$1M tournament, other NBA proposals intrigue Kerr
SAN FRANCISCO >> Warriors coach Steve Kerr is familiar to the regular-season slog, whether it be the grind of an NBA Finals run or the challenge of the current losing season. The NBA is mulling sweeping changes to the regular-season schedule that could spruce things up, and Kerr is keeping an open mind.
Proposed changes include a 30-team, in-season tournament, a play-in for the seventh and eighth playoff spots in each conference and reseeding the final four teams in the playoffs based on regular-season records. The changes, which could be implemented for the 202122 season, could reduce the schedule from 82 games.
Among the proposed changes would be an in-season tournament that would take place between late-November and mid-December.
The 30-team tournament would begin with eight intra-divisional games that would be built into the regular-season schedule. Then teams with the eight best records would advance to a single-elimination tournament that would conclude before Christmas. The winning players could earn $1 million each, according to multiple reports.
“I’m open-minded about it,” Kerr said, though he hadn’t reviewed the details as of Friday night. “I think the league is always looking to improve its product and I think it’s a good idea to explore these things.”
Teams eliminated early would play as few as 78
games. However, there is a possibility a team could play as many as 83 games if that team were to play the full in-season tournament and the play-in game for the postseason.
The league would make the changes for the 202122 season on a trial basis, with an option to continue the next season. The league’s board of governors is expected to discuss and likely decide whether to go forward with the plan in April.
“Eighty-two is a lot of games. Just cutting out a small handful could be really meaningful during the season, in terms of rest and practice time,” Kerr said. “I think it would make some sense.”
As for the postseason play-in game, Kerr, an avid Dodgers fan, likes the onegame wild-card playoff Major League Baseball implemented in 2012. He can see it translate to the NBA.
“Something like that would definitely make things more interesting,” Kerr said.
The third proposal, reseeding the last four teams in the playoffs, could have a major impact on the NBA Finals, to which the Warriors have been the last five seasons. A revamped format could potentially result in inter-conference matchups, as the final four teams would be reseeded based on their regular-season record.
For example, had this applied to last season, the 57-25 Warriors would have faced the 58-24 Raptors and the 60-22 Bucks would have faced the 53-29 Trail Blazers in the round before the NBA Finals. Kerr said the idea has merit.
“If your goal is to get the best two teams in the Finals, and it’s pretty clearcut, then I’d be interested in that.”
With TV ratings down, the NBA is looking for ways to drum up interest in the regular season, which lasts nearly six months.
“The league is really looking into everything and exploring what we might do to make the regular season more interesting,” Kerr said. “I’m all for it.”
• A while back, when he was the general manager of the Phoenix Suns, Kerr penned a column stating it was a bad idea to let basketball players fresh out of high school come straight to the NBA.
Reason being: They’re fresh out of high school.
Kerr suggested “that they make the rule two years, staying in college because I felt like players needed more seasoning.”
This week Kerr admitted to NBC Sports’ Monte Poole that he has had a change of heart.
“Yeah, I’d be in favor,” Kerr said. “I’ve changed my mind on that.”
Why the change of heart? Cynics might point out that young players and the NBA draft were nonfactors for Kerr and the Warriors while they were ringing up championships and drafting on the back end of the first round.
The Dubs currently own the worst record in the league. They need a lotterytype talent. Barring something unforeseen, they’ll have access to one, right away, without having him put in drydock for two years. Last month the Warriors sent Bob Myers, Mike Dunleavy, and Larry Harris to Oregon to scout former Memphis center James Wiseman. At 7-foot-1 and 240 pounds, he would fill a need for the Dubs. (Disclaimer: about 40 years ago people were saying the same thing about Joe Barry Carroll.)
“What the (NBA) has done, what each franchise has done, building their respective G League affiliates, is really impressive,” Kerr said. “The whole league understands our responsibility in trying to help these young players develop, on and off the floor. We’re getting better with it.”