Inspired by my buddy Coach Max’s recent article on hockey, I decided to spread my wings a little to address some problems facing the NBA (National Basketball Association). You have every right question this rock climber’s authority on professional basketball, but keep in mind I am no stranger to the development and improvement of professional sports. Take a look at ClimBall. While Netflix and Amazon have not yet come knocking at my door, neither has Tubi or Freevee or Pluto TV for that matter, not a word from Shudder, Fubu, Cubo, Hallmark, Popcorn Flix, or MonkeySee (only one of those was made up), the point remains, I have some experience in the direction of potential professional sports.
Now that you have complete and total respect for my judgement, let’s get into two major problems currently facing the NBA. All-Star Weekend sucks and tanking teams zap the enjoyment from watching pro basketball!
Let’s start by fixing the easy problem, All-Star Weekend. The NBA has been tweaking the All-Star Game for a few years now, with the goal of making the game more competitive. The most recent iteration saw a three team format pitting older players, younger players, and international players against one another. The format seemed to work, as there was at least some level of competitive spirit infused into the competition. My advice for now is to stick with this format for a few years to see if it can gain some momentum.
The major problem with All-Star Weekend has been and continues to be the Dunk Contest. For reasons not considered here, the contest has become completely unwatchable, and because of that, it is time to scratch the challenge altogether. Some suggest replacing it with a 1v1 tournament, but that’s barely better than watching someone shoot around by themselves. If you are really into a specific player it might be entertaining, but for most people it just won’t move the needle.
The only solution to fixing All-Star Weekend is to add a game of 21.
The top 10 vote getters who didn’t make the All-Star Team will be invited to play “21” on All-Star Saturday Night. The rules are simple, the top vote getter of this group “breaks”, meaning they start off the game by shooting a free-throw. The 1st free-throw is worth 2 points, each free-throw that follows is worth only 1 point. From there, the goal is to score 21 points, and the first player to reach that score wins. After each made field-goal a player goes to the free-throw line, if they make a free-throw, they get another free-throw. A player will be limited to 3 free-throws before they get checked-up by an opponent, and from there play resumes. If a player misses a free-throw, the ball is live and any opposing player may chase down the rebound and try to score. In the interest of time, this game will be played based on the “tip” rule which states that if you tip in a miss while jumping in the air, the player who took the shot is eliminated. One further rule that must be observed is sometimes referred to as “backs” that is, if a player misses a potential game-winning free-throw, their score is automatically reduced back to 15 points.
Without a doubt, this would be the most exciting experience of All-Star Weekend. It would outshine the 3-Point Contest, the Skills Challenge, and the game itself. There isn’t a basketball player in the world who doesn’t have experience playing 21, a game that will be easy to follow for the average fan, and completely relatable to anyone who has ever stepped foot on the blacktop.
Now on to the hard problem. Tanking is the process of intentionally losing games in order to ensure a losing record. Bad teams are incentivized to lose as they are rewarded with an increased potential to obtain a higher draft pick in the post-season draft.
The entire process of tanking is an insult to competitive basketball and the fans who pay hard-earned money to watch their favorite teams and players compete. Some ways in which teams tank include keeping their star players out of the line-up, limiting minutes of the most advantageous units, and using game-time to tryout players who may not otherwise get off the bench.
There have been several recommendations to overcome the process of tanking, but from what I can tell, none have come from a rock-climber.
The best possible solution is what I call the Tournament of the Eliminated (ToE). There are 30 NBA teams, each season, 16 teams make the playoffs, and 14 enter the draft lottery (the teams with the worst overall record have the best odds of obtaining the highest draft pick based on a lottery). The ToE amounts to a single loss elimination tournament between the bottom 14 terms.
| Round | Teams | Games |
|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | 12 teams (2 get byes) | 6 games |
| Quarterfinals | 8 teams | 4 games |
| Semifinals | 4 teams | 2 games |
| Final | 2 teams | 1 game |
Each matchup, as well as the 2 byes in the first round would be determined by lottery, in order to avoid any advantage based on team record. Odds for the forthcoming draft lottery will be based on the results of the ToE, with the winner getting the best odds, the runner-up receiving the next best odds, and so on.
This idea eliminates the need for a race to the bottom, adds 13 more games to the NBA schedule ($$$), and gives the fans who support bottom dwelling teams something to look forward to. Since regular season record won’t be the final factor for increasing lottery odds, teams will no longer be incentivized to tank. That is what I call a win win win!
Adam Silver (Commissioner of the NBA) let me know if you want to talk about this or if you want me to solve any other problems facing the league. You can hit me up in the comments, or find me on the climbing wall!
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