Warriors beat writer Danny Emerman shares his thoughts on the NBA
The NBA Cup isn’t worth the hassle.
Following it during the group stage is nearly impossible. The incentive structure of prize money for players and coaches is off. Some within the league worry about the potential injury risk of ramping up for playoff-level play so early in the season. The championship game gets Thanos snapped from history.
What’s worst is that teams get punished, not rewarded, for performing well in the NBA Cup. They’re better off missing the knockout rounds. Making, and advancing in, the NBA Cup comes at a cost.
Consider the Warriors, who are set to go on the road to play Houston with a chance to advance to the semifinals in Las Vegas. If they beat the Rockets, they’ll play 40 home games on the season, imbalancing their schedule and creating more difficult travel that can cascade.
“Schedule-wise, it hurts,” an Eastern Conference executive said. “You lose a home game, it’s not good. That’s the one thing I feel like it sucks.”
Their already gauntlet of a December schedule could add the Rockets game, a neutral-site Mavericks or Thunder matchup, and a high-intensity 83rd game that doesn’t even count at all (except for a banner and cash).
Teams on the East Coast who make the semifinals have to traverse multiple time zones to get to Vegas, facing an even higher competitive disadvantage.
Teams that miss the knockout round, meanwhile, play the standard 41 home games and get rescheduled against other teams who missed the Cup — likely easier opponents.
Because the NBA Cup (previously known as the In-Season Tournament) is only in its second year, it’s hard to make snap judgments. The league’s goal with it is admirable: generate interest in games before Christmas with an artificially more competitive setting. But it’s clear there are issues with it that need to be smoothed out.
“I get why they’re doing it,” the executive said. “I’d love to see data that shows this is working. And helps the league out. Like I’d love to see the numbers after this one and I think they’ve got to re-evaluate if it’s not helping at all.”
Last year, the Lakers-Pacers championship last year was the most-watched, non-Christmas regular season game in six years, per Nielsen. It was a major win for the league, whose fans got to see an elevated level of competition early in the season in a novel tournament.
But it’s possible that the ratings success from last year was a blip; it shouldn’t be a surprise that people were interested in LeBron James in a championship-coded game. What happens this year if Steph Curry doesn’t reach the title game?
In the group stage, muddied groups that change annually and head-spinning tiebreaker machinations make the barrier for entry for fans very high.
There’s no real path for the league to do an about-face. In their 11-year media rights deal, Amazon purchased the rights to stream future NBA Cup quarterfinal, semifinal and championship games.
To be fair, the NBA Cup isn’t on DEFCON 2. As long as the players are bought in, the games should be entertaining — and that’s what really matters to the league. To a man, players have taken the games seriously and they talk about winning the prize money. Some teams, particularly those with young rosters, like to see their players experience playoff-like games, too. It’s not a disaster.
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Still, reforms appear necessary. The league has shown malleability with experimenting, so they should be capable of improving it as more data rolls in.
Perhaps the NBA Cup title game could replace the All-Star Game, killing two birds with one roundball. Maybe the league could decrease the traditional schedule but add a true tournament format for the Cup. Maybe instead of prize money, the league could give the winning team some sort of playoff tiebreaker, or the winning players relief on the 65-game limit for individual awards.
The NBA Cup isn’t yet a failed experiment. But it needs to be in a trial-and-error stage of its conception.
Quarter Awards
Many within the league contend that 20 games — a quarter of the season — is a fair sample size to start drawing conclusions.
Let’s get into it with 20-game awards.
MVP: Nikola Jokic, Nuggets
Jokic’s claim as the best player in the league has never been stronger. When he’s on the floor, the Nuggets have a +10.8 net rating. When he sits, it’s -16.6. In other words, they’re the 2015-16 Warriors when he plays, and statistically the worst team ever when he’s on the bench.
Defensive Player of the Year: Dyson Daniels, Hawks
On a chart with steals on the x axis and deflections on the y axis, Daniels is all alone. A menace on the perimeter, “The Great Barrier Thief” has been a revelation in Atlanta.
The award rarely goes to guards, and the Hawks’ mediocre team will probably prevent Daniels from actually winning the award. But after a quarter of the season? Recognize the steals specialist.
Honorable mentions: Isaiah Hartenstein, Evan Mobley, Amen Thompson, Draymond Green, Victor Wembanyama
Rookie of the Year: Jared McCain, 76ers
With a bullet. McCain has been by far the brightest spot in a miserable 76ers start. What a steal at 16.
Honorable mentions: Stephon Castle (my preseason pick), Zaccharie Risacher, Jaylen Wells, Yves Missi
6th Man: Payton Pritchard, Celtics
Two years ago, Pritchard wanted out of Boston. Instead, Brad Stevens invested in him and empowered him. Now, the guard is the best bench guy in the league.
Honorable mentions: Tari Eason, Amen Thompson, Aaron Wiggins, Deuce McBride
Coach of the Year: Kenny Atkinson, Cavaliers
Honorable mention: Jordi Fernandez, Nets
