DJ’s Three Point Take: "If I Was Commissioner…."

0
1080

 

DJ’s Three Point Take: “If I Was Commissioner….”

All NBA fans that have watched a basketball game have at some point stated, “If I was the commissioner, I would do this.” We all, as fans, we all have something specific that we would like to see implemented into the game we love. Whether if it’s smart or makes sense is a different story. It’s always fun to have this discussion with others because you get to hear what little nuances and changes that they would make to try to improve the game and make it more entertaining.  Everyone has a different opinion and all fans view the game differently so there is never a wrong answer. Ryan Kirk and myself decided to give you a little insight on one thing we would change, if we had the powers of running the league.

New Orleans Pelicans v Memphis Grizzlies New Orleans Pelicans v Memphis Grizzlies New Orleans Pelicans v Memphis Grizzlies

Ryan Kirk ( @rlk716 ):

If I was Commissioner, I would change the Eastern and Western conferences based on location. I think it’s unfair to teams as far as the Memphis Grizzlies and the New Orleans Pelicans. Map - Memphis.New OrleansBoth of these teams are positioned in the Western Conference and I would trade those 2 teams (Grizzlies and Pelicans) to the East for 2 other teams. The Detroit Pistons and Milwaukee Bucks would be the two Eastern teams I send for. Just imagine if the Memphis Grizzlies were on the East, that’s a clear lock in the NBA Finals. The New Orleans Pelicans are a 9th seed in the West right now. With their record in the East, they would be a 6th seed and that’s a huge difference. When you have a player like Anthony Davis in the East that can dominate, that’s very scary.

NBA: Playoffs-Miami Heat at Milwaukee Bucks

DJ Allen ( @DJAllen23 )

If I was Commissioner, the one change I would make would be the playoff system, which Adam Silver is apparently now considering. The playoffs have consistently been brutally competitive in the West whereas the East usually only has about three true contenders. Therefore, I would do away with the conferences and allow the top 16 teams in the league to enter the playoffs. It’s ridiculous to see teams out East with losing records make the playoffs when we have teams in the West with winning records on the outside looking in.  The imbalance between conferences is weighted a lot more on one side than the other.

If the playoffs started today in my league, only 6 Eastern Conference teams would make it. Meaning that 10 out of the 16 playoff teams would all be from the Western Conference. That’s mind boggling to think about but when you look back in time, it has consistently been this way. For the previous two seasons, 7 Eastern Conference teams would have made it if the format was changed. Looking back last year, the Atlanta Hawks made the playoffs with a (38-44) record while the Phoenix Suns missed the playoffs with a (48-34) record. With the new layout, we would see teams in the East that are top seeds now possibly lose their position at the top and no longer have that home court advantage. Match-ups mean everything during playoff time. With this new system, there would be no more cake walks in the first and second rounds and that’s what basketball is all about, competition! If the league was running under my supervision, this is what the playoffs would look like right now:

2015 Commissioner nba playoffs
I also believe that this new layout would make things a lot more interesting and fun to watch. You are truly getting the best sixteen teams in the NBA fighting for the championship, and right now you can’t say that. I think we’ve seen that the league needs a change because there’s an influx of inferior teams making the playoffs in the East. If things remain how they’ve been going, the NBA may have no choice but to change the layout. At the end of the day, a losing record shouldn’t be in the playoffs over a losing record – regardless of conferences.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here