Should the NBA Shrink the Playoff Field?

22 teams is nuts, right? Well, that seems to be what the NBA is hoping to bring to Orlando when the season resumes in late July. However, some players, especially players on teams that don't expect to have a long playoff run, are now voicing their concerns about restarting inside the 'bubble.'

The NBA has put out this 'bubble' that players will have to live in while the NBA season resumes come July in Walt Disney World in Orlando. While the protocols for living in the bubble have yet to be released, the report is that players can not bring their families until after the first round of the playoffs, players cannot leave the Disney World campus, and that they would be tested for the coronavirus every single day.

So obviously, the deal hits a tough note with many players on non-championship contending teams, and there are now talks among these teams that players will simply stay home and forgo their paychecks. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, some 40-50 NBA players held a conference call last Wednesday to discuss the "uncertainty" surrounding restarting the season inside the bubble.

One of the voices speaking out about this is the Indiana Pacers' Malcolm Brogden, who said this:

Malcolm Brogdon is a VP for the NBAPA. He said last week: “Guys across the NBA have very mixed [feelings about playing], it’s very polarized. Some guys are like, ‘I’m not playing. I don’t want to play... I’m not going to prioritize basketball over people’s health in general.'” https://t.co/swOeiXs6d8

— Tony East (@TEastNBA) June 10, 2020

Based on what Brogdon is saying in this, there are a lot of players who feel that the NBA is putting their own health at risk but playing for money and to finish the season rather than caring about their own healthy and safety and being with their families.

It appears from Woj's report that discussions are underway that would allow players to stay home without repercussions instead of joining in Orlando. However, those players would not be played.

So, what does this mean for the NBA and for those players, many of whom are on non-championship contending team? It might mean a dramatic reassessment of the field, which is why I thought the 22 teams were insane. That's why too many teams. Even the NHL is doing that many teams, which I don't find feasible either. In the case of the NBA, what many players are probably finding is that it is just not a big enough incentive to return to play. Even Jalen Rose said it himself on "Get Up" last week.

Rose said about it, "There are multimillionaires. Why risk your health when you already live in the suburbs and have money in the bank and you could play to another day, play to another season? There will be players, a ton of them, hesitant to go play in the bubble."

That's exactly the right feeling I have felt about this, and I believe the NBA and the Players Association is going to have to make a major change to this format well before they even start playing games again. I would think a reduction from 22 teams to between 12-16 teams would be an ideal start, because you can't have teams that are 24-40 in the tournament. That's basically rewarding bad effort and bad teams. The same may be done with the NHL, especially with players who know they have no chance to get far in the playoffs. So this would be a smart first move for the NBA.

The second thing they would have to address on this is this whole 'bubble' restriction. Not every player is going to want to follow these restrictions fully. We know players like LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard and Giannis Antetokoumpo are going to follow these restrictions to the tee because of their legacies, but many players lower on the totem pole are going to want to be able to have the freedom to move about and go places and that sort of thing and you can't do that if you're in a bubble. I'm pretty sure the proposals that will be put out soon may not be like what I suggested here, but if the restrictions are too tight inside the bubble, many of these players are not going to go along with it. They'll be fine with the constant testing because that's important, but they're not going to be okay with heavy restrictions on their movement.

Clearly, this is a big issue and we haven't even gotten to late July yet, but it's clear the NBA is going to have to change their playoff format a little bit, in order to make it feasible for all. Clearly, the 22-team format indicates that the NBA doesn't care about the health and safety of its players and its league, despite what the NBA tries to say against it, and it's clear the players are noticing it. So the best thing forward is to shrink the field and tell players there will be no repercussions for not playing. If they can't do that, they're going to have a revolt on our hands, and it may not be pretty.

Did The Giants Make the Right Decision With Huff?

When you look at guys like Antonio Brown, you can understand why people should stay off social media, especially places like Twitter. Well, the latest regarding Aubrey Huff is another example of why that should be embraced by all, and it has apparently gotten the San Francisco Giants' attention, and not in a good way.

On Monday, the team announced that they won't invite Huff to a reunion of the 2010 World Series-winning team because of his "unacceptable" comments that he made on social media.

This is a statement by the Giants: "Earlier this month, we reached out to Aubrey Huff to let him know that he will not be included in the upcoming 2010 World Series Championship reunion. Aubrey has made multiple comments on social media that are unacceptable and run counter to the values of our organization. While we appreciate the many contribution that Aubrey made to the 2010 championship season, we stand by our decision."

Huff played first base and outfield on the 2010 team and retired after the 2012 season. He played the final three seasons of his 13-year career with the Giants.

The social media comments in question were the ones in November and last month. Back in November, he posted a tweet that had a picture of him holding a shooting target with holes. The captain said, "getting my boys trained up on how to use a gun in the unlikely event @BernieSanders beats @realDonaldTrump in 2020."

The other tweet that was referenced was back in January, when he posted a since-deleted tweet about kidnapping Iranian women so "we can bring them back here as they can us and feed us grapes." He later tweeted that his post was a joke, but the damage was already done and by then, the Giants felt that this was enough to tell Huff to get out and not be invited to the reunion.

So the bigger question is: Did the Giants make the right decision in telling Huff he's not invited? Well, Huff honestly doesn't believe it's the right decision, and told The Athletic that he was "Quite frankly, shocked. Disappointed. But if they want to stick with their politically correct, progressive bulls---, that's fine." However, in my view and my take, I think this speaks to more than just politics about what the Giants are doing, and it's also why I don't believe anybody should be in Twitter.

The Giants are an organization that prides itself on diversity and inclusion and making sure everybody has a seat at the table. They feel that will open itself up economically and socially so that nobody feels left behind. Honestly, not everybody will agree with that. They will probably say they need to make the right decision for their organization and not bow to the media coverage they may get if they go or don't go down that path, but I'm fine with it, if they want to do it. I would never make comments like this, and especially not on Twitter. This is why I left Twitter 18 days ago, because of situations like this, where you say something you don't mean to say and then you have to face the consequences later. It's also because Twitter is not a place where you think through your thoughts before you say them, and Huff clearly didn't think through before going on and making these comments. Not only that, but the conversation he had earlier Tuesday on 95.7 The Game didn't do him any more favors. So while I'm not going to side 100% with the Giants either, they did what they had to do to make sure they continue to be an inclusive organization for all.

That's why Antonio Brown and Aubrey Huff are examples of why Twitter is the worst place in the world for thought and conversation, because it really doesn't help their cause and it just makes them look worse. What Huff did was unacceptable and if he had just come out publicly and say, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said these things," then I would've leaned more towards forgiving them, but once you cross the line and double down on your comments because you're looking for validity from people who agree with you, then you face an uphill battle, and that's what Huff did when he went on radio and then promptly got call off when he went too far.

Huff needs to learn that the culture is constantly changing and these kind of comments, especially on Twitter, don't help your situation, especially if you're looking in the larger scheme of the world. I'm not going to sit here and say I feel bad for him, but these sort of comments don't fly in the 21st century, so he better learn that quick or else he's going to be part of the left-behind culture and that's not a place you want to be in, or a group that you want to be a part of.

Dodgers Trading For Star Shortstop?

While MLB is still in the heat of the World Series, one eliminated playoff team may be moving one of its star shortstops for another star shortstop. That would be surprising under Andrew Friedman, given that the Dodgers usually thrive on a homegrown core.

The latest by Jon Paul Morosi of MLB.com is reporting that the Dodgers are open to the idea of trading Corey Seager, their star shortstop for many years, for Indians star shortstop Francisco Lindor. The big reason for this may be because the Dodgers had a .303 on-base percentage during this month's NLDS loss to the Nationals. Many believe that this is unacceptable and if true and the trade is pulled, it also proves that Andrew Friedman found that unacceptable as well.

It's unclear as of yet what the plans are for the Dodgers in 2020 but it seems the Dodgers are open-minded to the idea of a shakeup in this offseason. We had thought they shook it up a little bit with the trade of Yasiel Puig and Alex Wood to the Cincinnati Reds last offseason but they still managed to make the playoffs with the additions of AJ Pollock and Joe Kelly. However, getting to the World Series and winning it was the expectation and they fell way short of it.

Lindor is coming off his fourth consecutive All-Star season and would bring an All-Star caliber and some consistency at the shortstop position. Seager, on the other hand, has yet to replicate the kind of offensive production that earned him the NL Rookie of the Year award in 2016. Although most of that lack of production has been due to injuries, the Dodgers are an impatient organization when it comes to winning and winning now. If they believe that Seager is not going to be the type of shortstop they expected in his rookie year, they will get rid of him.

Seager ranked eighth this year in OPS this year among major league shortstops but was a big outlier in a lineup that has high plate discipline. He swung at 51.1 percent of the pitches that he saw, according to a recent stat from FanGraphs.com. That's the highest of any Dodgers hitter with at least 100 plate appearances.

With Lindor, the Dodgers would be a natural suitor for him, given that he's a switch-hitter that would help cover platoon advantages and the Dodgers, with all the rich talent they have in their farm system, would have enough capital to give Cleveland a promising offer.

Despite the Dodgers winning seven consecutive division titles and finishing this decade with the most regular-season wins in the National League, winning the World Series still eludes them. They haven't won one since 1988 and their is a sense of urgency in the Dodgers that it's a now or never deal. While I would like to see Corey Seager win a World Series in LA, I doubt that he'll be around to see that happen. They will most likely get rid of him or trade him if it means getting closer to their goal.

Lindor would be a great fit for them and would accomplish what they need in a star shortstop right now. It's now or never for the Dodgers and the urgency will be too great for them to miss out on this offer. I would make any deal, if I were Friedman, to get a guy who would be a big asset in that lineup.

Shaq Defends Daryl Morey on China

The NBA-China controversy has enveloped the league and its player for the last week and a half, all starting with Rockets GM Daryl Morey's Twitter post about supporting the Hong Kong protestors. What happened afterward immediately caught the attention of the league and China and could have big financial ramifications for the NBA. Or will it?

One guy is coming to the rescue of Daryl Morey and that is Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal.

O'Neal embraced free speech on Tuesday during TNT's pre-game show, a week after Lakers star LeBron James called Daryl Morey "not educated" on the situation, saying about the situation, "Daryl Morey was right...And they know and understand our values and we understand their values. And one of our best values in America is free speech. We're allowed to say what we want to say and we're allowed to speak up on injustices, and that's just how it goes." This is a perfect quote from O'Neal and one that LeBron probably should've made years ago before he balked at this issue with a quote that seemed to defy business in China more than America's right to free speech.

O'Neal further went on to say, "Whenever you see something going on wrong anywhere in the world, you should have the right to say, 'That's not right,' and that's what he did."

O'Neal did not mention LeBron by name in his comments. However, his comments were clear and crystal and made perfect sense and he wasn't being a hypocrite. It is in stark contrast to LeBron, who seemed to sidestep and not stand up for America's right to free speech, as well as insult Daryl Morey. Did he happen to know Daryl Morey does business in China and understands the issues?

O'Neal's comments will probably not change anything that's already happened, though it could cost him dearly in China, where O'Neal does have business. He's not worried about that, though, so I applaud him for standing up for America's values.

Back on Oct. 4, Morey sent out a seven-word tweet that said, "Fight For Freedom. Stand for Hong Kong." It created a severe controversy that seemed to put the NBA on defense against China and it's clear how there will be severe financial consequences as a result of the tweet. It probably doesn't really matter now, anyway.

As far as the O'Neal comment goes, they are crystal clear. We have rights in this country to free speech and to stand up to something that we feel is not right. In this case, we feel that the injustices done to Hong Kong by China is not right. Hong Kong has obviously had enough of China and its communist ways and Morey is standing up for their right to free speech and protest and democracy. He has the right to do that as an American. We have values, they have values, and we respect and understand our values, and we will do that no matter what.

I applaud and stand with O'Neal. Free speech is the foundation of our democracy and we will continue to hold it dear to our hearts.

Buddy Hield Signs Four-Year Extension With Kings

The Sacramento Kings and Buddy Hield have agreed on a four-year extension that is worth $86MM in guaranteed money, reports Sam Amick of The Athletic (link). The deal will feature another $20MM in incentives. Today was the deadline for the Kings to sign Hield to an extension and it looks like they finally met it.

The four-year deal is worth $94MM that can go all the way to $106MM, including that guaranteed money. We have yet to receive full details on the incentives that come with that deal.

Hield's incentives are likely to be both team and player-based, with such things as All-Star appearances, NBA Finals appearances and many other accolades he receives that can maximize his earnings. There would also be incentives related to his three-point shooting.

Hield's salaries will descend gradually. Much like the one with Harrison Barnes' new four-year deal with the Kings, it will start in the $24MM range and decline to $18MM by the fourth year. That descent will allow the Kings to have some cap flexibility in the later, when they would have to sign new deals with De'Aaron Fox and Marvin Bagley, when their new deals could be more pricey.

There are no options in his extension, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (link).