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Happy New Year everyone! And with a new year comes resolutions of course, so here are some possible resolutions/predictions I hope will come true in the NBA in 2025.
The All-Star Game: Back to Basics
The All-Star game format change is an honest attempt to make it an entertaining watch again. But none of that matters if the players, specifically the superstars DON’T GIVE A DAMN! Someone or something in the game has to bring back the competitive spirit that’s in basketball.
Going back to basics is the best way to invoke that change, go back to the East vs. West format with some substantial financial prize on the line. The tinkering has been done to death so get back to the basics of playing ball on a huge stage while showing the next phase of potential superstars.
The glorified layup line for over an hour is and has been death to the NBA. Also, cutting the time of the quarters to 8-10 minutes would help also. East vs. West + Cash incentives + Cut back on some weekend obligations and appearances at random events will equal the All-Star game being a must-see event on the NBA’s schedule.
Full Transparency about Player Injuries
Now on to another problem the NBA can and hopefully will correct, the player injuries situation. Like always something is copied to death after one team did it (Thanks 2014 Spurs) and load management has become a huge detriment to basketball, which has spawn into the idiotic secrecy when it comes to injuries.
With examples such as Kawhi and the Clippers as well as the entire Joel Embiid and 76ers disaster should be enough for Adam Silver to step in and demand teams to provide absolute transparency about injuries. As much as I’m not a fan of the NFL but perhaps copying the NFL’s IR list and system to inform the journalists and fans of who is not playing.
Because we as fans don’t spend crazy amounts of money for a game to see a certain player who is not playing at the last second is one of the big reasons why interest, ratings, and viewership are down. Very expensive fines and penalties to teams who keep using these tactics will force this change to bring people back to the NBA.
CLEAN THE GAME UP!
Again I am more than happy being the “Grumpy, old man screaming get off my lawn” but the number one reason why people are watching and do not care about basketball is the goofy antics within the game. What I mean is the widespread excessive flopping and foul baiting, excessive stoppages late in games for pointless reviews, and that every game is a run and chuck game that turns people away.
While I agree with people who say this generation of players are perhaps the most skilled at every position but the style of play in most cases does not reflect that. While Stephen Curry and a handful of others are exceptional talents when it comes to the three pointers, the majority of the NBA teams can’t do that successfully and again it is time for the commissioner to step in and fix the game.
The NBA G-League has tried some new rules and ideas out to speed the game up and be more watchable in the closing minutes compared to the drawn-out free throw parade we see now. One of the things I would love the NBA to incorporate is the one free-throw rule, so for example, if two foul shots are awarded, a player will only take one free throw and if the shot is successful, it is worth two points. This rule does not apply during the final two minutes of the fourth quarter or the entirety of any overtime period.
The other concept I hope the NBA will used is the targeted score for overtime, play-in games, and All-Star games would make the end of the games more interesting and watchable. I could go on, but if Silver started these things would be a wonderful start in making the product entertaining again.
Now on to some predictions that I think will happen in 2025.
3. The Suns burn it down
Barring the Suns having a complete miracle run to the NBA finals and win it all, come the summer of 2025 I expect the Suns to finally to burn this version of the team down and start over. Ideally you would like to keep Devin Booker but who knows if that will be a possibly this offseason.
2. The Pistons get another star
Things are going into the right direction in Detroit, as the Pistons could be a play-in team and have decided to not capture the Flagg. So, wouldn’t this offseason be an ideal time for the Pistons to go get an established or young up and coming star to pair with Cade Cunningham? With some cap space and interesting assets, Detroit could go for someone like Jimmy Butler, Zion Williamson, Zach LaVine, or maybe the Greek Freak himself would put the Pistons back in the national conversation in the eastern conference.
1. Giannis heads to South Beach
My last prediction for 2025 feels like a gimme of sorts, but if things don’t start to look up in Milwaukee then the whispers over the years of Giannis Antetokounmpo demanding a trade will become loud and clear. Limited cap space, draft picks, and unattractive contracts make it more challenging to put a contending around Giannis which may lead to him demanding a trade, but where would the Greek Freak land?
Obviously I would love to Giannis finally in Toronto but that seems highly unlikely, but I think the best realistic place would be Brooklyn, Houston, Oklahoma City or Miami. As much as Giannis in OKC would be the best to happen to the NBA, I cannot count out the Godfather in South Beach Pat Riley pulling off the unthinkable yet again and land Antetokounmpo in Miami, moving on from Jimmy Butler into a new phase or era of Heat Culture while shooting the Heat back into the championship contender discussion.