The NBA has completed its rule change-for-fault process, ending years of discussions about what to do with the long-mistaken strategy.
And, as expected, the play-in tournament will take place in the near future.
The federation’s board completed those two issues on Tuesday, passing a plan to award a free throw when teams are at a disadvantage due to a foul – as well as removing the “test” designation from the element. play into the post-season.
“Overall, it was upbeat after our meeting,” said NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. “Everyone is very excited as we head into next season, it looks like we will be on the right track in terms of when the season starts, in terms of our protocols around the game, especially in terms of the health and safety of the players. “
Unsurprisingly, the league changed the penalty for fouls; Silver told The Associated Press in early June that it would change, though warned that the new rule could still be tweaked in the coming years.
A foul – in which the defender fails to make a play – is what the federation classifies as occurring “during a forward scoring opportunity or shortly after a change of possession and before the attacking team” have a chance to advance. ball.” The exception is in the last 2 minutes of the fourth half or injury time.
The new penalty for such a foul is a free throw, which can be taken by any player on the offending team in game at the time the foul was committed and continues in possession.
Silver covers a number of other topics, including:
TURNOVER
The NBA is having an epic fiscal year, with revenue topping $10 billion for the first time and basketball-related earnings hitting $8.9 billion, another record.
Silver said the numbers are particularly strong because the league is still dealing with a pandemic, and it wasn’t long ago when some questioned whether sport could survive the virus – at least. in the sense of whether people want to regroup or not.
“The numbers surprised me to a certain extent because they exceeded expectations, and the forecasts represent where we think our business is going,” Silver said. “I think that’s pretty remarkable compared to where we were two and a half years ago.”
KEVIN DURANT
Kevin Durant has another four-year contract with the Brooklyn Nets, and his trade claim is one of the biggest stories of the season.
It’s not something Silver is particularly fond of.
“This needs to be a two-way street,” Silver said. “Teams provide great security and assurance to players, and the expectation in return is that they reach a final agreement. There are always conversations going on behind closed doors between players and reps and teams, but we don’t like seeing players request trades and we don’t want to see it play out that way. its. “
PLAY-IN TOURNAMENT
The play-in tournament has been generally considered a success, so it’s no surprise that the league is keeping it at bay.
The play-in tournament – in its current form – has been used in each of the previous two seasons, where the seventh, eighth, ninth and 10th placed teams in East and West meet to determine the last two playoff spots in each convention. .
Team 7 plays against Team 8, with the victory going to follow the 7th seed in the knockout round. Team 9 plays against Team 10, with the loser being eliminated and the winner going on to face the losing team in games 7-8. The winner of that match was the 8th seed.
It was a success, mainly because it tended to take on the crazy feel of March – four knockouts before the knockouts even started – and give teams more incentive to not increase for better odds in draft lottery.
There was an element of participation in 2020 as well in the reboot bubble at Walt Disney World, as Portland beat Memphis for the eighth seed in the Western Conference. Memphis could have gotten the eighth seed that year by beating Portland twice; The Blazers only have to win one game to claim the spot.
LOAD MANAGEMENT
Load management – the fancy term given now when a player has to sit out a game to rest – has been a challenge for the league and its teams in recent years. Silver said it will continue to be discussed with the players’ union as the parties become more involved in negotiations for the next collective bargaining agreement.
The league has taken steps, fueled by sleep science and other data, to try to make the schedule more player-friendly in recent years. Four-game matches over five nights have been scrapped, head-to-head matches have been reduced, and the league has even managed to keep teams in the same city in consecutive games with limited effort. travel over the course of a season.
That said, sometimes, a player stays seated. Silver suggests that maybe it’s time to consider refilling as an incentive to play more often.
“I’m all in favor of guaranteed contracts,” Silver said. “But maybe in addition to your typical guaranteed contracts, an incremental amount will be based on the number of games played and the outcome of those games. I mean, that’s how it works in most industries where there are financial incentives – even among executives who are well paid for performance. “
ABA PAYMENTS
The NBA and NBPA have announced a new program – jointly funded – to provide payouts to approximately 115 ABA players who have played at least three seasons but are not eligible for an NBA pension. They will receive an “accreditation payment” of $3,828 per year of service.
“Our players have a genuine sense of gratitude for those who paved the way and helped us achieve the success we are today,” said NBPA CEO Tamika Tremaglio. “We have always considered ABA players part of our brotherhood and we are proud to finally recognize them with this benefit.”
Silver said the federation and the players “felt the need to act on behalf of these former ABA players, who are aging and, in many cases, face difficult economic circumstances.”
