12/27/24
November 18, 2003
NBA realigns: Each conference split into three divisions. The New Orleans Hornets move to the Western Conference and the East gets the expansion Carolina Bobcats. Just what we need, the West gets even stronger and the East gets a team of cast offs. Why not just name the conferences Varsity and Junior Varsity?
posted by dzot to basketball at 04:05 PM - 14 comments
Stern addresses the subsequent weakening of the East and strengthening of the West as part of a historic continuity, unimportant in the long run. All I can think is that this level of disparity and lack of parity is making football look more and more appealing.
Stern: Oh, hello! A shotgun! What shall I shoot? Say, my foot looks awful juicy...
posted by forksclovetofu at 04:17 PM on November 18, 2003
After preview, lilnemo you put your finger on it when you note that the East coast was once dominant and therein lies the problem of parity.
The reason the east was dominant, in a nutshell, was Jordan. In basketball, one dominant player can skew power in the entire league for a decade and really futz up things for the semi-casual fan.
Take Shaq RIGHT NOW and put him in Philadelphia, Boston, New Jersey, Detroit, New Orleans or New Jersey and that team will win the East and has a legitimate chance to win the title. Any dissention on this point?
posted by forksclovetofu at 04:22 PM on November 18, 2003
This is exactly what everyone said just a few years ago about the East, pre-Lakers mini-dynasty. Stern is right.
posted by tieguy at 04:23 PM on November 18, 2003
The reason the east was dominant, in a nutshell, was Jordan. I think Shaq, Ewing, Mutombo, Pippen, Grant Hill, Penny, LJ, Zo, Glen Rice et. al would take some umbrage at that comment. From roughly '91 up until '00 before the Lakers swung the balance of power, these guys and the teams they played on weren't exactly chopped liver.
posted by lilnemo at 04:28 PM on November 18, 2003
I was looking at the official new conferences this morning in the paper. It's going to be crazy next year. Take the Southwest Division. You've got five potential and likely playoff contenders there (especially if the Grizz sign a Kobe or something). Mavs, Spurs, Rockets, Hornets, and Memphis could all conceivably make the playoffs. Then look at the SouthEast. Hawks, Magic, Heat, Bobcats, and the Wizards. Without an automatic bid for the Division champ, it could be likely that none of them would make the playoffs. This could be really screwy for a while.
posted by Ufez Jones at 04:36 PM on November 18, 2003
Do you think the Division champs should get bids?
posted by lilnemo at 04:45 PM on November 18, 2003
Nemo: just proves my point. With the exception of Pippen (and we all know why), show me the rings. Nobody said they were worthless players. My point is that one player can effectively overwhelm the league to such a degree that great talent can be eclipsed. And on preview, what ufez said.
posted by forksclovetofu at 04:45 PM on November 18, 2003
When Jordan retired (at any point-choose)who was the most Dominant player left? Most likely Shaq right? After Retirement I did Shaq take home a ring. Nope. Olajuwon did. And I don't recall anyone calling Olajuwon a dominating player from 1990-1993 (though after the 1994 playoffs, it was a given). After Retirement II. Nope. Tim Duncan walked away with the ring easily that year. This this brings us to the heart of the enigma. Do teams in the WC get free agents because of their dominance (Malone, Payton, etc), or do EC teams get them because the road to the finals is easier (Mourning, Rodney Rogers, Van Horn).
posted by lilnemo at 05:00 PM on November 18, 2003
Do you think the Division champs should get bids? I don't think they should, but right now they do, and in the NHL they do, so I wouldn't be surprised if they will next year in the NBA. Not only that, but if they retain the current system, the Hawks could be the number 3 seed in the East, which is a joke. Maybe there will be a good expansion draft (something I'm really looking forward to, just to see what happens) and the Bobcats will win the division. That'd be great for the people of Charlotte.
posted by Ufez Jones at 08:23 PM on November 18, 2003
With the realignment I've been reading and hearing a lot of writers cry for a seeding system in the playoffs, devoid of conference affiliation. I'd love to see that. You'd have the best chance of seeing the two best teams meeting in the finals, which is what the playoffs should be about. Out of the four pro sports, I think the NBA has the least invested in the division between the conferences.
posted by rcade at 09:25 PM on November 18, 2003
Ufez, the way I read it, they would seed the playoffs based on regular season record only - the division winners wouldn't automatically get the top three seeds.
posted by mbd1 at 10:17 PM on November 18, 2003
Seeding system works for me.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 08:25 AM on November 19, 2003
Ah, you're right mbd1. Should've read the linked article instead of the shitty one that I read yesterday morning: Divisional winners each earn a playoff berth. The remaining five playoff berths for each conference will be based on regular-season records with no regard to divisional alignment. Home-court advantage throughout the playoffs will be based solely on regular-season records. That means a divisional winner will not necessarily have home court advantage in the playoff series. So the Hawks or Bobcats will get an automatic 8th seed. It'll still suck if there is a team that is obviously better that gets shut out. Then again, this is the Eastern Conference. It probably won't make much difference.
posted by Ufez Jones at 09:06 AM on November 19, 2003
With the realignment I've been reading and hearing a lot of writers cry for a seeding system in the playoffs, devoid of conference affiliation. This is, at best, a short-term fix. The WC at this point is dominant. But it wasn't that long ago that the EC was rather dominant. This too shall pass. I don't think an all-WC Final is the answer. Actually, given how religious some fans are on the East Coast (KnickFan, CelticFan, even PistonFan, I'm looking at you) this might be a ratings killer in big markets on the East Coast. Real fans of the sport will watch no matter who plays (just not in great numbers). But others have allegiances that bar them from participating. I like the realignment. Though the Pacific division is pretty much the state of CA . And the Southwest division is pretty much the state of TX. It makes some semblance of sense.