NBA Commissioner Adam Silver addresses the media after the April 10, 2024 Board of Governors meeting.
It took 169 days and 1,187 games to get this far in the 2023-24 season, and Commissioner Adam Silver couldn't be happier.
“Excited by the high level of competition'' Silver told a packed house of reporters and a global television and internet audience Wednesday after a two-day board meeting in New York.
After all, when competition is good, the entertainment and business elements of the NBA usually follow.
With just five days and 43 games left on the schedule as of the time he spoke, the fate of most teams is still up in the air. Find out where you stand in the standings, your seeding for the upcoming postseason, and your opponent in the first round. Silver himself pointed out that only one team, Boston, is locked in that spot (first place in the East).
That means the remaining 19 spots in the postseason, including the SoFi play-in tournament starting Tuesday, are undecided, and the locations and dates are still dependent on results.
From David Stern's tenure as commissioner to Silver's arrival 10 years ago, the vision expressed by NBA headquarters through multiple collective bargaining agreements has remained consistent: If properly managed, 30 teams will be financial champions. It was possible to compete in ships as well.
As of Wednesday, if you look at the top of the standings (Boston, Milwaukee, New York, Orlando, Oklahoma City), you'll see teams in large and small revenue markets alike. Meanwhile, teams near the bottom are seeded with established or promising young players such as Ja Morant, Cade Cunningham, Jaylen Green, Victor Wembaneyama and Brandon Miller.
“What I like about a true 30-team league is that players and teams should be judged by the quality of the team they put together and their success on the floor,” Silver said.
The Celtics are running away from the East, but this season is the only time they've been dominant. Boston, once home to the league's longest-running dynasty, has only won once (2008) in the past 38 years. Five different franchises have won the last five NBA titles.
“I'm not anti-dynasty, but I would like to see dynasties created on as level a playing field as possible,” Silver said. [Where] Teams draft well, develop players well, and trade well, but are essentially run wildly. [with] Same number of chips. ”
Salary cap limits and a salary luxury tax were introduced to discourage “super teams” that did not grow as organically, i.e. teams created by multiple free agents landing at one desired destination. , has been strengthened.
Stern once famously said his dream Finals matchup would be “Lakers vs. Lakers.” But this season's NBA season saw record attendance, and multiple media conglomerates are competing in multibillion-dollar broadcast and streaming rights negotiations currently underway.
And enjoy the last week.
“It's far from a perfect system at this point, but I think we're starting to see results,” Silver said.
For more information, read the full press conference here.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver spoke with the media after the board meeting.
Silver also touched on a variety of other topics during Wednesday's Q&A.
• He confirmed that Since All-Star Weekend, there has been a change in the way physical plays are officiated.. Players and coaches had discussed actions that could result in a whistle earlier in the season, but now they are being treated as a “no call.” Tuesday's game between the Celtics and Bucks epitomized that change, with only two total free throws allowed in 48 minutes.
“If you look at the season data, it's true that foul calls went down as the season progressed. About two fouls per team per game,” Silver said. “Early in the season there was a feeling that it was too advantageous for the attacking players.
“I think we had a better game. … I think the fans want to see great offense, but they also want the players to play defense.”
• Minnesota Timberwolves sale remains on hold Due to a deadline dispute between longtime owner Glen Taylor and buyers Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore. Taylor argued that the aspiring owner missed the final payment deadline, rendering the completion of the deal void. Rodriguez and Lorre insist they met all conditions in time. The impasse will be referred to arbitration, but the arbitration will be conducted separately from the involvement of NBA headquarters.
Silver said the unusual structure allowed could be reconsidered in future franchise sales. Taylor planned the sale over three years, and Rodriguez and Lorre financed it in installments.
“Once the issues surrounding this transaction are resolved, we may reconsider what types of transactions we should allow,” Silver said.
• Mr. Silver spoke at length about the possibilities and new technologies raised during the conference. Rights negotiations with current media partners, Disney (ABC and ESPN), and Warner Bros. Discover (TNT). That could be just as important to the NBA and WNBA as the amount of money they receive from negotiations with those people and new potential partners, the commissioner suggested.
“In the long run, don't get me wrong, money is a big part of it,” he says. “But… growing the sport will require more than just getting big rights fees. It will have a lot to do with how the game of basketball is presented to fans around the world.”
• Both the Board of Directors and League Secretariat Satisfied with player participation policy This established a minimum of 65 games for a player to be eligible for most awards and annual honors. He said research shows that “games missed by star players” will decrease by 15% from 2023 to 2024.
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Steve Aschburner has been writing about the NBA since 1980. Email him here or find his archives here, Follow him on X.
The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA, its clubs, or Warner Bros. Discovery.
