CALL me old fashioned, but I’m not a huge fan of the current NBA award set up. Handing out the hardware for regular season awards five weeks after the season is completed seems like a dumb approach, with the offseason now in full swing and last year already feeling like a distant memory. However, I have good news. There is a way that the NBA can have their treasured night of night’s where they gather all the recipients while the relevant award race’s are still fresh on the minds of fans.

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THERE was something cool and exciting about players receiving their trophies during playoff action, making some memorable photos/videos. Winners of awards were usually handed their hardware by the commissioner late in the first round or early in the second in front of their home fans. I’m all for keeping that tradition alive, but if the NBA still wants to turn the award ceremony into an event, they should consider squeezing it in before the playoffs.

THIS season was only a two-day break in between the regular season and the playoffs, but the smart idea might be to extend that gap. Allowing players time to get healthy and prep for the postseason run will only improve the on-court product and a five-day gap would also give Adam Silver and his team time to manufacture an awards event. Scheduling a night after the regular season but before the playoffs commence could tick all the boxes.

ONE potential roadblock could be getting all the votes counted and processed in time for the event. Most NBA voters/media personalities who have a say in the outcome of the end of year awards haven’t fully made up their minds until the final night of the regular season. If this does prove to be a problem, why not extend the break in basketball to a week? That allows time for rest and recuperation for playoff-bound squads, gives the NBA time to make sure all the necessary award recipients can be in attendance and allows enough time to count and recount all the award votes. What’s to lose?

TRYING to squeeze an awards event in during a busy time of the year probably isn’t on the agenda for the NBA, but it could make each trophy so much more meaningful. By now, fans have moved on to the Finals, Draft and are closing in on free agency, with award races far from their thinking. I’ve got no problem with how the NBA wants to create an annual function to celebrate the winners from the gruelling 82-game slate, but the timing of the night doesn’t make sense.

Peace ✌

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