"As a fan I still don't give a s**t lol", "These are all going to be regular season games that he would be forfeiting"- NBA fans reacts to Mark Cuban's comments on NBA's in-season tournament
The NBA saw some traction in the discussions surrounding adding a mid-season tournament. Teams will compete for a separate title from the Larry O'Brien trophy. The games will be logged as part of the regular season.
The Athletic's Shams Charania tweeted about the developments earlier in the week.
Current framework of NBA In Season Tournament as soon as 2023-24, per sources:
- Cup games through November
- 8 teams advance to single-elimination Final in December; other 22 continue with regular season
- All games part of normal 82-game schedule; one extra for two Final teams
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver made an appearance on ESPN's "Get Up" and elaborated further on the concept:
"The idea would be to take nothing away from the Larry O'Brien trophy, our championship trophy, but in what is increasingly a long regular-season, getting people to sit down for two and a half hours to watch a game isn't necessarily consistent."
"The season would start around the same time and end around the same time but maybe convert some of those regular season games into what we'd call mid-season tournament, and begin a new tradition that players care about, teams care about."
The response to the proposition, however, has largely been disappointing. Fans and experts alike have scoffed at the idea of a mid-season tournament and see the changes as unnecessary.
DeMar DeRozan of the Chicago Bulls has already sounded off his opinion. He said he was not a fan of the proposal. Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said the Mavs would flat out rest their top players in such a tournament.
"In terms of in season tournament, I'm not a fan. I can see the Mavs not participating at all or resting our best players. Until they give me one of those [The Larry O'Brien Trophy], the prize is the prize."
Mark Cuban on NBA In Season Tournament:
"In terms of in season tournament, I'm not a fan. I can see the Mavs not participating at all or resting our best players. Until they give me one of those [The Larry O'Brien Trophy] the prize is the prize."
#MFFL #NBATwitter #Dallasin https://t.co/lYYEc9OPzV
r/NBA reacted to Cuban's comments with divisive opinions.
Will an in-season NBA tournament increase NBA viewership?
The league wants more people to tune in to regular-season games. They are trying to make regular season games more important to fans.
The tournament might not create significant growth in viewership. All teams in the league play solely for the championship. If the mid-season tournament can contribute to benefitting teams, then it could blossom into something relevant.
However, even such a scenario risks losing existing viewership. The mid-season tournament might come off as a gimmick.