It appears the National Basketball Association will be making changes to their 2023-24 season. Whether it is for the better, time will tell. However according to Jeff Van Gundy of ESPN on Wednesday, the NBA will add a midseason tournament to their schedule.
At first glance, I am not a fan of this addition whatsoever. The schedule is long enough as it is, and making it longer has reduced appeal. I am already an opponent of the NBA Play-In Tournament, which I described as “silly” earlier this week, and the midseason event makes no sense or cents.
Earlier this year, Jeff Mount of hoopshabit.com titled the headline for his post that “An NBA midseason tournament is a really bad idea,” and I definitely agree with his assessment. More is simply not always better.
What drives me bonkers about this is the total concept. Teams are participating for a nice little trophy and cheque (players earning $500,000 extra if they win the event), with the hope that the actual regular season which means something will not be disrupted significantly. At first glance this event seems to have exhibition status, is absurd and ridiculous, and I will completely focus on the National Hockey League at this time.
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The idea could have some promise if the NBA worked closely with FIBA (International Basketball Federation). I would have interest if the NBA stopped two weeks in their season each December for a World Championship. We just saw how successful the World Baseball Classic was for baseball this past October, and the NBA should look into having an event like that on a regular basis so fans do not have to wait for the Olympic Games once every four years.
I won’t be watching at all. Will you be?
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