Ideal NBA?

With a PoD at any time since 1949 (when the NBL and BAA merged), make your ideal NBA.
Rules:
Seattle must still have a team in 2017.
Limit expansion to 28 teams.
 
My league, my way...

Pacific
Denver Nuggets
Hollywood Blockbusters
Oakland Oaks
Phoenix Suns
Portland Trail Blazers
Seattle Supersonics
Vancouver Grizzlies

Midwest

Chicago Bulls
Dallas Mavericks
Houston Rockets
Milwaukee Bucks
Minnesota Lakers
New Orleans Jazz
San Antonio Spurs

Central

Atlanta Hawks
Charlotte Hornets
Cleveland Cavaliers
Detroit Pistons
Indiana Pacers
Kentucky Colonels
Toronto Raptors

Atlantic

Boston Celtics
Miami Heat
New York Knicks
New York Nets
Orlando Magic
Philadelphia Warriors
Virginia Squires
 

Driftless

Donor
My league, my way...

Pacific......
(snip)

Minnesota Lakers, New Orleans Jazz makes far more sense than LA Lakers & Utah Jazz..... It just does. Are the Hollywood Blockbusters your analog for the OTL Lakers? I like your Midwest division too - much better setup for rivalries, travel, and TV audience.

I'd shorten the season to no more than 55-60 regular season games, to make the season compelling. (Never a snowballs chance in hell that would happen, but it would improve the game)

2 foul shots on 3pt attempts instead of 3. I like the skills and strategy that goes with the 3 point based modern game, but the pendulum needs to swing back a hair. I do not miss the iso-ball, over-dependence on physical contact era of the 90's to early 2000's. I almost gave up watching during that time frame.

Playoff spots are determined by conference champs and wildcards, but seeding is done by overall record regardless of conference - let the best teams play.

Fire up a genuine minor league system, with the CBA structured to allow movement between the main and farm teams in some fashion. An improved minor league would have helped develop GM's and other front-office types, coaches, along with player development

Structure the CBA to only partially guarantee contracts. Keep the salary cap and luxury tax to protect the smaller market teams.

I like the international aspect of the current game, so allow that to flourish.
 
Last edited:
Minnesota Lakers, New Orleans Jazz makes far more sense than LA Lakers & Utah Jazz..... It just does. Are the Hollywood Blockbusters your analog for the OTL Lakers? I like your Midwest division too - much better setup for rivalries, travel, and TV audience.

I'd shorten the season to no more than 55-60 regular season games, to make the season compelling. (Never a snowballs chance in hell that would happen, but it would improve the game)

2 foul shots on 3pt attempts instead of 3. I like the skills and strategy that goes with the 3 point based modern game, but the pendulum needs to swing back a hair. I do not miss the iso-ball, over-dependence on physical contact era of the 90's to early 2000's. I almost gave up watching during that time frame.

Playoff spots are determined by conference champs and wildcards, but seeding is done by overall record regardless of conference - let the best teams play.

Fire up a genuine minor league system, with the CBA structured to allow movement between the main and farm teams in some fashion. An improved minor league would have helped develop GM's and other front-office types, coaches, along with player development

Structure the CBA to only partially guarantee contracts. Keep the salary cap and luxury tax to protect the smaller market teams.

I like the international aspect of the current game, so allow that to flourish.

The only way I would personally agree to make the season shorter is to have it so that every team has a home-and-away:
- 12 games against division opponents.
- 14 games against conference opponents.
- 28 games (14 home, 14 away) against the other conference.

The Blockbusters would be the Syracuse Nationals or Rochester/Cincinnati Royals moving to LA in the 60's.
 
My ideal NBA is if the Los Angeles Lakers managed to pull off the Chris Paul trade. And by the way, it used to be the Minneapolis Lakers.

All jokes aside though... San Diego should have kept the Clippers rather them having to move to LA and essentially become the stunted step cousin of the Lakers, and that they didn't have an idiot owner like Donald Sterling. Bill Walton himself called the fact that the Clippers moved away from San Diego 'The Greatest Failure of my Professional Career'.
 
POD: The governments of New Orleans and Louisiana have a better disaster preparedness program. Thus, when Katrina hits, it's far less devastating than in OTL, and the New Orleans Hornets are not forced to temporarily move to Oklahoma City. Without OKC proving to be a tenable NBA market TTL, the Sonics are never sold to Clay Bennett's group and thus never move to Oklahoma.

The second POD: The 2007 NBA Draft sees the Portland Trail Blazers get the 1st pick in the draft. With it they draft Kevin Durant out of the University of Texas at Austin, joining fellow Longhorn LaMarcus Aldridge and reigning Rookie of the Year Brandon Roy to form a formidable young trio. The Celtics still trade with Seattle, with the Sonics giving up Ray Allen to acquire youth. The San Antonio Spurs surprise people by drafting Marc Gasol, Pau's younger brother, late in the 1st round.

By 2017 the NBA looks like this:

Atlantic Division:

Boston Celtics
Brooklyn Nets
New York Knicks
Philadelphia 76ers
Toronto Raptors

Central Division:

Chicago Bulls
Cleveland Cavaliers (defending Eastern Conference champion)
Detroit Pistons
Indiana Pacers
Milwaukee Bucks

Southeast Division

Atlanta Hawks
Charlotte Hornets
Miami Heat
Orlando Magic
Washington Wizards

Northwest Division:

Denver Nuggets
Minnesota Timberwolves
Portland Trail Blazers
Seattle Supersonics
Utah Jazz

Pacific Division

Golden State Warriors
Los Angeles Clippers
Los Angeles Lakers
Phoenix Suns
Sacramento Kings

Southwest Division

Dallas Mavericks
Houston Rockets
New Orleans Pelicans
Memphis Grizzlies
San Antonio Spurs (defending champion)
 
1. Cincinnati Royal PF Maurice Stokes doesn't have his accident during a game in the late-50's, and he plays with Oscar Robertson in the 60's.

2. I would still have the Lakers move to LA, but I would have the Syracuse Nationals move to San Fran instead of the Phila. Warriors (which makes more sense to me). Then, I would rename them the San Francisco Sharks.

3. I would have the Royals win at least two titles that the Celtics won, if not more. Stokes and Robertson would have been a dynamic duo, and they also had Jack Twyman, Jerry Lucas, and Wayne Embry. That would have increased interest in the team, butterflying away their 1972 move to Kansas City.

4. I would have the Chicago Zephyr/Packer team stay put rather than going to Baltimore. Then, I would re-name them the Bulls in 1965.

NBA 1965-66:

Eastern Division: Boston Celtics, Cincinnati Royals, N.Y. Knicks, Philadelphia Warriors
Western Division: Chicago Bulls, Detroit Pistons, L.A. Lakers, San Francisco Sharks, St. Louis Hawks

1966-67: Since there are only nine teams instead of ten (no 76ers added in this timeline), the NBA only expands to Seattle (Supersonics). They beat out San Diego and Pittsburgh. The Sonics are put in the West, and the Pistons are moved to the East.

1967-68: The ABA begins play with eleven teams (Anaheim Amigos, Dallas Chapparals, Houston Mavericks, Indiana Pacers, Denver Rockets, Kentucky Colonels, Minnesota Muskies, New Orleans Buccaneers, New York Americans, Oakland Oaks, Pittsburgh Pipers). As a result, the NBA decides to expand again, and they put teams in Milwaukee and Phoenix that will start play the next season.

1968-69

Eastern Division: Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls, Cincinnati Royals, Detroit Pistons, N.Y. Knicks, Philadelphia Warriors
Western Division: L.A. Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks, Phoenix Suns, San Francisco Sharks, Seattle Supersonics, St. Louis Hawks

Summer of 1969: The New York Nets (they were re-named that after their first year) were able to steal Kareem Abdul-Jabbar away from the Bucks and the ABA. Also, the Hawks move to Atlanta, and flip divisions with the Bulls.

1970-71: Cleveland and Portland enter the league (Buffalo misses out in this world). This is how the 14-team league looks now:

Eastern Division: Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Cincinnati Royals, Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, N.Y, Knicks, Philadelphia Warriors
Western Division: Chicago Bulls, L.A. Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks, Phoenix Suns, Portland Trail Blazers, San Francisco Sharks, Seattle Supersonics

Summer of 1972: After the dominance of Kareem and the Nets, the ABA and NBA decide to talk merger (the NBA wants Kareem and that team in their league). At the end of those talks, it was decided that the New York Nets, Indiana Pacers, and Kentucky Colonels will enter the NBA. However, since Kentucky is such a small market, the team decides to move to Kansas City as part of the merger agreement. They are re-named the Scouts (after a statue that is in Kansas City).

1972-73 NBA alignment (17 teams with four divisions):

Eastern Conference
Atlantic Division: Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, NY Knicks, NY Nets, Phila. Warriors
Central Division: Cincinnati Royals, Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers

Western Conference
Midwest Division: Chicago Bulls, Kansas City Scouts, Milwaukee Bucks, Phoenix Suns
Pacific Division: L.A. Lakers, Portland Trail Blazers, SF Sharks, Seattle Sonics

After that, I don't think that I would add too many more teams (maybe five to seven at the most. I don't think the NBA should have more than 22-24). Also, I would probably wait until the late-80's before thinking about expansion because popularity declined in the 70's, and you want to take time to build that back.
 
National Basketball Conference
East
Atlanta Hawks
Boston Celtics
Miami Heat
New York Knicks
Philadelphia Warriors
Central
Chicago Bulls
Cleveland Cavaliers
Detroit Pistons
Minneapolis Lakers
New Orleans Jazz
West
Dallas Mavericks
Los Angeles Kings (fmr. Roc. Royals)
Phoenix Suns
San Francisco Seals (fmr. Syracuse Nationals)
Seattle Supersonics
American Basketball Conference
East
Brooklyn Nets
Orlando Magic
Toronto Raptors
Virginia Squires
Washington Wizards
Central
Charlotte Hornets
Indiana Pacers
Kentucky Colonels
Milwaukee Bucks
Spirits of St. Louis
West
Denver Nuggets
Houston Rockets
Los Angeles Clippers
Portland Trail Blazers
San Antonio Spurs

NBA and ABA agreed to a full merger with five NBA teams joining the new American Basketball Conference, then five more teams added.
 
National Basketball Conference
East
Atlanta Hawks
Boston Celtics
Miami Heat
New York Knicks
Philadelphia Warriors
Central
Chicago Bulls
Cleveland Cavaliers
Detroit Pistons
Minneapolis Lakers
New Orleans Jazz
West
Dallas Mavericks
Los Angeles Kings (fmr. Roc. Royals)
Phoenix Suns
San Francisco Seals (fmr. Syracuse Nationals)
Seattle Supersonics
American Basketball Conference
East
Brooklyn Nets
Orlando Magic
Toronto Raptors
Virginia Squires
Washington Wizards
Central
Charlotte Hornets
Indiana Pacers
Kentucky Colonels
Milwaukee Bucks
Spirits of St. Louis
West
Denver Nuggets
Houston Rockets
Los Angeles Clippers
Portland Trail Blazers
San Antonio Spurs

NBA and ABA agreed to a full merger with five NBA teams joining the new American Basketball Conference, then five more teams added.

The one way to make this work is to have the networks to cover the conferences with the same initials. Otherwise, good work on this lineup.
 
I was gonna say my ideal NBA would be to have it implode completely from the '82 (?) strike actually occurring, but that doesn't fit the first rule. :biggrin:
 
Here's mine

Pacific

Seattle Flight
Los Angeles Stars
Golden State Guards
Phoenix Suns
Denver Grizzlies
San Diego Wave
Portland Orca

Midwest
Chicago Bulls
Indiana Racers
Dallas Mustangs
Detroit Pistons
Cleveland Cavaliers
San Antonio Spurs
Houston Rockets

South

Atlanta Hawks
Charlotte Hornets
Miami Heat
New Orleans Jazz
Memphis Hound Dogs
Orlando Wizards
Virginia Dreadnaughts

Atlantic

Boston Celtics
Buffalo Wings
New York Knicks
Philadelphia 76'ers
Washington Warriors
Pittsburgh Thunder
Toronto Raptors
 
Gary Bettman never gets hired by the NBA and is never recommended to the NHL for its commissioner job, and the job goes to someone who isn't a complete dipshit.

As for the NBA, let's see about my wish list.

The Warriors stay in Philly and evolve much as they did, so the Syracuse Nationals move elsewhere. Perhaps D.C. assuming the Bullets stay in Baltimore.
The Hawks never leave St. Louis.
The original Hornets stay in Charlotte and the Jazz stay in the Big Easy.
The Lakers stay in Minnesota.
The Kings remain the Cincinnati Royals.
Seattle keeps the Sonics.
Toronto names its team something that's not after a damn movie.
The New Jersey Nets change their name to the Swamp Dragons in the 1990s (actually almost happened) and come to their senses and shorten it to the Dragons.

So with 28 slots, here's what I have.

ATLANTIC:
Baltimore Bullets
Boston Celtics
Brooklyn Dragons
Charlotte Hornets
New York Knicks
Philadelphia Warriors
Washington Admirals

CENTRAL:
Cincinnati Royals
Cleveland Cavaliers
Columbus Voyagers
Detroit Pistons
Indiana Pacers
Miami Heat
Toronto Huskies

MIDWEST:
Chicago Bulls
Dallas Mavericks
Houston Rockets
Milwaukee Bucks
Minnesota Lakers
New Orleans Jazz
San Antonio Spurs

PACIFIC:
Denver Nuggets
Los Angeles Blockbusters
Phoenix Suns
Portland Trail Blazers
San Diego Clippers
San Francisco Sharks
Seattle Supersonics

Teams play each team outside the division home-and-home and play each division opponent six times. No back-to-backs (unless both are home games.)
 
That works out to 78 games (21 * 2 + 6 * 6). I like it.

Basically that and the season starting a week or two earlier should cool everyone's jets about player rest. That way we don't have to listen to unmasked Darth Vader yammer about it when there are more important issues in the NBA, like why no one can beat the fucking Warriors or Cavaliers.
 
Basically that and the season starting a week or two earlier should cool everyone's jets about player rest. That way we don't have to listen to unmasked Darth Vader yammer about it when there are more important issues in the NBA, like why no one can beat the fucking Warriors or Cavaliers.

So basically the Cavs and Warriors have become villains IOTL?
 
Top