- NBA’s in-season tournament set to debut in the upcoming season
- Former league executive says winner should earn a playoff guarantee
- The new in-season tournament is still highly controversial among NBA player base
Speaking on NBA Today this week, former NBA executive Bobby Marks suggested an interesting way for the league to raise the stakes for the new in-season tournament. As opposed to increasing the monetary reward for participants, the NBA could reward the winner with a guaranteed playoff spot.
“I would love to, besides the financial element, see the winner get an automatic bid into the playoffs. That’s what I would love to see,” said Marks.
In such a scenario, contending teams would actually be highly incentivized to play their best and try to win. With a playoff bid secured, the tournament winner could spend the rest of the regular season on cruise control to gear up for the playoffs.
While not a perfect solution by any means, it’s among the best ideas we’ve seen regarding an appropriate reward for the in-season tournament.
The next season (2023-23) is slated to be the first in league history to incorporate the in-new season tournament, which was officially approved back in April. This addition comes just a few years after adding the NBA play-in tournament to the schedule, which debuted as a massive success back in 2020.
Will The In-Season Tournament Be A Permanent Fixture On The NBA Calendar?
Each year, the regular season becomes less and less important, and the mid-season tournament is yet another event that takes away from the regular action. Since rumors of its inception, the in-season tourney has garnered countless critics and it’s likely that many players will push back on the event when it’s time to participate.
Still, it’s hard not to see this being a huge success for the league. If they can just get a handful of teams to take this seriously, there’s no reason why it won’t be here to stay.
And if the NBA does end up giving out a playoff spot for the tournament winner, it will surely make things even more interesting for fans across the world.
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