NBA In-Season tournament opinions

I think the NBA could do better with its tournament trophy right? (Credit: NBA website)
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The NBA In-Season tournament started and is generating more viewership but I have some opinions as to how the tournament could improve. Some are very important for player safety and others for marketing. Let’s see my opinions:

Opinion #3: The NBA should change the court for safety

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Very, very orange court. (Credit: NBANewYork Instagram)_

Every player competing in the tournament has complained about the courts. The courts are slippery and the bright colors cause problems to fans watching over the course of a game. Check out comments by Jaylen Brown in this article here about the unsafe conditions of the courts. Perhaps they should stick to a logo and a cool trophy with the courts looking regular.

But, when your most important employees are complaining about the court, there will be no 2nd tournament. The tempo and pace of the games will define the tournament, not the marketing. In addition to adopting the European in-season model, the “load management” issue story will continue to overwhelm good regular season games. Check out this article here on the new rules the NBA is implementing this season to mitigate players sitting out and fans tuning out.

Opinion #2: The tournament needs a name for itself and the trophy

Come ‘on NBA, the tournament name is “The In-Season tournament” and the trophy is called, “The NBA Cup”? Rewind and try again. Some suggestions that this site can help with are:

  • Naismith Cup (or Tournament)
  • Jordan Tournament (or Cup)
  • David Stern Trophy
  • Kobe Bryant Memorial tournament
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Picture, “The Jordan Cup” (Credit: NBA)

The tournament name and the trophy name should rival the Larry O’ Brien trophy and the playoff tournament. Most talk show radio hosts lather up at the topic of “how meaningless is the regular season (compared to the playoffs).” An in-season tournament can have its own popularity, its own personalities and be “the U.S. title” in comparison to the NBA Playoffs, “World Championship.”

Opinion #1: The tournament needs storylines and symbol teams

NBA fans in the U.S. are creatures of habit and won’t respond to the in-season tournament unless there is a team that captures people’s attention. The teams that could do that are the Magic, the Timberwolves, the Pelicans, the Bucks and the Lakers.

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Paolo and Franz are two International stars. (Photo credit: Fernando Medina, NBAE via Getty Images)

The Magic are at the top of the Southeast division and have young, exciting players like Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero. The whole team appears to be tall and athletic with long reaches. The Pelicans have Zion Williamson and CJ McCollum and this tournament could generate an identity that it selects the next Conference title contender. The Pelicans have been hyped for a few years as a contender but have never proved themselves. The Timberwolves are 12-4! Does anyone outside of Minneapolis-St. Paul know this? The Timberwolves are 2-1 in the tournament. Check out this Forbes article here on their success.

The Bucks are 3-0 and could “win a smaller title” and gain confidence for the playoffs. The Lakers are a strong 4-0 and would definitely benefit from a final four appearance. Also the Celtics could gain confidence for the playoffs by winning the tournament. Every Heat fan knows that the Celtics are always promoted in the playoffs as “the most talented team.” Check out this article here on our site on an in-season tournament game between the Raptors and Bulls which was the first time they played since the play-in games last season.

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