Adam Silver talks In-Season Tournament, gives advice to NBA media / News - Basketnews.com

The Comissioner of the NBA, Adam Silver, gave remarks on what he would consider a successful In-Season Tournament and the media representation of the NBA and basketball in general.

Credit: Patrick T. Fallon/AFP - Scanpix Credit Patrick T. Fallon/AFP - Scanpix

Adam Silver, the Commissioner of the NBA, gave an interview to The Old Man & The Three podcast in which he talked about many issues. Throughout the interview, Silver gave some statements on the In-Season Tournament and shared his advice to the media regarding the NBA's representation.

Firstly, Silver was asked about his view as to what would make the inaugural In-Season Tournament a success. He began by observing the situation from the perspective of the league.

"Part of it is very specific in terms of a hope for a rating, a hope for fan interest…"

He then quickly delved into the teams and player aspects of the In-Season Tournament.

"But more importantly, I think a buy-in from the league, I think, to the extent that players get up for those games and that the recognition that, it's still a regular season game that you should want to win, but it's a tournament, and it's an opportunity to win something…" said Silver.

However, The commissioner quickly drew the line between the In-Season Tournament and the actual NBA trophy.

"It's not the Larry O'Brien trophy, and I doubt it'll take anything away from that because that's the apex; there's no question about it. But here's an opportunity to win something that's very significant to the players," he noted, giving a positive edge to his statements.

"It's the beginning of a new tradition in the league, and I'm particularly excited about it… I think for this, In-Season Tournament, I mean, I love the marketing around it, I love the excitement we're starting to see…"

Silver also mentioned the crucial role that non-American players played in the process of proliferating the popularity of the In-Season Tournament in the league.

"The international players, which are roughly a quarter of our league, have more familiarity with these sorts of cup tournaments," said Silver, revealing the inspiration behind the In-Season Tournament.

"We stole the idea from international soccer, and so they [international players] were quick to get it and also just understand the tradition…" Silver mentioned the role of international players. "It's meaningful to win the FA Cup or something like that, you know, in the English Premier League, so they, I think they sort of have helped to spread the word to their teammates and around the league."

The commissioner of the NBA concluded the In-Season interview chapter by entering the new courts and jerseys made specifically for the cup tournament.

The floors will be different colors, much more colorful… Television [is a] very visual medium for people to, as they're flipping the channels, say something's going on differently here.

You know, the City Edition uniforms [will be] premiered for the first time in these games, so anyway, I'm really encouraged," he noted.

Silver shared a new vision about the NBA's media visibility, stating that he envies the NFL, where fans watch the Super Bowl regardless of the teams that play in it.

To this end, Silver took pride in the fact that 5 separate teams won the NBA in the last 5 championships, which diversified the success pool. He then shared his strategy.

"A part of my job is to take people who are fans of the game back to where we started and, by definition, create interest in the teams that are most successful…" explained Silver. "[Viewers] should think 'I'm a fan of the game, this is the best basketball being played by definition because this team has gone to the Conference Finals or the Finals…"

While the commissioner did implicitly criticize the NBA, he also partially attacked the media for what he perceived to be a misrepresentation of basketball and the league.

"I think where we can all do a better job, and again, I'm not just pointing to the media here, is talking more about the game…" said Silver. "My frustration is, I think sometimes that the commentary in our games gets reduced to 'this team wanted it more' or 'this team tried harder'… he criticized.

Adam Silver then recommended media commentators, asking them to focus on the following questions.

"'Why is this team losing the way they?', 'Why is this team successful?' Explain what the pick-and-roll is. Like, explain what's happening on the court," he said.

Once again, going off of the NFL example, Silver continued to touch upon the misrepresentation of basketball in American media.

"I think there is this sense that, unlike in football where the coaches are viewed as these field generals going out there with complex schemes," he explained. "Then, in basketball, there's a sense that it's just about athleticism or somehow, the coach's job is just to get the guys to play hard."

Silver concluded honestly.

"Let's talk more about basketball and then the other stuff, I'm fine with. Like have fun with the guys, and, you know, the fashion shows, the guys are walking into the arena and all that…"

"I'm not against it, but the game, the game, the game," he rounded off his speech.

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