The Simple and most effective way to solve the NBA’s competitive balance problem.
This year in the NBA was the sixteenth straight season where the Western Conference had a better regular season record than the Eastern Conference. This is no longer a trend or pattern, it’s the new normal.
In the history of North American professional sports, there has never been anything like this. The NBA league office strategy of closing their eyes and hoping it would get better has shockingly not worked.
It’s time for an intervention. There have been a lot of creative ideas discussed on how to fix this issue. Simply moving the New Orleans Pelicans to the Eastern Conference is the easiest, most effective and most realistic way to solve the long term problem of Western Conference domination. Let’s go over the top six reasons why this will work.
#1: Moving New Orleans to the Eastern Conference will not bring about a lawsuit or protracted legal challenge. The Pelicans would agree to the move in a second and no other team would have a valid legal argument.
#3: The fact that there would be 16 teams in the East and 14 teams in the West is not a problem. In the NBA, divisions don’t matter. Portland (division winner) getting the #4 seed this year over San Antonio, assured that the rule will be changed this offseason. The East having two more teams competing to make the playoffs is a good thing. Even with New Orleans moving to the East, it will still be harder to make the playoffs in the Western Conference.
#4: The big picture. Anthony Davis in the Eastern Conference will be good for marketing and the league as a whole. He played at Kentucky and New Orleans is SEC country, it makes more sense for the Pelicans to be in the Southeast division. Also, the global popularity of the NBA and the fact that the Clippers sold for two billion dollars means expansion is coming eventually (like it or not). The two most likely expansion cities are Seattle and Las Vegas. By 2025 there will be 32 teams and an equal 16/16 Conference split.
#5: The NBA is about star players. The biggest long term problem with the current system is not just the fact that the West has ten of the top sixteen teams every year. The Western Conference also has seven of the best eight players in the game. Anthony Davis, Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, Russell Westbrook and James Harden. The East has LeBron James. The Eastern Conference Needs Anthony Davis.
The NBA is more dependent on their star players than any other league. Having seven of the top eight players in the Western Conference means the West is projected to continue dominating the East well into the next decade.
#6: The time is now. Currently the Pelicans are an average team with a great player. In two or three years they could be a borderline championship contender with the reigning MVP. Moving that team into the Eastern Conference will be a much harder sell. These Western Conference owners and more specifically, the corporate suits these owners over pay to look out for their best interest, should wake up and start doing their jobs. Right now.
This really should be an easy decision for commissioner Adam Silver and the league office. One small move can fix a big problem. This idea does not need a Bud Selig blue ribbon panel to investigate, or the Rodger Goodell stalling technique. This needs to happen in the next twelve months. Adam Silver needs to stop taking his victory lap and address this issue.
Plus, New Orleans is a great city that has been through a lot. They deserve some good fortune.
This article is from seasonwintotal.com
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