On Feb. 1, 2014, Adam Silver will replace the gullyDavid Stern as NBA commissioner. And his first order of business could radically change the landscape of the league. On Tuesday, Silver appeared on the Sirius XM's "Long Range" with Ian Eagle and Steve Kerr where he discussed a possibility of, ready for this, doing away with divisions.
"As David said, the league is in such great shape. I mean, Steve (Kerr) and I were talking basketball the other night out in Brooklyn and [he] raised the same question with me about whether divisions have outlived their usefulness. One thing I have learned from David over all those years…one thing he taught me and all of my colleagues at the NBA is every day we should wake up and take a fresh look at everything we do. And I think divisions fall into that category. Obviously historically, based on geography in terms of weighted schedule and convenience of travel, the goal was to enhance rivalries and I’m not sure if that’s still what’s happening and so that’s something I’m sure that the competition committee, when it next meets, will be taking a fresh look at.”
If you look at a division, like the Atlantic, where the second-place Toronto Raptors (7-12) are trailing the Boston Celtics by 1.5 games. Implementing this change would immediately alter the Raptors' playoff mentality from trying to surpass the Celtics for first place to vying for the last playoff spot, held by the Chicago Bulls, who are currently 8-10. It adds a new, fresh layer of competition to the league. It sounds exciting. What do y'all think?
[via Pro Basketball Talk]
