When the NBA sought to incorporate an in-season tournament into its regular season schedule for the first time, the league needed to answer two important questions about the event. What would make the tournament meaningful for its players, and what would make it meaningful for fans?
The NBA addressed the first question with a fairly simple answer: money. The teams that make the knockout round of the in-season tournament will earn cash prizes, ranging from $50K per player for quarterfinalists to $500K per player for the eventual champion.
It’s not a particularly elegant solution, but it sounds like it has be an effective one. Several players have spoken in recent weeks about the very real incentive that prize money has provided.
And it’s not just young players or minimum-salary veterans that are tantalized by the prospect of a $500K bonus, which might represent a huge portion of their year-end earnings. Even well-compensated stars like Anthony Davis have cited the cash incentive as a motivator that has helped those games feel more meaningful — the Lakers‘ 4-0 record in round robin play suggests that wasn’t just talk.
Still, while the bonus money provides an incentive for the players, most fans aren’t going to celebrate the fact that the guys on their favorite teams are getting an extra pay check. The NBA still needs to ensure the event feels meaningful for the people in the stands and those watching at home.
Finding an appropriate incentive that would appeal to fans as well as to players and teams is tricky. Awarding the winner(s) an extra draft pick was one option said to be discussed, but that would arguably be a disincentive for certain players, who may not want to fight to give their team the right to draft a younger, cheaper prospect who might replace them on the roster. Giving the winner(s) an extra cap exception was a similar idea thrown out there, but that would be a tough sell for casual fans and wouldn’t necessarily benefit teams.
An automatic playoff berth or some level of home-court advantage in the playoffs makes some sense, but the NBA has suggested it wants to keep the tournament separate from its postseason. The league may also risk further devaluing the regular season by locking in a playoff spot or home-court advantage for a team based on a handful of victories in November and December — what if that team falls off a cliff in the second half and finishes with 30 wins?
Ultimately, the NBA decided not to introduce any additional incentives beyond the prize money for players, which has made it difficult for some fans to get too invested in the event in its first year.
Of course, you could argue that a team’s NBA Finals victory doesn’t provide any special incentive to fans beyond the satisfaction of seeing your favorite team succeed on the league’s biggest stage. After all, it’s not as if fans receive cash prizes when their team wins a championship.
But the postseason in the spring is the culmination of an 82-game regular season and has established its importance over the course of the league’s history. It will take some time for an in-season tournament to stake out that sort of inherent meaningfulness — if it ever happens.
We want to know what you think. In order to make the in-season tournament more successful going forward, does the NBA need to introduce some sort of incentive for teams and fans beyond the bonus money for players? Or will the satisfaction of rooting for your favorite team to win games that are perhaps more competitive than typical November and December regular season contests ultimately be enough to make the tournament feel meaningful?
Head to the comment section below to let us know your thoughts!
I think the tournament occurs too early in the season for the outcome to be meaningful. Many teams are figuring out how to incorporate new players, adjust to new coaches and systems, etc. in the first 10-20 games of the season, and frequently you see bad/mediocre teams beating good ones. Move it later in the season and maybe fans will care more.
I also think the games are spread out too much to keep fans interested. Condense the tournament schedule so all the round robin games are played consecutively, and then have the playoffs occur shortly after.
Yeah, that was what put me off. Why is the “mid-season” tournament played a month into the season?
It isn’t even a month into the season, the first night of tournament games was November 3rd, which was the 5th or 6th game of the season for the teams that played that night.
Honestly, I haven’t looked at the games played recently as “tournament games”.
I simply see them as regular season contests with an “adjusted” schedule (game matchups within the tourney).
I bet (am a pro sports bettor), watch, follow the games at face value…not part of a tournament.
Wake me up when this “tourney” is over.
Not interested in least who wins it.
I like the tournament… but I also don’t care who wins it, my Knicks or anyone else.
I think all this tourney system does is muddy the waters… All for money of course. I’m guessing that most fans couldn’t give two @#$s less about it. Stop trying to make the NBA game like a college system and just play. I’m not sure why they even needed to tinker with the system like this (other than money and/or someone trying to justify their job in the NBA Commish office), unless this is the way the NBA can give out ‘participation’ awards to teams that stink. My guess is most players, money aside, will not care either as they probably just want to win regardless..
To me, sports are much much better if they do not tinker with the system. The system works because fans can get into it easier.. but not if the system changes from year to year. That’s when people start getting bored with it. I hope this ‘Tourney’ system goes the way of the dodo after this season. The worst part of all of this is if they are doing it to attract gamblers….
Winning is winning, a trophy is a trophy, if fans and players can’t be motivated to win… what is the point of playing?
I rather my team wins the tourney than a long run in the playoffs without a championship at the end of it… as I said silverware is silverware!
the whole thing is stupid and I haven’t followed any of it
I don’t mind it – it may be leading to some early season games in which some teams or individuals are playing harder…I wouldn’t be opposed to guaranteeing the winner at least a play-in berth if they need to make it more meaningful.
It’s completely meaningless. We already have an in-season tournament, and it’s 82 games long and runs from October through April.
These are just regular season games, nothing more and nothing less.
The only thing that makes it slightly palatable is the special court and jersey designs.
I don’t tune into games specifically on Tues or Fri because the tournament. I always like the TNT crew so I watch Tues because of them. Friday I don’t watch many games. Nothing big is on the line in the tournament. If they guaranteed an automatic play in or top 6 spot sure it could help.