Bill Simmons Fixes the NBA Cup | With Wosny Lambre and Joe House | The Bill Simmons Podcast

[@TheDustin151]

One of the biggest problems with ratings in the NBA is they don’t market the smaller market teams. You guys are falling in line with that. I loved that Boston and LA and NY weren’t playing in that game. Some of us like the whole product and are tired of seeing the same teams one ESPN and TNT. There are a lot of really good players the NBA could market but they don’t. LeBron and Curry’s careers are over. Neither guy is winning anything anymore. Time to move on and focus on the whole league.

[@Zbehdnrhcjrben]

That’s a bit of a blind spot for BS. He’s a Red Sox/Celtics fan living in LA. He does not seem to notice that most North Americans, not to mention people around the world, do not live in those big expensive cities and will eventually tune out when they realize the leagues don’t care about them. That is one of the NFL’s big advantages. Pittsburgh, Green Bay, Kansas City, etc, all matter just as much as New York or LA.

[@L4-295]

Curry’s career isn’t over lol

[@pelicanspalacex8861]

Exactly. I said the same thing in a comment just now. When the nba and the nba analysts say that no teams matter except about 4 of them, then you’re gonna make the casual fans think the same way and that’s beneficial to well, no one. Idgaf about the lakers. They’re not doing anything with this current roster and it’s been obvious for years now, yet they’re shoved down our throats nonstop. It’s like beating a dead horse and it’s tired.

[@carltonrudolph]

@@L4-295 he washed

[@untexan]

All the pundits (especially ESPN) packing New York and LA down our throats like they’re the only two markets that matter is a huge problem, and not just in basketball

[@djxtacy1004]

I will forever find a way to watch it free 😂

[@JohnBurgundy]

@@djxtacy1004 😂

[@AdamHammond-]

@@djxtacy1004 I don't even understand why piracy of live tv is an issue. ESPN can just estimate the bootleg ratings and justify charging advertisers more as a result

[@rileymaas1068]

The only reason illegal streams farm viewers is because it's too hard to watch local games/games that you want to watch. If everything we wanted was under a single reasonable price I would do that. But since I need fan duel sports to watch my local team, youtube tv/hulu/other tv app to watch national games, and league pass to round it out. It needs to be easier to watch my team and national games!!

[@millanandrew]

Came here to comment on Wos’ league pass take and I’m glad other people are always in disagreement. It makes no sense, if anything league pass should be cheaper and have less blackouts. Not sure how you can be in 2024 and think pushing people towards TV as opposed to streaming is somehow going to drive viewership. On a side note, bill simmons has “community guidelines” for his KZbin comment section. Who knows, maybe this soft mentality of don’t say anything controversial ever is the reason the NBA isn’t engaging. Two guys got ejected last night, not for fighting, but for squaring up. I know I’ve started to fall back in love with the NHL and the culture around hockey is a big part of it. Toughness and authenticity are two words I would never ass with the modern NBA.

[@tylerg8305]

@@millanandrew oooh you said ass

[@notoriousLSGshow]

League pass is only 107$ for the year & if u place a 5$ bet on FD you get 3 months free

[@fallenshallrise]

The blackouts really kill it. No matter how cheap it is trying to find a relevant live game to watch in Canada is nearly impossible most of the time.

[@Earthling_FC]

YES

[@1800LUNATIC]

@@notoriousLSGshowfor me I have to pay for 3 different services to watch my team and the rest of the league which is ridiculous. My dad literally bought league pass before asking me, and I told him we couldn’t watch the raps so he refunded it and we pirate games. Also, making me gamble to watch games for 3 months is such a hilarious snapshot of our culture.

[@collinshungry]

Wos’s take on NBA League pass is completely wrong, why does nobody push him on this? I live in KC but follow the Mavs. How else can I watch them? Who’s my local team that I can follow?

[@Yourscaredlol12]

@@collinshungry 100%. It’s odd that no one pushes back and acknowledges fans of a team may not live in the local market for any number of reasons.

[@coachchrissports4934]

@@collinshungry yeah it’s a terrible take he’s put out there a few times. So many reasons you can’t go that extreme.

[@srinivassuresh466]

Russian links bro.. Russian links😂😂

[@Zbehdnrhcjrben]

I don’t think he seriously thinks that could ever happen. He’s just making a point about how the ubiquity of the games reduces excitement for each game.

[@AreolaGrande94]

There are free ways to watch any team whether you’re in that teams home town or on the international space station. Stop giving them your money millions watch for free and they don’t even feel it

[@tobymathew8188]

I’m in Dallas and it’s almost impossible to watch my mavs until this year they introduced mavs tv. It’s not the most friendly app or very enjoyable but it’s my only way to watch mavs games locally. Interest might be down because local markets can’t even show their teams because of all the Bally sports nonsense.

[@Zbehdnrhcjrben]

Bally/the RSNs are not long for this world.

[@tdup191]

I thought Mavs games came of fox sports southwest??

[@Rickraff87]

I ended up just buying a digital antenna and watching Mavs on channel 29. Cheaper option.

[@untexan]

All the Fox RSNs rebranded as Bally (now FanDuel) sports. That was a finesse by Sinclair/Diamond Sports Group getting a corporate sponsor so no one would realize they were the ones running these channels straight into the ground. Everyone blamed Bally who had nothing to do with any of it.

[@fentanyljones6956]

Giannis media availability has been a treat. Sage Giannis. I feel like he’s thinking his very ethos out loud every time he’s on the podium.

[@JamesHibberd-f9u]

Getting rid of league pass? say goodbye to international fans.

[@SkiLILs]

All 14 of them

[@JamesHibberd-f9u]

@@SkiLILs they're the ones carrying the NBA right now it seems

[@keenannorris3309]

@@SkiLILs I don't think you have any clue how popular the NBA is internationally.

[@SkiLILs]

@keenannorris3309 more popular than the NFL?

[@keenannorris3309]

@@SkiLILs What's your question: Is the NBA more popular than the NFL? Of course not. It never has been.

[@brandonadickes1809]

Las Vegas had no atmosphere, they absolutely need to have a home court for somebody

[@eliyarrows2456]

It’s also just not really neutral court. It’s so far west that it’s significantly easier for western conference fans to make the trip there. Maybe make the final a home and home aggregate score.

[@imperialmoose]

For sure. But it can't be MSG. You can't hand the trophy to the Hawks like that.

[@jarrethcutestory]

The NBA is starting to fall into the trap of gimmicks and making change for the sake of change.

[@L4-295]

I think they’re making too many changes but I don’t think they’re doing it for no reason. I think they overreact to every little criticism

[@El_TigreNegro]

The NBA will NEVER shorten the season because that will effectively close the record books forever. No one would ever be able to hit any of those longevity numbers that people like Stockton, Jabar, and LeBron have set

[@pelicanspalacex8861]

@@El_TigreNegro when anyone says they should shorten the season, I ask if they even like basketball? It’s such a lazy take. These guys just don’t get it. Market ALL teams. Hype up all players. Have analysts that don’t constantly shit on the product. Put more teams on national tv. Stop shoving 40 year old Lebron down the throats of everyone and pretending the lakers have a shot to do anything with this roster. It’s pathetic.

[@LukaLegend77]

@@pelicanspalacex8861 bruh if theres going to be an 82 game season then there cant be load managing where fans buy tickets to a game to find out stars are resting. the players n owners dont care cuz they make millions but its the fans that miss out from the longer season since players dont play 82 games anymore. If they lower the total to 65-70 it would eliminate all back to backs n make each game more meaningful. Not thinking about these things is whats lazy....

[@pelicanspalacex8861]

@@LukaLegend77 or how about the players just play the fucking games? It’s not hard to play a basketball game when you’re being paid 40 million a year. It’s a joke that they have to take measures to force or motivate the players to play. Total joke. I was on league pass a couple weeks ago and was excited for the slate of games. I’m not kidding you, every game I went to, the star player or a top player was out in every single game. It’s a total joke and I agree it’s a major issue.

[@pelicanspalacex8861]

@@LukaLegend77 I suppose they deleted my prior response to this. Lol. I basically said maybe, and this is a wild idea I know, maybe the players should just play the fucking games. It’s a joke that these players have to be FORCED or need added motivation to play a basketball game while making 40 million dollars per year.

[@LukaLegend77]

@@pelicanspalacex8861 id want that too but that clearly isnt happening and we need to face the reality were in and think of something to fix this so the product is better, they have the talent.

[@Von199X]

The problem is Adam Silver is focusing on profit rather than the game itself make the game start on time and finish shorter like 40 minutes shorter instead of 2 and a half hours. These reviews and stoppages are a vibes killer

[@mbaron4311]

@@Von199X Games starting late is DEI in action. Being on time is a white person thing

[@fkscopes]

Need no full timeouts in the last 2 minutes (maybe 3-5 min) only 30 sec timeouts and limit those. The end of games should be the most fun and it ends up often feeling tedious

[@scarletspider1240]

He’s one of the worst commissioners in professional sports ever.

[@Zbehdnrhcjrben]

@@scarletspider1240He’s made a lot of money for the owners who hired him. He works for them. By that measure, he’s been massively successful.

[@AreolaGrande94]

That’s Adam silvers literal job description. Some changes to the game and the system that controls it appear on the surface to be for the unadulterated puritan betterment of the game but make no mistake his purpose is for the league to make money by any means necessary

[@pelicanspalacex8861]

The fact that this guy said the atmosphere would have been better in Vegas if it would have been the Knicks or Warriors is the exact problem with the nba and a horrible mindset of the nba fan. This shows a failure of the league and its inability and refusal to market all nba teams and more players than 3 guys shoved down the throats of fans nonstop. Also, hilarious that many complain about too much offense and no defense, but when defensive battles happen, these guys roast it and say it’s bad lol. Amusing.

[@ZenWaves7]

Yes. Exactly. NBA fans stay complaining about something! Cry if it’s “A”, cry if it’s not “A”.

[@wombatofmassdestruction1044]

I sit down and watch basketball games start to finish!

[@kingquestOZ]

True fans

[@thatkidera]

this guy Wosny was spittin. Great pod fellas NBA needs to listen to this

[@cerbarus3000]

To get more fans to Vegas, you need to give them a couple of weeks to make plans.

[@evanclp514]

terrible take to remove league pass and make it harder for people to find the games. there's already so many subscription based services. people will just not watch the games at all if you create hurdles to watching the product. if ratings are already in a free fall, what makes you think making the games harder and/or more expensive to watch is going to make that better? insanely out of touch take but i guess these guys are all rich and have every subscription service on the planet so it doesn't matter to them.

[@pelicanspalacex8861]

@@evanclp514 I’ve never seen so many bad takes by one person in one sitting lol.

[@manuginobilisbaldspot2]

If they take the streaming sites away, Wos and I are going to squabble up.

[@Yakivegas]

The NBA is such poison that Bill Simmons brand seems tainted. For every Bill Simmons that truly loves basketball there’s 10 people on ESPN and KZbin making crap pretending they care about basketball.

[@Panni1]

It's so important for Bill Simmons and to a big extent House to make sure there is no major NBA decline. They are questioning whether the ratings are down/lack of interest...when it's completely obvious that there is SO much less interest than usual. But the whole brand needs the NBA to be popular to survive so they have to deny the decline.

[@Zbehdnrhcjrben]

The NBA is still massively popular internationally and, as the TV deal shows, still very popular with advertisers. And it’s popular on the Ringer. These guys know what gets hits, which is why they keep talking about it. The TV ratings are declining for all the reasons they explained. People have more and more entertainment options in the evening. Watching a game, sitting through all those ads, just is not appealing to as many people when each game is one out of 82 and doesn’t mean much. MLB and the NHL have the same issue. There is a lot more the league could do to make basketball less boring, but the domestic TV ratings will never be what they were in the 90s. Linear TV is just never going to be what it once was.

[@SkiLILs]

​@Zbehdnrhcjrben the TV deals don't show the NBA's popularity, it's Silver and the league's negotiating skills. The fact less and less people watch and their pockets get fatter shows it doesn't matter who's watching.

[@themoviefan9990]

Nice try Bill with your burner account

[@themoviefan9990]

​@SkiLILs yea cause Silver is known for being a great negotiator lol

[@user-fs9qf3py9o]

Woz talking that shit today bby. I don’t need to pay for streams if it really comes down too it lol

[@InfoFOOTBALL99]

House is my GOAT on these podcasts 🇿🇦

[@deepvoicedude4749]

Americans used to love baseball more than they loved football. These things aren't static.

[@QuestionEverything562]

That was so many years ago now. NFL has dominated the MLB for the last 30-35 years or so now. No sport in America is catching the NFL. The conservative republican base is very loyal to the NFL, and they have the majority of the money.

[@deepvoicedude4749]

@@QuestionEverything562 No they don't, rednecks are fucking broke. Also 30 years isn't very long in the grand scheme of things.

[@c00lhand208]

Cup solutions I like: 1. This one is happening (I believe): Semi-Finals played with homecourt advantage. The team with the better record or better point differential, if possessing a tied Cup record, are granted the financial benefits of hosting a home game. Team fans are provided an opportunity to support their team without having to travel to a neutral site. 2. Winning the Cup grants the winning team with a win on their regular season record. This should help the team gain a potential tie-breaker advantage in the pursuit of getting into the NBA playoffs. The losing team doesn't take a loss, so both teams' players are essentially playing for that extra win, the money, and the national cred that comes with winning the Cup. 3. Winning the Cup grants the winning franchise with an extra draft pick in the upcoming NBA draft -- at the end of the 1st round. This creates an extra incentive for the team's front office, ownership, etc. to win the Cup. This draft commodity could even be used in making deals by the trade deadline or after the season in leading up to and during the draft itself. 4. Look to broadcast all Cup games on regular free-to-view television (offer Cup rights to FOX, CBS, NBC, & ABC). Build the NBA's consumer base via ease of viewership access specifically for the NBA Cup. Not saying this needs to become the standard for the whole NBA, but allow the NBA Cup to be an enticing entrance to watch NBA by those who are less inclined to automatically buy-into a subscription-based package.

[@mitchmarvelous6412]

Most teams don't want extra draft picks after the first rd. They would trade it away cuz they need salary space via extra roster spot. If they allowed them salary cap exception and roster spot exception maybe. Seems like a lot of work for nothing.

[@Zbehdnrhcjrben]

Yeah, second round picks aren’t worth much. A new third round pick would be worth leas. An extra home game would help. An extra win or two in the standings would help too.

[@c00lhand208]

@@mitchmarvelous6412 it's an asset that could be used at the trade deadline or after the season in trying to swing a deal or to sell in hopes of obtaining other future assets. Zero reason to shit on the idea of being awarded an extra commodity of value to the franchise.

[@GiuseppeGoldTheThird]

So Wos wants to make NBA League Pass more expensive and less accessible? What a weird take.

[@csy2068]

There's no downside of an nba cup because without it it's just a regular season game 🤷

[@scarletspider1240]

There’s no upside either

[@csy2068]

@scarletspider1240 yes there is ,there were a lot of competitive games as opposed to booting regular season games

[@redman6790]

The downside is it delays the inevitable: Reduction of NBA regular season games

[@dennisshaper4744]

There's a useless dumb side...the whole scheme is a downside, a joke. You must be clueless

[@PeteCarter46]

The NBA cup is for national media. For real fans, it just means at a slow part of the year you no longer get to watch your team for 2 weeks.

[@waltz9530]

This is why I like not having a team… I equally enjoy watching several teams.

[@billycrystal6791]

Just listened to this podcast. I find it so frustrating when they talk about the pirating issue. The solution is right there, leauge pass. I am in canada, 2 years ago I purchased league pass to watch the Raps, blacked out. Read about local markets blah blah blah said ok whatever. I tried to turn on a Memphis Sacramento game, blacked out. Like wtf? I just payed like 170 dollars for this, and litterally, the first 2 games i try and watch are blacked out. I immediately canceled the subscription and went a different route(🏴‍☠️)because it was more reliable to get the content I want. I, the consumer, want a better alternative than pirateing or subscribing to multiple platforms, and it just isn't there. I will pay for this alternative. Anyway, Gabe Newell should replace Adam Silver as league commissioner.

[@Bulfinho]

The abolish league pass take is hilarious, without even considering people moving elsewhere it would certainly be one way to increase piracy. And if they could do something about that piracy they would have already.

[@iTuber012]

NBA should stay 82 games. To change that would mess up record books... Why not sprinkle in staggered bye weeks for some teams to give them breaks here and there, aside from the all star break.... Schedule games in a way that is less of a burden on teams in terms of traveling (e. G. Have California teams rotate and play each other a bunch.. Texas teams, NY teams etc... That way the travel is fast and not tiresome as the season goes on)

[@kayvanity]

Love the schedule change idea. Can’t beat em, join em and dominate the other part of the year

[@ronrox14]

The way bill says Emirates airlines😂😂😂😂

[@charlesallen2306]

There are so many issues with the NBA, there isn't just one thing that needs fixing. There is the structure of the season issues and then the on court play. As far as scheduling, why not have 2 shorter seasons per year, maybe 40 games each. It solves 2 problems, more meaningful games, and getting fans into the arena and eyes watching on tv. Game play issues I think are more difficult without implementing gimmicky solutions like limiting the number of three's a team can take or making dunks count for 3 points. I think eliminating corner 3s and extending the 3 point line by a foot or 2 would help.

[@bryanttisdale2446]

The nba and baseball needs less games . Games on 2 days maybe 3 days a week. From February to July. Getting the most of the Calendar the can grab away from Football. Do it before baseball moves it's schedule from late March to September. Both seem to not realize how many businesses have closed there doors , because they didn't change to go after the consumer aggressively until it's too late!

[@schmeat4504]

guarantee home court advantage no matter what seed in first round of playoffs. if team is already home court first round, they get an extra game at home

[@kervinvancol4518]

@@schmeat4504 This exactly!

[@Brysonhundley]

@@schmeat4504 I really don’t know what this accomplishes, adding arbitrary playoff implications would matter more to the teams themselves than everyday fans in my opinion. If players weren’t already taking the games seriously I could understand this but the players clearly care. I think the quantity of games is the biggest issue (would make the product more scarce and could potentially help with load management) + the fact that it’s stretched out several weeks, it loses momentum in a major way. The quality of the basketball has been good, I just think they need to focus on a format that sets it up for success

[@eliyarrows2456]

That’s stupid. If the 8 seed has home court over the 1 seed because they went on a 3 game winning streak in December, that’s just stupid and gimmicky.

[@victorvic4659]

Bill was very happy when he hear Big Wos pick Dallas. Such a nice guy😂😂😂

[@chones_]

The simplest fix would be to combine the cup & all star weekend. have the cup games build up throughout nov/december. Make the quarters & semis in jan. and combine the all star 3 point shooting, dunk contest, rookie game, skills contest and cup final into one all star/cup weekend. everyone hates the actual all star game, dump it. keep the stuff everyone likes like the 3 pt contest dunk contest or whatever. then have the cup finals on sunday.

[@henry7486]

@@chones_ would people in the NBA Cup Final really want to participate in the 3pt Contest or other All-Star event? For e.g, this year Dame probably wouldn’t have participated because he’d want to lock in for the final.

[@17NateJohnson]

I want the Cup Final later in the year. There needs to be more build-up and anticipation. Use it to replace the ASG. NYC not Vegas.

[@samelmudir]

@@17NateJohnson the reason it’s so early is because since teams don’t try as hard before Christmas

[@vb2324]

My Theories to improve the NBA Cup... Make it like March Madness. #1. Set up brackets market it. #2. All the games should be consecutive not the once the week mess, so essentially a whole month is set aside for the NBA Cup to keep the momentum strong. The group play, winners play winners, lovsers play losers until it reaches the semis and finals in Vegas. #3. The semis can be on Friday and finals Sunday. So fans can make a weekend out of going to Vegas. I thought the idea of the In Season tournament was stupid but the truth is while ppl might not like the motivation but the games ARE more entertaining than your run in the mill regular season game. So the idea is working but can be improved with some tweaks.

[@Octobers1086Own]

Cut the season into 4 parts. Part 1: 30 regular season games. Part 2: NBA Cup (Replaces All-Star Game & Weekend, 1 week break still remains after NBA Cup is complete) Cup Seeding is determined by your record through the first 30 games; Conference doesn't matter. Every team is entered into the tournament; Single Elimination format, (eliminated teams will play consolation games to even scheduling) Part 3: 30 regular season games Part 4: NBA Playoffs

[@gilkidron23]

Good stuff guys

[@LiamborninDC]

They should just make it a tournament bracket with the top seeds getting a first round bye, hold it on the 3 weekends (Friday or Saturday) leading up to the championship on Christmas day . This way there is a week to make travel arrangements, more viewership, easier to understand why teams advance and the NBA can put up a fight to keep Christmas.

[@jackramsden9346]

I think it should be single elimination with the final being played 3/4 weeks after the semi final so a stadium can be chosen close to the teams playing (or at least in the middle). Similar to the FA Cup.

[@eliyarrows2456]

Or even make the final a home and home with aggregate scoring. Give the winner +2 wins on the year so that they can’t complain about playing extra meaningless games. That way you get 2 games with great atmosphere, and if game 1 is close and exciting then the hype for game 2 would be crazy.

[@skinny685]

Wos nailed it with the schedule take (you play each team twice - once at home, once away). That's the change NBA should make.

[@skozy3]

Woz. This take is too much. I'm a huge fan and consumer of everything NBA and if i had to pay $1000 for league pass I wouldn't do it and probably wouldn't watch any regular season at all compared to several games a week I watch now. I would have to get a new hobby. Take it back

[@eestileib9980]

For $1000 you can get season tickets to a lot of pro teams.

[@e3109781]

The league is full of talent, but the style of play is killing our league

[@TimHodge-z3v]

How much does an NBA franchise in Las Vegas improve the attendance at the Cup games as the locals now have more interest in the NBA in general.

[@nickpryme]

so wos's plan is to abolish league pass, make watching non local games incredibly restrictive, then crack down on streams of those games? what does that do other than make viewership even worse than it is now? illegal streams are massive because it's already damn near impossible to watch 90% of NBA games with blackouts and league pass being a terrible service. give the viewers an incentive to care about watching regular season games, then give avenues to access those games that WORK.

[@TheHylianSS]

What if the season was 76 games? 4 games against each divisional opponent, 2 home, 2 away. Then 3 games against each conference opponent, with the home-away switching every year. And then 2 games against each non-conference opponent. Then, make the NBA cup based off divisions instead of arbitrary groups, and make it 8 games, 1 home, 1 away against each divisional opponent. Placement in the NBA cup gives you extra wins in your division, and each division winner gets a top 4 playoff seed.

[@Macdaddyman]

Pirating will always be around, but especially so when you need more than one subscription to watch all the games

[@kevinc8955]

I don’t watch football anymore either. There’s maybe 4 plays of every game that are worth watching. If anything I’ll watch replay where they cut the stoppages out plow through a 3 hour game in 1 hour.

[@KitagumaIgen]

If you want fans of the teams to travel to the final there needs to be a week between the semis and the final. That will give people enough time to arrange travel etc.

[@jimsimonetti2929]

If you’re keeping the nba cup the easiest fix is make the Vegas portion of the event like a month after the games end. It gives normal people time to plan a trip out there. Not everyone on a drop of a dime can grab a flight to Vegas. Woz brings up a great point about the illegal streams. Idk if there’s anything that the nba can do about it but something tells me a decent amount of the missing audience is doing that. I mean there was a clip of LeBron last season using one of those sites on the sideline. If he’s doing it, tons of others are as well NBA is having a similar issue that’s baseball is having now too. Pitching has gotten so much better than hitting has and it makes the games boring. Shooting has gotten so good it’s made the game boring. Have to do something to make that shot more difficult. Maybe it’s moving it back or getting rid of the corner. Just something has to be done about it.

[@AreolaGrande94]

The problem is 82 fucking games. They won’t reduce them because of money and how it’ll mess up the record books/cumulative stats but that’s the main issue. There have already been so many games and were barely 1/4 through the season. You especially don’t need that many now that 2/3 of the league makes the playoffs

[@anotherelvis]

Who decides which players get the spotlight? Does the NBA choose which players to push or is i really the ESPN?

[@kevinc8955]

The fans. Giannis had a moment after he won but he just doesn’t resonate with fans. Can barely understand him and bigs really don’t work unless they have personalities like Shaq. ESPN is not going to talk about things nobody cares about. They literally have metrics on everything. They can tell when you skip content in their videos or don’t watch but lingered long enough over the thumbnail to read the caption. They know what we want to see and Gianni’s ain’t it. Neither is Jokic.

[@Zbehdnrhcjrben]

It’s a combination of the players’ own PR people, the teams’ PR/marketing people, the TV people, and the sponsors. Obviously, they are not going to invest in promoting somebody who isn’t a star and they do try to measure how the fans feel about players and invest accordingly, but a lot of it comes down to packaging. If MJ had signed with Converse instead of Nike, he would still have been a star, but not the cultural phenomenon he became with Air Jordans, Jumpman, the Spike Lee ads and all that.

[@eliyarrows2456]

Both. ESPN chooses who to talk about and who to cover, sure, but it’s also the nba considering the warriors and lakers have more primetime games than the thunder. The thunder was everyone’s preseason pick to win the west. The warriors and lakers have 0 expectations. But they get primetime games because nba and the media only cares to market Lebron and Curry.

[@deepvoicedude4749]

Good question, everything I have read says that the networks and broadcasters pick the nationally televised games. Everyone says Adam Silver is not marketing the small market teams, but the broadcasters are choosing big market teams.

[@deepvoicedude4749]

@@eliyarrows2456 I believe that ESPN and TNT choose which games they want on their networks, not the NBA.

[@Joe-xo4qp]

Shortening the season adds to the problem. The problem is the empowerment of players. Look at the history of the league. We didn’t always have this disconnect from the product and the fans. The biggest difference is player movement, which opens up the real conversation.

[@loganblumenberg]

i literally sit down and watch basketball games lol

[@TheUltimateRage]

I'm a Chicagoan. My family has Comcast, but we can't watch our own Chicago Bulls because of the new NBA deal. NBC Sports Chicago, which used to host Bulls and Blackhawks games, no longer exists. A new network, CSN (Chicago Sports Network) has emerged to host those games, but CSN now has a contract dispute with Comcast (Comcast wants to make CSN available for higher-tier cable packages, whereas CSN wants to be more available on lower-priced cable packages), so Comcast refuses to host CSN as a network. Since the start of the season, 1 MILLION Chicago Comcast customers have not been able to watch our own teams. Kinda hard to maintain viewership when consumers are literally FORCED to either pirate or spend MORE money for some other app or for League Pass!

[@scarletspider1240]

Pirating wouldn’t be an issue if it was easy and cheap to view the games. They defeated piracy in the music industry by allowing you to buy individual songs for .99 cents.

[@PabloEscobug]

A watch predominantly mid and small market teams 😊

[@roboninja1]

Fixing New Coke.

[@travisstarks9802]

I've been saying it for years, pick specific days to run nba games and dominate on those days.

[@eliyarrows2456]

Like when? So Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday? Because they don’t want to compete with college football or the nfl?

[@travisstarks9802]

@eliyarrows2456 right, I know its a business and money is what matters most but super slate of games on two or three days gives us the best odds at the highest quality of play from the our stars.

[@pelicanspalacex8861]

@@travisstarks9802 well when the only games they put on tv are the depressing lakers with a shell of himself Lebron and a dwindling Golden State team, who is excited to watch this? I’m sorry we don’t want to see the same 4 teams over and over that aren’t even true contenders. Market ALL teams. Market your young players. It’s pretty simple.

[@travisstarks9802]

@pelicanspalacex8861 I want that too, I'm not a casual fan so if you just put a basketball game on I'll watch regardless of who is playing. But the league seems to really cater to the casual audience that doesn't care about small market or new stars. I personally am all for shining a light on teams that are both fun to watch like the Rockets or on the rise like OKC.

[@jaysohn23]

How about reduce the number of teams that make the playoffs which makes every game and the regular season important.

[@Eugene-u8f]

I watch, streaming from Mexico. I start with an east coast game then switch to just 4th.Q's until I end up with a west coast 4th. Q .

[@JETurp]

The NBA should add an extra pick to the end of the 1st round of the draft, and the winner of the NBA Cup should get that pick. It would dramatically increase the stakes if each team felt like they were fighting for something that could genuinely improve their team.

[@johndixon1725]

Gianis has that Mamba mentality 2.0

[@-edsense-rivera3716]

Can they put a basketball court in the las vegas sphere. They would be cool way to watch a cup game

[@bertmustin]

Why not try experimenting with some suggested rule changes like capping 3 point attempts or late game foul rules.

[@Hangreek]

Love the rant at 22:00. To me, a big issue is games starting on time. On the East Coast, the games are 7PM the earliest and sometimes start 30 minutes late! We make dinner to watch the game, and have to PLAN ON IT TIPPING OFF LATE. Forget about getting your kids involved, they are sleeping well before halftime. NFL games don't kick off late; it's down to the minute!

[@quilly7377]

the games start 10-15 mins late, that's a fact. 30 minutes?? lmfao point me to that specific game, because that's a straight up lie. no need to stretch the truth when it's already a fact the game's don't start on time. but 30 minutes? no. maybe you misread it, and tip is at 7:30 but pregame coverage starts at 7. 30 mins is absurd

[@Zbehdnrhcjrben]

People who have to work and then get to the game cannot get there before 7.

[@eliyarrows2456]

Nba tipoff times aren’t late. You can find the exact tip off minute quite easily. It’s usually 7:40 for a 7:30 game btw.

[@sanctificationinvitation9436]

New rule: top 5 players don’t play until Christmas… Many want less games… Stars utilize load management… Games still count, young guys get experience, then have NBA Cup in Feb. as House said.

[@quarkraven]

Props to Wos. That dude always has compelling things to say. Passionate, very smart dude. Great content. But he can't possibly be correct that you need to both make watching the NBA harder (no league pass, make games less accessible) and undermine bootlegged NBA content. That isn't radical; it's contradictory. For more ratings, the games need to be easier to watch, not harder.

[@marlowencna]

Expand the Cup! Group Stage: - 6 Groups (Divs) - 6-8 Games - Top 8 gets Rd1 Bye in Elimination Stage Single Elimination Stage: - Top 24 Teams - 5 Rds Rd1 (16 teams): 24-9th Team, played @ Homecourt Rd2 (16 Teams): Rd1 Winner vs Top8, played @ Homecourt Rd3: Quarter Finals @ Host Venue (neutral! ex: Abu Dhabi!) Rd4: Semi Finals @ Host Venue (neutral! ex: Abu Dhabi!) Rd5: Finals@ Host Venue (neutral! ex: Abu Dhabi!) NBA Cup Champ = NBA Finals Homecourt Advantage.

[@furtsmagee1513]

League pass already has a crazy premium 😂

[@Brysonhundley]

I think the NBA’s main problem is that the biggest fans (outside of the major markets) are drawn because they enjoy basketball and/or specific players more generally rather than them being fanatics of a specific city’s team. They’ve gotten around this when there are compelling storylines like Bird and Magic or MJ’s run in the 90s, but it doesn’t rely at all on people’s fanatical, sometimes irrational allegiance to something like their state or college. I love the NBA and watch LeaguePass most nights but the viewing experience is so much different than when I watch Kentucky basketball games because that’s where I grew up and it’s a part of my identity. The NFL has found a way to make people “identify” with a team even outside of the city. For example, I’m a major Steelers fan because of close family members that are major Steelers fan. Despite the fact that I’ve never even been to Pittsburgh, I’m much more plugged into their games than a random NBA game even if it’s two top-tier teams I don’t experience the stakes on a personal level.

[@DavidMcCollester-tz8ur]

Just pictured Adam Silver with Don King hair

[@imperialmoose]

Only play your division opponents until the playoffs. That's my big idea.

[@marcuswrblack]

It’s the commercials. I can’t sit down and watch 40-45 minutes of ads for banks prescriptions and insurance anymore. I miss watching games live, but i can’t handle the ads. League pass is nice with the in-arena stream

[@Sutairn]

My fix to this, to start with is get rid of the preseason. Just start the season adds over 2 weeks, so the schedule can eliminate back to backs. No one gives a crap about preseason games, truthfully a lot of fans get turned off from the NBA upon attending a preseason game as a kid and no one is playing they care about.

[@Sutairn]

Next I would advice the NBA to take over the holidays all the holidays, your players get paid enough to play full schedule of games not just a hand full or completely giving the day to the NFL.

[@Sutairn]

Lastly the rivals the NBA needs to promote hard core is Chet VS Wemby, Ja VS Ant [this should be Zion], and the hawks as a villain to NYK, lastly Boston as the next dynasty VS the whole league.

[@Sutairn]

Ohhhh and drop all-star weekend altogether this also helps stretch those games out so we get less 3 games in 5 days.

[@Lifendz]

“Because there’s not a lot of partisans there.” This guy.

[@Tom-bn6pr]

NBA has never been more popular overseas, it’s not always about America

[@Riles3152]

Basketball and the NBA in particular is an American created sport. Basketball should always matter to its American base, and right now, by and large it doesn’t.

[@tomjenkins3353]

26:47 I mean on the pirating. To expect a fan to pay 1000 dollars to watch all the games? Like who gonna to pay that. Like they already put ads bettween the games like come on. Make it 250 or 300 or something but 1000 is crazy

[@yeahitsme1401]

Not even all games. Just your local team and some national games. Woz is so out of touch thinking that was a good idea

[@codyradebaugh6168]

this is an accessibility issue it is almost impossible to watch any games without a large investment which most poor people won't pay

[@phoenixkane1986]

Media changes. The interest is there, just less watching through entire games full of ads. It’s becoming more difficult to monetize interest, in many different hobbies. Pro wrestling, for example.

[@codystork3008]

Remember young Kawhi how he was monosyllabic and uncomfortable? He really stuck out just because he did not have canned responses.

[@JackFlash771]

Even when you're watching a game feed that shows the arena instead of ads, the stoppages in an NBA game make the experience miserable. I still have an ok attention span and I can barely deal with it in the playoffs when I care about outcomes.

[@AlexSamardzic]

I love how they act like it's some criminal act to make these guys play 82 games a year like they aren't making generational wealth to play 3 games a week for 6-7 months. I understand it is tough, and the market dynamics of lowering the supply but come on listen to players like Jaylen Williams talk about how lucky they are to play a kids game and make this kind of money. Biggest problems for the NBA, is them siphoning off their product to 12 different broadcasts, it's impossible to watch games without illegal streaming or spending hundreds of dollars a month on all of these networks. Like they said as well, they don't market their stars whatsoever and they should be encouraging rivalries and give the nba back its edge a little bit. We like as fans when we know players don't like each other, teams hate each other, talk shit etc.. Yet the NBA wants to give us a polished product with refs giving techs for anything, that lame ass starting 5 doc, fines for anything said or personality being shown. Shortening the league is just lame imo.

[@WMABeaker]

as part of their ticket, every ticket sold gets to place a $25 bet on the game. THAT will get people in attendance into the game a little bit and supporting teams

[@diskinyoung]

My idea to fix the NBA and NBA Cup First, bring back divisions and guarantee each division winner a playoff spot (though not necessarily a top-four seed). This would revive rivalries and make divisional matchups matter again. Next, introduce a playoff selection show where the top three teams in each conference get to pick their first-round opponents, with the #1 seed choosing first, then #2, and #3. This would add huge stakes to the regular season as teams fight for a top-three finish and make the selection process must-watch TV, with drama and strategy as teams openly pick their opponents. Finally, elevate the NBA Cup by giving the winner not only prize money but also the first pick in the playoff selection process-if they make the playoffs. This incentivizes teams to compete in the Cup while still ensuring they must perform well in the regular season. These changes would make every part of the season more competitive, bring back rivalries, and create more must-see moments for fans.

[@eliyarrows2456]

Wayyy too gimmicky.

[@skipbayless4375]

The main problem is the lack of a dominant American superstar. The best players aren’t American, and aren’t being marketed/don’t care about being marketed. Furthermore, these guys aren’t consistently making deep playoff runs. Giannis has won 1 playoff series in the last 3 seasons. Nba is a superstar league, and regular fans watch more when there’s a dominant player/team. It’s no revelation that the league was most popular when Bron/Steph were in the finals all the time. Same with MJ, Kobe/shaq. Avid fans prefer parity but the majority of potential viewers aren’t avid fans.

[@manuginobilisbaldspot2]

The league was most popular with MJ. Don’t try to recraft that narrative. The numbers will never be close to what they were in the MJ 2nd 3peat

[@skipbayless4375]

@ I’m not disputing that 😭.

[@deepvoicedude4749]

They should host it in other cities without NBA teams. If once a decade they had an NBA game in Tampa, STL, KC, Pittsburgh, Cincinatti etc. I bet it woul have a hot crowd.

[@dextert20]

they should do it overseas. mexico, dubai, europe, china

[@damiencash3122]

We need a new version of NBA Inside Stuff

[@KenTheMan407]

Wos is cooking 🍳🔪

[@johncena1509]

Just replace the all star game with the cup final.

[@slightexag]

And when Ant gets real about his team during his media time, it becomes a whole controversy. NBA media is so toxic that most superstars want nothing to do with it because they'll be covered on ESPN and insulted by talking heads. It's definitely beneficial to a superstar to be boring and private.

[@edgarmuniz8331]

Would getting rid of the NBA league pass improve things? NO WAY!🤣🤣😂

[@pelicanspalacex8861]

@@edgarmuniz8331 yeah this is a total braindead take

[@edgarmuniz8331]

@@pelicanspalacex8861Wosny Lambre is an awful guest. Why is some moron proposing horrible ideas as if he's a league representative? The dude is saying that fans should only be limited to watching games via local games or national broadcasts. What a bad take by that guy.

[@WHOISJJJONES]

Maybe they should have the cup In the same city as the Allstar game and go from the cup right into all star weekend

[@ThinkTwice2222]

No one traveled for their team... It's all people who were already in Vegas anyway

[@Bobbleheads56]

34:03 so adam silver’s only “skill” is that he belongs to the tribe and has finance connections….many such cases

[@ishmaelhope2516]

The NBA seems to be entirely catered to gamblers. Even the hardcore gamblers like these guys feel like something is missing. The media talks around the issue, but the only reason for the NBA Cup is gambling. You get what you pay for.

[@firstorder438]

Bingo

[@Browneye475]

Big Waz...is the Green King your brother?

[@fentanyljones6956]

They should move the cup to right after the super bowl.