FanPost

Save the NBA with European expansion and monthly playoffs

I think the NBA is in a bit of trouble in the next decade or so... This trend of players colluding to create mega-teams
seems to be increasing in frequency. The logical outcome is that the league devolves into true haves and have nots, which should eventually result in contraction (fewer teams).

With Silver's announcement that he was considering a mid season playoff, I wanted to propose a way to implement what I think will be Adam Silver's legacy: expansion to Europe, and monthly playoffs!

The main hurdle to European expansion appear to be logistical, so I have an idea to solve that, and create more interest in games during the regular season to boot.

The ideas:
- Create 6 5-team divisions, one in Europe (5 in US).
- Each month, all teams in one division play all the teams in one other division.
- At the end of each month, the top 8 teams, by overall record, fly to a neutral locale (Vegas?) for an Elite eight tourney.
- The winners of the monthly tournaments, and the team(s) with the best EOY record that didn't win a monthly are seeded 1-8 in the EOY playoffs, by EOY record, and get first round byes. (Top 4 get 2 byes)
- The first round of the playoff features 4 one game 'play-in rounds' for teams ranked 9-16, to generate excitement,
and not cause too long of a delay for the teams with a bye.
- The second round of the playoff features teams seeded 5-8 playing one game playoffs against those 4 winners
from the 9-16 one game playoffs. (So, you really want one of those top four slots, to avoid a one game playoff!)
- Then we have an Elite Eight tourney with the top 4 seeds now playing the winner of those one game playoffs in a 4/7 series.
- Every team plays every other night (with a rest for teams not in the monthly tourney, so they can practice more),
which means you can always find a quality hoop game to watch every night.

Some details.
- Each month, Europe hosts 5 teams from one division, (e.g., East) then all teams travel to the US.
Then the European teams stay in the states to play 5 games against another US division, then all 10 teams travel to Europe.
So the European teams travel to the US for a month, then get a month of home games.
- 5 teams play 5 games in 10 days, two days off to fly, then 5 more games in 10 days, which is 21 days,
then the EOM tourney is played in 5 days, (after one day of travel, one day off...) double headers Thursday, Friday,
then 4 winners play in a doubleheader Saturday, with the championship game on Monday, e.g..
- (And again, those not good enough to make the tourney now get extra practice and rest time,
which should give them a leg up on the competition for next month.
- Five months of inter-divisional play, playing everybody once at their place, and once at home. 10 games/month = 50 games.
The first and seventh months, you battle your divisional opponents, so you get 4 games against each of them... = 70 games total. Plus, for those involved in monthly tournaments, 3x7 could be 21 more games.
- Each time you win a tournament, that counts as 100 wins when calculating EOY records.
So, if you win two (or more) monthly tournaments, you will get one of those top 4 playoff slots, with two byes.
- There are seven monthly winners, so if 7 different teams win, the one team with the next best record who didn't win a
monthly will be seeded eighth (to reward season long excellence). If one team wins two monthlies,
then the next two teams with the best record, who didn't win, get seeded 7 and 8. Etc...

By playing monthly, and having a winner each month, makes each month's games as important as any other.
But by still rewarding year long excellence (to get the 4 top records, to get two byes), we should see fewer teams tanking. (After all, you could still get in the playoffs just by winning one monthly tourney, so hang in there!

NBA wives will love their yearly trip to Europe, although European teams may not be thrilled with month long road trips...But this arrangement will work, and I'm sure the allure of joining the NBA would overcome most travel objections.

And I really think the monthly Elite Eight tournaments will generate such excitement, each month, that I think this
is worth consideration. I look forward to your comments...