Commissioner Adam Silver defended the NBA’s 65-game requirement for players to qualify for postseason awards and All-NBA honors at his annual All-Star Weekend press conference, writes Joe Vardon of The Athletic. The new minimum was enacted to reduce the number of games missed by marquee players, and Silver is happy with the effect it’s had on the league.
“I’m not ready to say it isn’t working so far,” he said. “I can tell you that the number of games that players have participated in is up this season and interestingly enough, injuries are actually down. Whether that’s meaningful data yet, I don’t know. I think the right time to take a further look at this rule is at the end of the season when we sort of at least have a year under our belt.”
Vardon cites Sixers center Joel Embiid as an example of a player who was affected by the 65-game standard. A series of nagging injuries made Embiid unlikely to be eligible to repeat as MVP, even before he underwent surgery for a meniscus tear. Vardon also points to Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton, who is trying to stay on the court while battling hamstring issues so he can make an All-NBA team and be eligible for a larger contract extension.
Silver stated that the players union agreed to the 65-game requirement with the understanding that “we needed to incentivize players, particularly star players, to play more games.” Vardon notes that 16 of the league’s top 20 scorers and 35 of the top 50 have played at least 45 games by the break, which is up sharply from last season.
There’s more from Silver’s press conference, all from Vardon:
- The commissioner addressed the explosion of offense this season as the league average of 115.6 points per game per team is at its highest level in 54 years. Silver believes the increased scoring is a result of the high-level talent throughout the NBA and isn’t something that the league should be trying to control. “I want to dispel any notion that the league feels, or the league office necessarily feels that high-scoring games in the abstract are good,” Silver said. “I think what we want are competitive games. … The skill level is off the charts. Every player at every position has to be able to shoot the ball. … You’re seeing this global pool of talent coming into the league (with) some of the best athletes in the world who can frankly shoot the lights out. I think that’s partly what’s responsible for the increased scoring.”
- Silver said the league is “in the process of reassessing” the G League Ignite, which was created to appeal to young players looking for an alternative to college. Silver acknowledged that NIL incentives have made the NCAA more lucrative for athletes and reduced the appeal of the Ignite.
- The NBA is encouraging changes to the development system for American players, with Silver noting that 30% of the league was born somewhere other than the U.S. “It’s clear that the development is very different in many of those programs outside of the United States, more focused on practice and less focused on games, which seems to be the opposite of many of the youth programs in the United States,” Silver said. “We’ve begun discussions with the NCAA. … There’s no question (top American players) are coming into the league incredibly skilled, but that doesn’t necessarily translate into being team basketball players.”
I hope he sticks to his guns. These are awards after all – not an entitlement. It’s simple how can you be the MVP if you don’t play in 80% of the games? Embid winning last year was a joke – they just wanted someone else besides Jokic.
This isn’t punishing players for getting injured they just don’t get an extra trophy.
Basically, the question comes down to this: does anyone have a superior realistic proposal not based on emotion nor personal preference that both the league and players association may actually go for? If not, then this would be the best option at the moment.
Personally, I have my own ideas about ways to potentially address the issue but even I can acknowledge that I’m not sure how willing either party would be to consider them, or how realistic they would be in practice. It is a problem without any straightforward answers, as frustrating as that may be for some of us.
You’re right. How could you possibly be an MVP candidate if you played only 76.8% of the games?
Chuck,
I can’t tell if you are being sarcastic or not. All I will add is if a player misses a quarter of his games, he should not be the MVP. Those missed games could be the difference in seeding for the playoffs or whether or not a team makes the playoffs at all.
76.8% happens to be the difference between playing 64 games as compared to 65.
Embiid did meet the 65 game requirement last year, so your statement makes no sense whatsoever and doesn’t go with what the article is about. In fact, what you said makes negative sense.
Couldn’t have the white guy three years in a row. Kendrick and Stephen A. would lose their minds.
Silver is a clown. Never thought I’d miss Stern (and I don’t), but at least he never in his life said something like “I’m not ready to say it isn’t working so far”.
When it comes to the awards, the 65-game rule means nothing. Giannis (2019-20), Lebron (2011-12), and Karl Malone (1998-99) all won the MVP while playing less than 65 games, but all three won in shortened seasons. There is only one season where a player won the MVP while playing less than 65 games in a full season, and that was Bill Walton in 1977-78.
No body likes you Silver. It’s because you defend your cheating refs
I could care less about awards, they are for collecting dust bunnies , the travesty in this situation is the tie to the pay scales on players thereafter
I’d almost rather have the follies of no max than the current max system in place, although I do think there’s a tweak to be had in keeping max’s just not tying them to rather subjective criteria like they are today –
NBA markets use to be pretty pure as far as markets go , that’s changed a lot the last 4~5 yrs . Rich getting richer, middle class disappearing , sound familiar ? This last Cba was a major disappointment
The rule just makes sense and it cuts down on guys like Lebron playing whenever they feel like it to rest for the playoffs (past years). And the only thing they lose are meaningless trophies and awards. And even if they are tied to some type of compensation, I think they’ll have plenty of food on their table. Plus it’ll motivate players more, many of them are more concerned about their own personal achievements anyway so it probably works for the benefit of the game.
It is a good rule but it should be 75% of games not 80%. 60 or 61 games allows a player to not worry that a cold could cost him an award and or paycheck. I get the idea. Tickets are expensive. When you pay for them you want to be certain your team will have its best players on the floor instead of the bench. The rule as it stands now will lead to token appearances.
Here is what bothers me about this topic (65 game benchmark):
Whether I agree or not with the game limits negotiated, no one ever wants to address the topic about the wear and tear some of these players (‘super-stars’) absorb by playing 34+ minutes in games that have a 20+ point margin going in to quarter 4. Players needlessly stay in blowouts to chase stats. And no one calls them out.
As a fan, I am not impressed by a Joel Embiid or L. Doncic putting up a triple double in a 28 point win…….where the lead was that large all game.
It shouldn’t be about playing vs not playing, but also how these players approach the games they do play in.
Tired of seeing guys play 36 minutes in a blowout, then sit for 2 games.
Good point and I agree
Only counter would be w the 3 pt shot so prevalent leads tend to disappear a lot quicker than before … but yea there’s a ton of times I’d like to see the 10-15 guys get some mins / development
The 65 game rule is about the only rule I agree with that Silver has implemented. I’m waiting for this guy to add a second division playoffs. The NIT of the nba, everybody makes the playoffs.
NIL incentives? Cant figure out what that abbreviation means.
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