Hoops

Is the NBA broken?

Direct quotes from their ad campaign KET, slightly taking the piss mate! Nonetheless the NBA Cares concept is something that gives back to the community, something they couldn't quite do as well without all those $$$...

Valid point of what? NBA not being broken?

I reckon the NBA Cares - ie. humanitarian/community programs etc is a valid point.

NBA cares
NBA is amazing

NBA games are often sell-outs
NBA is huge overseas
NBA cares
NBA is amazing
NBA is worth billions
NBA is on TV everywhere
NBA is in the news everywhere
NBA tops and aparel are best sellers
NBA players make a fortune

NBA is broken, yeah right!

IMO, existing salaries should scale with the jump in salary cap. That way guys aren't penalised for signing long-term loyalty deal and teams don't "free up cap room" by virtue of the cap expanding.

Ummm, so who predicted the Cav's to win it after being 1-3 down?

Salary cap is going up again to either 104 or 114 next season. Plus Warriors will have Stephs Bird rights which means they can go over the cap to resign him if I'm not mistaken. They'll be fine

They will prevail. The points system would help and unlike the NBL the NBA can afford to police the salary cap.

Even if I hated Durants move I'd still be watching. Quality of basketball compared to the NBL is night and day

@Isaac, well if you just take this season into account, yes very unpredictable in so many ways I think.

Golden State breaking the regular season win/loss record, Cav's winning after being down 1-3 in the final, Thunder actually losing after being 3-1 up or whatever they were (unbelievable) and I can go on about the unpredictable results and incredible nature of the NBA in context.

The nba will never be popular with these "super" teams

1980s - Lakers / Celtics

1990s - Pistons / Bulls

2000s - Lakers

Also I can't see anyone watching the EPL or La Liga.

Golden State sucked for a good 15+ years, although good management and some luck allowed them to rise.

The Lakers will be horrible for the next few years at least.

Whatever happens, I'll watch.

Also on the inflated salaries this Free Agency. Yes, they're perverse (Mozgov - lol), but if the money is there through sponsorship/TV etc, then the players (all of them) deserve a more than fair cut of it. After all, no one buys season tickets, and sponsors don't put in money, and ESPN doesn't buy TV rights to look at Steve Ballmer, Mark Cuban or Mickey Arison on the sidelines.

"How are the smaller markets supposed to remain competitive though?" - Ridiculous question. How have the Lakers, Clippers, Knicks, Nets, Mavs and Bulls been doing lately?

Small markets? What? You mean like the perennially so-so up-until-a-few-years-ago Warriors, or Cleveland, Oklahoma City, Portland, Atlanta, Toronto, San Antonio, Charlotte etc etc? All small or in most cases VERY small markets.

^ All playoff teams this season. NYK, LAL, CHI nowhere to be seen. Clippers are a bit of a basket case while we're at it.

Let's not go overboard here. It's not the end of the NBA. In some way or another, this has always been happening. Sure, KD's gone for a quick fix, but there are no guarantees in life, especially sport.

Remember, Curry has a history of being gimpy. KD has had numerous foot problems over the years, always a danger for a 7 footer.

Yes, right now, if a gun was placed to my head, the Warriors have it in the bag. You never know what might happen though.

All that being said, I am for Isaac's Hard Cap, no max salary ideas.

For me it is.

I've lost interest in it and won't be following it next season and probably beyond.

@Isaac, well if you just take this season into account, yes very unpredictable in so many ways I think.

Golden State breaking the regular season win/loss record, Cav's winning after being down 1-3 in the final, Thunder actually losing after being 3-1 up or whatever they were (unbelievable) and I can go on about the unpredictable results and incredible nature of the NBA in context.

Sure, no one wants to see rich teams dominate like the EPL has done over many seasons, but even in England, who would have picked Leicester City??

So, yes, I believe the NBA is unpredictable, in that context...

Broken? Will people still tune in to watch or will everyone but GSW, Spurs and Cleveland suddenly stop watching?
If anything more people will watch GSW especially to
A) See if they can become the greatest offensive team ever assembled
B) Watch them massively fail with different chemistry and controversy with who takes the most shots.
Didn't all of this already get covered when Lebron went to Miami? Sure they got a couple of titles but they hardly became a dynasty because other teams caught up. Unless they do offence for defence every possession teams will take it at Curry and Durant and without Bogut there anchoring the middle they may be scoring a lot but will give up a lot in return.

If Delly is worth $10m then yes it's broken.

On the other hand, if the league is broken because a team signed it's players to team friendly deals and managed to move players in order to sign a star, then keep it broken. What next, making ring chasing vets illegal?

"An NBL style points system? Oh wait, that got scrapped."

No it didn't LC, it just got renamed so they could pretend to get rid of it.

The money has to be spent though. Thats why so many players are getting max/near max deals. Its better it goes to the players than the owners.

How are the smaller markets supposed to remain competitive though? Its almost getting to the point, where the salary cap is irrelevant!

If i were commissioner, I would enforce maximum 2 players earning 20+ Million, and then up to 3 players on 15-20 Million.

Thats 85 million already, and would allow more balance in the middle range! I dont like some of the players getting max deals right now

How is it any different to the super teams in the 60s, 70s, 80s and early 90s?

The fans are the ones who put all the pressure on players to win rings or they just weren't good enough, and when these players chase rings they get bashed for it, they can't win!

I think it's great, from a basketball perspective watching those players play in that system, I'll sure be watching even if they're not my team.

I'm interested to how good Durant is when he actually plays good team basketball for once and actually has open shots, instead of the issues in OKC with Westbrook and co.

They might be the super teams now but were they always?

GSW
Cavs
Miami

Come on the super teams were LA, Knicks and Bulls and they are nithing now. Perhaps the Knicks may make a resergence now.

Every era has its dominant teams, it all swings in round abouts.

"The rise of the Super teams is ridiculous!"

Baller, with a $110+ mil salary cap next year and @20mil max salaries, one team could sign the best 4 players in the league and still round out a balanced roster - even with a hard cap...

"the rich get richer, whilst the poor get poorer!"

Dellavedova, earned less than $2.5 million in his first three years - a very decent living, even if underwhelming by comparison. The lower-mid-tier player he is just signed a $40mil guaranteed contract under the current rules. Please explain how he, or anyone else for that matter, are poorer.

"When the new television deal came to be, the NBA knew problems could be on the horizon, and went to the players association to try and negotiate a “smoothing” proposal, to allow the money to more gradually come into the system and avoid any sudden salary cap spikes. The [players] union, however, declined to do so, feeling it was better for the money to simply come in as it was supposed to."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/sports/wp/2016/07/05/kevin-durant-decided-to-join-the-warriors-his-decision-was-five-years-in-the-making/

Bear, is it really unpredictable if there are strong teams very much favoured to win?

As I said in the other thread: hard cap, no max salaries. That would spread the elite players out a bit.

I don't necessarily see it as broken!

Exciting, incredible, wealthy, amazing, frustrating, shocking, powerful, athletic, unpredictable and many more words come to mind, but not broken...

An NBL style points system? Oh wait, that got scrapped.

Another ABL season nearly done.

This is the time of year coaches look to recruit (poach) from other clubs.Who would be high on the recruit list for coaches??

A few retirements around the league will mean a lot more minutes and oppurtunities at some clubs...

Many players diddn't get the minutes they deserved or think they deserved..

Who has put themselves out there for a switch of teams??