If you’ve been away from the TV for a while… where the heck have you been? It’s almost NBA Playoff time! No, but really, we just wanted to remind you that our man Shaq is back after his elective surgery for hip issues, and the TNT “Inside the NBA” crew is back to full strength.
With Shaq back and the team all assembled last night (as of this posting date), an interesting discussion kicked off that involved every member of the panel, including host and ringleader Ernie Johnson. The topic: what – if any – factors should be taken into account to select players to the Association’s All-NBA award (and others).
It’s no secret that this year has seen a lot of what’s called “load management” in the game. What that means is this: Teams keep track of factors like total minutes played, and then make nightly starting roster decisions based on giving some players time off (or at least fewer game-play minutes) in order to keep the stars – and everyone else- well rested and in good shape over the course of a full, long NBA season.
In talks now is the idea that a player would have to play in a specific number of games over the course of the season in order to qualify for post-season awards. Right now, the league is floating the number of 65. A player – any player – would have to play in 65 games in order to qualify for All-NBA awards, and that includes the coveted MVP – Most Valuable Player – award at the end of every season.
That sounds like it might be a good idea, at least on paper. You want players, especially the superstars that fans pay big money to see on a nightly basis, to not sit out too many games. Like we said… a good idea on paper.
Trouble is, with the 65 game requirement, a lot of big names would be disqualified from any post season awards this year. We’re talking big, BIG names like Golden State Warriors guard Steph Curry, Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant and Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard. None of those future hall-of-famers would be eligible for any of the prestigious seasonal awards.
The 65 game threshold is just the starting point of the discussion. When the question came up on Inside the NBA this week, Sir Charles Barkley said he wanted even more, saying the threshold should be 70 games played.
Barkley was willing to cut players slack if they had in-season injuries that limited games played. What’s not clear is how that formula would be determined. What kind of injuries would count or not count? That’s definitely TBD – to be determined.
As for O’Neal, he also liked the idea of having a minimum number of games needed to qualify for awards, but he was open to a range of between 60-65 games played. For the record, Kenny Smith was also on board with the minimum number idea, and he liked Barkley’s plan.
Host Ernie Johnson also liked the idea of a required minimum, but said he would probably put his must-have number a little lower, around 58.
Load management has become a really big thing in the NBA, and some analysts and fans have complained about not seeing the stars play as often as they’d like. It’s going to be interesting to see how the must-play requirements shape up. No doubt it’ll be a big topic of discussion for players and owners in the off-season. Stay tuned!