NBA commissioner Adam Silver mulled over the idea of an in-season tournament for years before the league implemented the concept in 2023-24. However, on Monday during Media Day, Memphis Grizzlies guard Marcus Smart hinted that players may not be as enthusiastic about the idea as the league office.
Smart was queried about the thrill of competing for a brand-new trophy. His response may not have been precisely what Silver desired to hear.
“To be completely candid, nobody cares,” Smart stated.
The teams were divided into six divisions, three in each conference, and the round-robin group stage will run from November 3 to November 28. The quarterfinals are scheduled for December 4 and 5 at team locations, followed by the semifinals and finals on December 7 and 9 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
In an effort to add some excitement to the early regular-season schedule, a time when the NBA traditionally struggles to gain traction under the enormous shadow of the National Football League, the in-season tournament attempts to imitate the popular domestic tournaments in European professional basketball.
The issue is that it is literally a foreign concept to NBA spectators and players. If we’ve learned nothing else about human behavior, we should all know that change is almost always met with resistance. The spontaneous remark made by Smart is further evidence of this.
Later in his comment, he did moderate his position somewhat.
It’s wonderful to be able to play more basketball, said Smart, who has received mixed reactions from players. “And I think that’s more of it, just those additional games for the fans.”
The only issue with Smart’s views is that they do not involve more basketball. The championship game is the only addition to the schedule, and it will not factor into the standings for the regular season.
The tournament also alters the schedule for the regular season. Teams that do not qualify for the quarterfinals will receive two additional regular-season games, one at home and one away. These contests will take place on December 6 and 8. In addition, the quarterfinal losers in each conference play each other in a regular-season game on December 8.
This distinguishes the NBA plan from international domestic tournaments. Players never would have consented to a tournament format that would have added up to seven additional games to their already 82-game schedule.
Will the concept take on with followers? Is it possible? Will NBA players treat the in-season tournament seriously? If Marcus Smart’s reaction is indicative of the league as a whole, the outlook is not promising.
