Charles Barkley can be a bit of an old-school guy as it pertains to the NBA. Overall, he believes that his era was the best, and there is very little you can do to change that. Although he does like some of the players that play today, he can still be a bit of a curmudgeon. Ultimately, this extends to some of the newer things that the NBA has been proposing over the years. For instance, next season, the league is going to have an in-season tournament. This is brand-new, and it will see the NBA going in a more European soccer direction.
Although this could be a whole lot of fun, some are confused as to how it will work. Charles Barkley is one of those people who isn't so sure that this is a great idea. However, Barkley got to speak to Adam Silver about it directly last night. Essentially, Silver explained that some regular season games will count as part of the tournament. Every team is eligible, and based on the performances of each team in these tournament games, there will be seeding for the knockout stages. Subsequently, the team that wins will receive $500K per player.
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Charles Barkley Is Not Convinced
Despite this explanation, Barkley was still quite skeptical about it all. “Well, ok, so, we already got the load management issue, ok?” Barkley said. “Why would I risk — if I’m one of the teams who’s trying to win the Larry O’Brien trophy — what’s in it for me to play in that tournament? We’re already having a hard time getting these guys to play.” Overall, Chuck makes a very good point. Half of the players in the league are already sitting out games for no good reason. This tournament could embolden player to not try or just sit out altogether. That said, Silver believes players will want to compete, especially with the cash prize.
Silver has brought some good ideas to the table as commissioner. For instance, the play-in tournament has proven to be a huge hit with a lot of people. Hopefully, this new tournament works and stays around for a while. Let us know what you think of this idea, in the comments section below.