Article: Page2 Simmons - A fan-friendly solution to fix the NBA

[Rick Von Braun]

A fan-friendly solution to fix the NBA
By Bill Simmons
ESPN.com

http://sports.espn.go.com/photo/2010/0224/nba_g_nets_576.jpg
The Nets are just one of several NBA teams struggling to give their fans a good product.

When the Writers Guild of America went on strike in 2007, something fascinating happened: The networks, production companies and movie studios slowly realized their infrastructure made no real sense. They had been handing out too many developmental deals, green-lighting too many pilots and overpaying for too many movies for far too long. It was a broken model. Only when that massive overhead was removed for a few months and Hollywood didn't collapse did everyone realize, "Wait a second, were we doing this the right way?"

The answer, clearly, was no. The old way was like watching two people battle over entrée choices for dinner, then playing it safe by ordering everything on the menu. When the strike ended right as the economy was turning, new Hollywood tightened its belt, stopped overdeveloping and aimed for a higher batting average. Frugality and caution now carry the day. Sure, A-listers earn as much money as they always did, and expensive movies and television shows cost as much as they always did. But that's where it ends. Creative people in Los Angeles now talk longingly of "the old days," back when you could waltz into someone's office, pitch a half-baked idea and walk out with a check. No longer.

Keep reading... (http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/print?id=4941209&type=story)

P.S.: if this is not the right forum, please feel free to move it.

[Rick Von Braun]

Bill Simmons hit the nail in the head IMHO. The fans do not get any discount for their season tickets when the team sucks over the span of multiple consecutive years. There is no incentive for teams to remain competitive, with the system of lux tax, higher percentage of top pick with worst record, and no playoffs revenues due to bad record.

I tend to agree also that the Stern is simply protecting his employers' errors, and most of all, the fans suffer due to the owner mismanagement.

Comments?

[eyeh8u]

not spurs related, and also fuck bill simmons

[Bender]

not spurs related, and also fuck bill simmons
what an intelligent comment...

[diego]

the only other league that I really followed like the NBA have been various soccer leagues. when I started following the NBA, I was really confused/impressed by the CBA and all the conditions it places, not to mention the draft and the lack of promotion/relegation.

in most soccer leagues, you have a group of big clubs that have a lot of money and dominate the league; sure, every year there are surprise teams that contend and sometimes even win, but they usually end up losing their players/coaches to the big clubs. so at first, the NBA's system seemed like an effective way to counter that and create parity.

but after several years of following the NBA, you start to notice all these teams that are unable to acquire good players, that have to overpay to keep the ones they have, and that literally end up losing games on purpose, losing players on purpose, to have better draft picks and more cap space- for what? the future? none of the soccer leagues i followed, not even the most polarized between haves and have nots, do you see teams suck on purpose. and worse, in cases like the clippers, where they suck not even for the future, they suck for profit (from lux tax payments), and everyone knows it.

so I no longer consider the NBA system as innovative and fair as on first impression. if there isnt a penalty for sucking, at least make better incentives not to suck.

[arles]

but after several years of following the NBA, you start to notice all these teams that are unable to acquire good players, that have to overpay to keep the ones they have, and that literally end up losing games on purpose, losing players on purpose, to have better draft picks and more cap space- for what? the future? none of the soccer leagues i followed, not even the most polarized between haves and have nots, do you see teams suck on purpose. and worse, in cases like the clippers, where they suck not even for the future, they suck for profit (from lux tax payments), and everyone knows it.


I feel the same way you do.
But I think it REALLY hurts when you even see the fans wanting their teams to suck just "for the future".
That's just SAD. And I've seen fans like that ONLY in the nba.

[mogrovejo]

the only other league that I really followed like the NBA have been various soccer leagues. when I started following the NBA, I was really confused/impressed by the CBA and all the conditions it places, not to mention the draft and the lack of promotion/relegation.

in most soccer leagues, you have a group of big clubs that have a lot of money and dominate the league; sure, every year there are surprise teams that contend and sometimes even win, but they usually end up losing their players/coaches to the big clubs. so at first, the NBA's system seemed like an effective way to counter that and create parity.

but after several years of following the NBA, you start to notice all these teams that are unable to acquire good players, that have to overpay to keep the ones they have, and that literally end up losing games on purpose, losing players on purpose, to have better draft picks and more cap space- for what? the future? none of the soccer leagues i followed, not even the most polarized between haves and have nots, do you see teams suck on purpose. and worse, in cases like the clippers, where they suck not even for the future, they suck for profit (from lux tax payments), and everyone knows it.

so I no longer consider the NBA system as innovative and fair as on first impression. if there isnt a penalty for sucking, at least make better incentives not to suck.

It's basketball, top-tier talent is scarce. At least in football you have clubs like FC Porto winning European titles here and there. Make the NBA a competition like many domestic basketball leagues in Europe, where the same clubs win the competition every year and, more importantly, 90% of them (or more), have no chance of winning a title, now, in the near future or in the distant future and it'd fold in a couple of seasons.

Plus, totally different culture. I mean, ask Spurs fans what would they think if their ballclub goal in every given year were:

- have a good season meaning that by the end of it you'd have earned the right to play with the great basketball teams like Los Angeles and New York next year as well or even a really great one, meaning you'd make the playoffs.

- have a bad season meaning you'll spend next year playing against the Rio Grande Valley Vipers and such but at least you'll be the favourite to win the competition - meaning if everything goes well you're going to be promoted to the NBA Div 1, where in the following year you can have another epic fight with the Bucks and the Thunder to avoid relegation.

And that's it.


---------

Isn't this article like a few months old? I hated it. Simmons has no idea what he's talking about. Plus, there are few things more enervating about the NBA than all the bitching about tanking. 99% of the tanking happens only in the minds of fans and writers.

[vander]

this Fan would Fix the NBA by:

allowing 6 teams per conference into the playoffs, with 2 teams getting byes.

no more free throws for personal fouls, think about it, think about it as you watch another guard throw himself into a defender, toss up a shot that never had a chance, fall down, and get rewarded with free throws
no, the NBA must make it's players actually score their points against defenders.

[boutons_deux]

NBA has too many teams for the playing/coaching/gm talent.

Announced the cancellation of 10 franchises when they come up for renewal over the next 5 years and the criteria for cancellation. Limit NBA to 20 teams.

[vander]

NBA has too many teams for the playing/coaching/gm talent.

Announced the cancellation of 10 franchises when they come up for renewal over the next 5 years and the criteria for cancellation. Limit NBA to 20 teams.

the talent pool and population of NBA fans continues to grow, so just remaining at 30 teams would slowly accomplish the same basic purpose.

[diego]

It's basketball, top-tier talent is scarce.

agree, that is probably the number 1 main difference. and I didnt say that soccer style promotion/relegation was better. All I'm saying is that, for all the positives to the CBA and draft system, something is horribly wrong when teams have incentives to suck. if you aren't going to punish them for sucking (ie relegation), then at least give them lots of incentives not to suck, and not the other way around. can you really say 99% of tanking is in fans/writers minds? please. the lebron draft and now the lebron FA, for each event you had at least 5 teams tripping over themselves to lose games and dump contracts, basically for one player. its ridiculous.

[eyeh8u]

what an intelligent comment...


i know huh