Tyrese Haliburton performed 22 minutes and alter on Tuesday night time. A hamstring harm has been nagging him for many of January. Haliburton has missed 10 of the Indiana Pacers’ final 11 video games. Normally, there could be no concern with him needing 15-20 video games to completely get well from a soft-tissue harm. Actually, at no time in NBA historical past would that be a problem, apart from this present season.
Haliburton signed a nine-figure contract extension over the summer time and has since performed at a borderline MVP stage. Making his first All-NBA staff could be a digital certainty, apart from the truth that he has missed 11 video games. Starting with the 2023-24 season, to be able to be eligible for regular-season honors similar to All-NBA, All-Protection and MVP, a participant should not solely play in at the least 65 video games, but in addition at the least 20 minutes in each recreation besides for 2. The NBA permits the leeway of two video games by which a participant clocks solely quarter-hour.
An All-NBA season would give Haliburton a $40 million increase over the lifetime of his extension — he’s presently enjoying below the ultimate yr of his rookie contract. Apart from lacking 11 video games, he additionally solely logged 13 minutes the night time that he first got here up gimpy in opposition to the Boston Celtics in early January.
Haliburton isn’t the one participant who compelled his means onto the court docket Tuesday night time. Joel Embiid has been coping with a knee concern. He’s already enjoying on a supermax contract, however he probably needs one other MVP award. Embiid has lobbied laborious for it up to now, and was delivered to tears after lastly profitable it final season. All through his whole profession, well being has been a battle. He actually didn’t swimsuit up for a recreation throughout his first two seasons.
With these new guidelines, Embiid went forward and limped his means up and down the court docket in opposition to the Golden State Warriors on an ailing left knee. Late within the fourth quarter, Jonathan Kuminga fell on prime of it. Philadelphia 76ers coach Nick Nurse mentioned that Embiid will bear an MRI on Wednesday, and likewise that the present knee points are unrelated to the earlier one.
On Monday, Haliburton advised The Athletic’s James Boyd that the 65-game minimal for awards is “a silly rule.”
That is what the NBA needs. The push for 82. Gamers’ salaries and legacies are on the road as a result of the league is addressing an issue that doesn’t exist. For one, award voters already take into account what number of video games gamers play when casting their ballots. Zion Willamson performed in addition to anybody within the league through the 2022-23 season. However since he missed the ultimate 44 video games, there was no means he was going to be voted to an All-NBA staff.
The NBA airs a number of nationally televised video games per week. Final season, it averaged 1.59 million viewers per primetime recreation, and its seven Saturday night time ABC video games averaged 2.8 million viewers. On this tv economic system, sustaining that sort of stability isn’t commonplace. Per a 2023 Sports activities Media Watch research, NBA primetime tv scores have fluctuated between 2.5 and 1.5 million viewers for the reason that 2002-03 season.
Whereas the NBA product isn’t excellent, there was no want for an overhaul. And there was definitely no must mess with participant contracts to attempt to juice scores for one of many steadiest applications on tv.
Haliburton is 100% proper. This man is taking a star flip this season and as he turns into extra of a family title, a nasty hammy may cost a little him $40 million. Additionally, final yr’s MVP now wants an MRI to guage the injury brought on by a blow to a knee that was already on the harm report.
The NBA is knowledgeable sports activities league. Gamers make a residing by collaborating in bodily exercise. A season can final eight months. To win an NBA Championship, a staff has to play 82 regular-season video games, and after that, at minimal, be victorious in 16 out of a possible 28 extra within the spring. Seeds 7-10 in each conferences take part in a Play-In Match earlier than the playoffs start.
What the NBA gained’t focus on is shortening the common season, or perhaps even going again to a best-of-five within the first spherical of the playoffs. Throughout Magic Johnson’s rookie season, the Los Angeles Lakers performed in three best-of-seven sequence to win the championship. That by no means will get introduced up when discussing how gamers up to now didn’t have such an issue with the schedule although they flew coach.
There are all types of the way the NBA might enhance the regular-season viewing expertise. The conclusion that it landed on was to achieve its hand right into a rising star’s pocket.
