Warriors coach Steve Kerr stated, “Bah humbug” regarding NBA rules on Christmas Day.
More precisely, Kerr implied to reporters following the Warriors’ 120-114 defeat over the Nuggets that the league is only compensating players on the offensive end and is enforcing defensive rules at the expense of the sport.
Star player for the Nuggets Nikola Jokic made 18 free throws, which infuriated Kerr about the regulations.
“It bothers me that we are removing defense from the game,” he remarked. “We’re merely giving players the ability to lie their way to the foul line. I wouldn’t have wanted to watch the second half if I had been a fan. It was repulsive.
In regards to the notion that the NBA has laws prohibiting defense, I have to concur with Kerr. The NBA makes regulations that are extremely helpful to the offense in an effort to make the games look as much like NBA2K as possible. It desires games with absurdly high scoring totals and a ridiculous number of easy 3-pointers.
It feels that this is what its younger audience would pay for and needs (the crucial component of all this). Scoring records are soaring because of this. Even if the caliber of basketball declines, the league will take whatever action it deems to bring in the maximum revenue. The league, according to one general manager I spoke with months ago, “hates the idea of lockdown defenders.”
We watch the NBA because it’s the product that’s offered — not necessarily because it’s a great product. Or at least not the product that would appeal to fans the absolute most.
The NBA also sets the standard for how basketball is played around the world and at lower levels. While it barely acknowledges the old ABA, that’s basically what it has become — incredibly gimmicky and screaming for people to notice. That’s fine, but it spends way more money on salaries (and what feels like 73 assistant coaches and an inordinate amount of medical personnel per team) than nearly any other league — and doesn’t always have the income to cover it all.
We watch the NBA because it is the available product, not necessarily because it is a superior one. or at the very least, not the one that would most appeal to fans.
In addition, the NBA establishes the benchmark for basketball play at all levels and throughout the world. Although it makes very little reference to the original ABA, that is precisely what it has evolved into: something glaringly gimmicky that begs for attention. That’s all well and good, but compared to almost every other league, it spends a significant amount of money on wages (as well as what seems like 73 assistant coaches and an excessive number of medical workers per team) and isn’t always able to pay for it all.
The NBA sorely needs a strong basketball voice in the league office to counsel the commissioner and nudge the league back toward a legitimate sport rather than a planned novelty act a la WWE.
I adore the NBA and believe that it is a better league now than it was in the past. However, the balance has shifted too much in favor of offensive.
Since defense has always been a major component of the game, the NBA won’t suffer financial losses by implementing it again. I’m not just referring to stopping shots, either. Give teams and players the freedom to be aggressive in the key and off the ball. Get rid of the pointless close-out-foul regulation and allow defenders to really guard the 3-point line. Eliminate the terrible “freedom of movement” regulation. Give up rewarding offensive flopping. Don’t refer to every serious infraction as a “flagrant.” It’s merely absurd.
Fans become suspicious rather than intrigued by more points and more broken records. The NBA has outstanding scorers and shooters these days. They can demonstrate it without the league enacting regulations.
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