If I Were NBA Commissioner For A Day...

While reading through the sports news yesterday, I saw two articles that talked about points I have
previously made on this very blog, although I'll give the authors credit that their pieces went into much more depth than mine. Both articles talked about the NBA and changes that should happen for the league to improve. The Association is in something of an upward trend of late, garnering enormous television deals, high ratings during the playoffs and a Finals rematch between the league's two biggest starts.

Life is pretty good for Adam Silver and the NBA. But what if he let me run the show for a day or two? Here are some things I would consider...

Shorten the schedule
There are a few different ways to go about this, and from a financial point of view none of them are attractive. Obviously, shortening the schedule means less games and less money, but star players are dropping like flies at crucial points in the season and it's bad for the game overall. No disrespect to the Portland Trail Blazers, but how fun would a Warriors-Clippers series have been in this year's playoffs with a healthy Steph Curry, Chris Paul and Blake Griffin? Unfortunately, we can only speculate since Griffin's quad and Paul's hand meant the Clippers were trotting out the B team against the Blazers. The Warriors are good enough that Curry could sit through a handful of games, but the league has to realize that the best players are going down in the playoffs year after year.

The league could do a few things to help the situation. They could go back to a five-game series in the opening round of the playoffs where teams only need to win three games to advance. They could schedule a few less games and have longer breaks in between games or they could get creative and cut the schedule by quite a bit and implement games in the form of a midseason tournament.

Implement a midseason tournament
It wasn't too hard to guess that this was my next idea. A past post went into a little more detail about the possibilities of a midseason tournament, but it would be fun to see teams match up in a single-elimination tournament in the middle of the season. The league could get very creative with the tournament, playing games at neutral sites and holding the championship during All-Star weekend. The league could then take the cup winner and the Finals winner and hold a game to open the following season in another country. That puts the spotlight on the winners and grows the game outside of the USA. Again, scheduling would be the biggest issue, but it's certainly something the league should explore.

Continue to improve the D-League
Okay, so this isn't necessarily a new idea, but it's something that needs to continue. Over half the NBA franchises now have a D-League affiliate and the league needs to work to get every team an affiliate soon. Too many players are drafted and then their career flops after a few seasons. A strengthened D-League would cut down on the grimaces I give the television set when a middling college players thinks he should leave after his sophomore season. A quality minor league system would give those college players who make poor decisions a better chance at reaching the league. The up-and-down nature of the D-League is like the Wild West of basketball, but pro teams can at least have a hand in the system that's being run and the players that are getting minutes. Ultimately, a healthy D-League means a healthier NBA so it would be wise to make the D-League a priority.

These are just three small ideas, but there are plenty of other possibilities for the league to consider. The main thing is this: the league is in a great place, but perhaps there is too much demand on the players. Money is fantastics and games equal money, but how can the league protect its players, while maximizing its profit? Moving forward, that's Silver's biggest challenge.

What are your thoughts? Toss some ideas out there or comment on mine.