This week there was very little news that had to do with the NBA, aside from the usual LeBron and other athlete drama that SportsCenter talks about, because there was a play break from last Sunday until Thursday after the All-Star break. However, there was one big story that came out that could change the future of the NBA.
Adam Silver, commissioner of the NBA, and other people in the league sent a proposal to the NBA Players Association that would get rid of the one-and-done rule. They proposed that the age to enter the NBA would be lower from 19 to 18, thus allowing athletes to come straight out of high school instead of having to play one year in college or overseas before entering the league.
(http://www.sportingnews.com/us/nba/news/nba-submits-proposal-to-lower-draft-age-from-19-to-18-report-says/a3ga5s5yqw101pwyc8s8z66jp)
I personally think that this rule change is good for both the league and the NCAA because now the league will get the athletes that want to be there with little negative media attention and the NCAA will get the players that want to go to college for hopefully now more than one year and coaches can actually build programs again instead of one-and-done overhauls each year. I personally think that the first couple years of this rule change could see a negative effect with athletes thinking they are ready for the league and being excited about the new rule, but after the athletes can see this happen, I see them smartening up and truly doing what’s best for them and their families. I am very excited to see what happens with this rule change and how it affects the NBA and the NCAA in the short and long run.
As the season winds down, it is that time to really start looking at the standings and keying into the potential matchups for the upcoming playoffs. As of now the standings are as follows:
EAST
1: Bucks
2: Raptors
3: Pacers
4: 76ers
5: Celtics
6: Nets
7: Pistons
8: Hornets
9-15: Magic, Heat, Wizards, Hawks, Bulls, Cavaliers, Knicks
WEST
1: Warriors
2: Nuggets
3: Thunder
4: Trail Blazers
5: Rockets
6: Jazz
7: Spurs
8: Clippers
9-15: Kings, Lakers, Timberwolves, Pelicans, Mavericks, Grizzlies, Suns
With every team having about 20 games left, teams are going to start locking into playoff contention and other teams are going to be dropping out. I am very excited to see this year’s playoffs because there is so much room for change in who wins in what round. With LeBron out of the East, a different team has to make it to the finals this year. Whether that is the Celtics, 76ers, Bucks, Raptors, or one of the other dark horse teams, the Eastern side of the bracket is definitely looking like it’s going to be a fight to see who the representative in the finals is.
The West on the other hand seems like it could be the Warriors to lose. With five All-Stars in the starting lineup they could probably be the eighth seed and still potentially make the finals. However, in the eyes of some the Warriors have shown weakness and that means we could potentially see a team like the Nuggets, Thunder, Rockets, or Jazz sneak past the Warriors and reach the Championship round.
Another big story comes from the 9 and 10 seeds in the West. First the Kings are looking to end one of the longest playoff droughts in the NBA and have a very fast and exciting youthful team that could crack the top 8 and make the playoffs. The other is the 10th seeded Lakers that have been in the spotlight of drama all year. This is a big story because this would be the first time since the second year of LeBron’s career that he would miss the playoffs. Also, it would be strange because for each of the last eight finals he has been in the mix and to see his team finish outside of the playoffs would be very weird.
I think that there is a lot of potential for very exciting and drama filled basketball to come with the end of this season and in the playoffs and I can’t personally wait!
(https://www.kaggle.com/edgarhuichen/espn-nba-players-data)
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