the league needs to do is formally designate injury vs. rest.  Not sure exactly how it would work but perhaps an injury is a minimum of 3 games or 5 games or something.  So if you deem a player "injured" that player must be out for at least 3 games or 5 games.

"Rest" games could be one game at a time but there is a maximum number of rest games that a player can miss and still qualify for awards (pick a number, 5?, 8? 10?).  Extraordinary Circumstance missed games would not count against the "rest" games (babies, family emergencies, etc).

Then leave it to the voters to decide based on injury games.  If a player missed X games due to actual injury, the voters can consider this.

I don't think that's a bad idea actually.  there'd obviously be some gamesmanship over how team's qualify Injured from Rest but I think that's a good concept to start with.  Cap the number of Rest games at say 8-10 for a season to restrict qualifiers for awards and let the Injury/Circumstance days be part of the consideration for the awards.

The league's argument about fans wanting to see the star players actually play - whether in person or on television -- rather than sitting out for rest or fake injury looks a lot more suspect in light of the league's taking away the fans' ability to see those same players on the league's greatest stage (the playoffs) by putting games on streaming services that fans do not subscribe to nor are likely to do so just to see a handful of games and incur yet another unfair cost just for being a fan.

[Vermont Green]

Maybe what the league needs to do is formally designate injury vs. rest.  Not sure exactly how it would work but perhaps an injury is a minimum of 3 games or 5 games or something.  So if you deem a player "injured" that player must be out for at least 3 games or 5 games.

"Rest" games could be one game at a time but there is a maximum number of rest games that a player can miss and still qualify for awards (pick a number, 5?, 8? 10?).  Extraordinary Circumstance missed games would not count against the "rest" games (babies, family emergencies, etc).

Then leave it to the voters to decide based on injury games.  If a player missed X games due to actual injury, the voters can consider this.

I don't think that's a bad idea actually.  there'd obviously be some gamesmanship over how team's qualify Injured from Rest but I think that's a good concept to start with.  Cap the number of Rest games at say 8-10 for a season to restrict qualifiers for awards and let the Injury/Circumstance days be part of the consideration for the awards.

The league's argument about fans wanting to see the star players actually play - whether in person or on television -- rather than sitting out for rest or fake injury looks a lot more suspect in light of the league's taking away the fans' ability to see those same players on the league's greatest stage (the playoffs) by putting games on streaming services that fans do not subscribe to nor are likely to do so just to see a handful of games and incur yet another unfair cost just for being a fan.

There would be gamesmanship but that is the idea behind the point that if you declare a player "injured", it has to be for a minimum of more than 1 game.  Pick a number, 3 games or 5 games.  The would separate out fake injuries from the real one.  You could still fake an injury, but you would have to keep the player our for say 3 games, not just one game.  If it is just one game, it counts as rest.

I am sure there would be issues around the edges of this.  Say a player gets a tooth knocked out and legitimately needed to miss one game.  Or got a cut or something.  But I think this could impact the choice to rest a player.  You can still decide to rest a player, but there would be a penalty for it.

[Moranis]

My proposal was similar.  Every player gets 2 times during the season where they can miss 1 game in the first 80 games of the season.  Once they use the 2 times up, they must miss at least 3 games. 

[trickybilly]

The Thinking Basketball YouTube vid is essential for this if not already mentioned.

[Who]

The old injured list - guys had to sit out 5 games right?

That could work.

[aefgogreen]

JB just dropped to second team 

[slamtheking]

JB just dropped to second team 

deserves first team over Cade and Luka.  Luka plays no defense and Cade has a better supporting cast than JB has on the C's.   

[keevsnick]

FWIW I could still; see Jaylen making first team over Luka.

It is going to be funny if Cade and Luka both make first team, because then there'd be three guys with fewer than 65 games played on the first team (Wemby TECHNICALLY played 65, but one was a NBA cup finals game which apparently counts towards the total but not towards regular season stats).

I don't really get how Cade counts. If a collapsed lung is an extraordinary circumstance isn't any injury? Why is a collapsed lung excluded but not turning an ankle or pulling a hamstring?

I'm not too upset because I think having Cade and Luka make all NBA is better than what we would have ended up with had they been ineligible, its just sort of stupid the way the NBA is doing this.

[aefgogreen]

FWIW I could still; see Jaylen making first team over Luka.

It is going to be funny if Cade and Luka both make first team, because then there'd be three guys with fewer than 65 games played on the first team (Wemby TECHNICALLY played 65, but one was a NBA cup finals game which apparently counts towards the total but not towards regular season stats).

I don't really get how Cade counts. If a collapsed lung is an extraordinary circumstance isn't any injury? Why is a collapsed lung excluded but not turning an ankle or pulling a hamstring?

I'm not too upset because I think having Cade and Luka make all NBA is better than what we would have ended up with had they been ineligible, its just sort of stupid the way the NBA is doing this.

Yes, based on them making this exception leads me to believe they'll make adjustments to the rule.

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

So, when the NBA has a chance to enforce the rule, it doesn't. Might as well get rid of it.

[slamtheking]

So, when the NBA has a chance to enforce the rule, it doesn't. Might as well get rid of it.

just like they did for traveling, palming, flopping and 3-seconds.   

[Phantom255x]

I will say, I'm glad they at least gave it to Cade as well. It would have been extra BS and clear Lakers love if Luka got this exception but Cade didn't despite falling short barely while having a late season-collapsed lung (pretty serious and "extraordinary" if you ask me).

Ant apparently also applied for it and was denied but he fell short by 5 games I believe

[Vermont Green]

Now that the dust has settled for who is eligible, it may not matter much for MVP.  All NBA results may change.

Here is my vote for the top 5 for MVP:

Gilgeous-Alexander
Jokic
Wembanyama
Doncic
Cunningham

I have Brown at 6 but I think it will be close between him and Cunningham. I see them as very close.  This will probably end up being the 1st team All NBA as well.

[Who]

Ant apparently also applied for it and was denied but he fell short by 5 games I believe

Ant should be on that 2nd team. He has been one of the top 10 players in the league this season.

I hate this rule.

[Roy H.]

Ant apparently also applied for it and was denied but he fell short by 5 games I believe

Ant should be on that 2nd team. He has been one of the top 10 players in the league this season.

I hate this rule.

He was a top-10 player for 73% of the season.

The other 27% of the year, he was tied for last, contributing less than Max Shulga.