I have been watching talking heads like A. Smith and Perkins and youtubers and players all blame the sagging viewership on too many 3 pointers. It's just too many people saying the same thing over and over.

Was there a memo sent out to say this?

I think too many 3s is an issue. I remember watching a Bulls home game where they were down 11 or 12 with 5 minutes left. They cut it to 6 and the crowd got back into it and was roaring. They got a steal and instead of driving to the basket, they kicked out to Lavine who proceeded to brick it. The other team then made a 3. Took the air right out of the arena.

I just don't think 3 pointers is the only issue.

For one. There isn't enough star power.

I always reference pro wrestling. In the NBA, who's "the guy"? Who's the top draw. It's still Steph and Lebron.

Giannis, Luka, Joker, and Tatum are great players, but none of them are "the guy". In terms of drawing ability, Lebron is John Cena and Joker is Bret Hart. Luka and Tatum didn't have the juice even in the finals with Kyrie.

Secondly, there aren't enough rivalries. There isn't a lot of heat in the games anymore. The Knicks and the Pacers last playoffs had heat but no one thought either team would beat the Celtics.

Thirdly there are too many games. Neither fans or players care about games in December or January.

Outside the court, streaming is an issue and people in general have more things to watch than basketball.

I will also mention the political angles. People don't want to be lectured or have opinions imposed on them by preachy athletes and coaches especially when those same people don't live up to their own moral grandstanding.

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"Green did not manage to score a single point. He didn't dish out a single assist. And he didn't pull down a single rebound. Across 19 minutes, the only positive statistic he managed to generate was a single steal. Within those minutes, the Warriors were outscored by 42 points. 

Among players who posted no points, rebounds or assists, that minus-42 plus-minus is a new NBA record. In fact, no player in the play-by-play era had ever been a minus-42 in fewer than 20 minutes before Green did so on Thursday."

https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/draymond-green-makes-embarrassing-nba-history-as-warriors-suffer-51-point-blowout-loss-to-grizzlies/amp/

After starting off 0-10 against Domantas Sabonis, AD is now 2-10! How long do you think AD's streak will continue for?

There’s been a lot of discussion around how to improve watchability by nerfing 3s, and the usual suggestion is to allow more contact on the perimeter or perhaps to move the 3pt line back.

One thing I almost never hear suggested is calling the quantity of 3pt attempts per game. I like this because it is more black and white to implement than redefining what a foul is (which we know only ever lasts for like the first 2 months of the year) and preserves the integrity of prior 3pt records (can you imagine people downplaying curry if they decide to extend the 3pt line after he retires?).

Basically each team has a cap on number of 3s they can take. Every 3 they take after that is worth a regular 2 pts. It would be interesting to see how teams ration their attempts, introduce strategies on when is best to load up on 3s, and reincentivize easier and more aesthetically pleasing midrange shots after the cap is surpassed.

I would say the cap should be like 40 to start. Don’t want anything drastic but just want to encourage being highly selective with 3pt attempts.

I'm not confident that the NBA thought this through. The voting system seems unchanged but we're told that there will be 3 teams. Are the 10 "starters" just the first 10 guys drafted?

Source: Joel Embiid is still listed on the injury report as questionable but a source has told me that he will play tonight against the hornets, barring any setbacks. He will wear a mask.

Looks like Joel Embiid will be back tonight, 3 to 4 days ahead of schedule after fracturing his sinus. Big addition back to the Sixers lineup. They will finish their 4-game season series against the Hornets tonight.

source

For the major contributor he was last season (their best offensive player, with LaMelo being injured) he's been doing more harm than good this season. After all the trade talks over the last couple years, is it finally time for Charlotte to move on from him?

Source: https://www.espn.com/nba/player/stats/_/id/4066383/miles-bridges

Whats your favorite player,that is often in a frezzer deep on the bench, that for some reasons you like to see them play and wish to see even more (rookies,sophmores shouldn't count) Vit Krejći (from Hawks) 🇨🇿 skinny,tatted dude doesnt even look like a basketball player but he really has some flair, he often wants to make his time on the court be a highlight, often that can result in a lowlight, has streches when he is backup pg, and other where he is dnp for 10 straight Charles Bassey🇳🇬 and Mamukelasvili 🇬🇪 both players behind Zach Collins (ew) but both have thier moments and look really sound, energetic and strong, players who are never on scouting report but can burn you if you don't pay attention to them

Zach Edey is also first in WS/48 and is scoring at the same rate as Jaylen Wells, Alex Sarr, and Steph Castle

Edey has been the most impactful defender in the draft, is stretching the floor, and scoring just as much as anyone else in this draft

Edey is the clear favorite for ROTY, but in respect to McCain it was his trophy bar none, prior to injury sadly.

Congrats to Memphis

Game Threads Index (December 20, 2024):

1. Nikola Jokic
2. Giannis Antetokounmpo
3. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
4. Luka Doncic
5. Jayson Tatum
6. Karl-Anthony Towns
7. Anthony Davis
8. Victor Wembanyama
9. Trae Young
10. Tyler Herro

https://www.nba.com/news/kia-mvp-ladder-dec-20-2024-edition

Source – Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints:

One small but notable piece of intel from today's column on ClutchPoints.

The Kings hold ZERO intentions of trading or making De'Aaron Fox available in trade talks, multiple league sources say.

The investment was noted a few years ago in r/nba : https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/apmr6s/kevin_durants_thirty_five_ventures_is_moving_into/

and reported here: https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2017/10/20/Technology/kevin-durant-invests-autonomous-drone-startup-skydio.aspx

and now it's being reported by Jewish Currents that this company spied on student protesters this year at Yale: https://jewishcurrents.org/inside-yale-police-department-war-student-protesters-palestine

It feels eerie and dystopian to have basketball players make so much money and basically become a part of the surveillance state

Source – Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints:

Ever since losing in the NBA Cup, the Warriors have been ramping up their activities on the trade market, sources told @ClutchPoints.

There is more of a willingness to discuss their young core of Kuminga, Moody, and Podziemski in trade discussions than ever before.

The Grizz are quietly proving to be one of the best teams in the NBA. While everyone is losing their minds about teams taking so many 3's. The Grizz are playing the right way by leading the league in paint points (58.6) and also making the 13th most 3's (13.7)

10 Takes

1. The East Is BACK!

2. OKC is great (except for NBA cup final, which

technically did not happen according to NBA stats department.)

3. GSW is broken

4. MEM is great

5. LAL can score!

6. (Slightly better than the Wizards)

7. POR & UTA can't defend

8. MIN can

9. PHL has a pulse

https://x.com/kirkgoldsberry/status/1870120670551593298?s=46

Link (paywalled)

Full list

https://www.statmuse.com/nba/ask/embiid-career-high-points-with-0-free-throw-attempt

For reference:

Luka- 418/420 games played https://www.statmuse.com/nba/ask/luka-career-high-points-with-0-free-throw-attempt

LeBron- 1501/1517 https://www.statmuse.com/nba/ask/lebron-career-high-points-with-0-free-throw-attempt

Statmuse won’t let you calculate past 25 games without paying so idk for other stars. Not hating, just an interesting stat. Drawing fouls and getting your team to the line will always be valuable.