Incoming NBA Commissioner Adam Silvers Looks to Eliminate Divisions in the League

With only two teams sporting records above .500 in the Eastern Conference, incoming National Basketball Association (NBA) commissioner Adam Silver said he will give consideration to get getting rid of divisions within the conferences, in an interview on Sirius XM Radio's NBA channel.

"One thing I have learned from David (Stern) over all those years ... is every day we should wake up and take a fresh look at everything we do. Divisions fall into that category," said the current deputy commissioner who takes over the reigns from David Stern in February. "Historically, based on geography in terms of ways to schedule and convenience of travel, the goal was to enhance rivalries and I'm not sure if that's still what's happening. That's something I'm sure I'm sure the competition committee, when they next meet, will be taking a fresh look at."

Currently, the Boston Celtics are in first place in the Atlantic Division with a 10-12 record, with the Toronto Raptors in second place at 7-13, followed by the Brooklyn Nets at 7-14, Philadelphia 76ers at 7-16, and New York Knicks at 6-15. The winner of the Atlantic division is guaranteed at least a 4-seed in the NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs even if teams in other divisions finish with a better record.

Los Angeles Lakers head coach Mike D'Antoni is a proponent of the change, saying in an interview on the Sirius XM Radio's NBA channel that he does not pay much attention to the division standings during the regular season.

"Who cares?," said D'Antoni on the radio. "It really doesn't matter. I just check conferences."

Dallas Maverick owner Mark Cuban says he likes having divisions, saying that they are good for business.

"I actually like divisions because it helps sell tickets," said Cuban on the satellite radio station later in the day. "If you're just one big conference, then you're going to have an unbalanced scheduled so you might play Miami three times or four times in an open schedule one year and two times another year. That's like baseball. It's so unbalanced you never really know if it's the best team. I like having the divisions. I like having the conferences."

Cuban also pointed out that the putrid records in the Eastern Conference may have unintended consequences for teams that were looking to tank the 2013-2014 NBA season in hopes of landing a Top 5 pick in the 2014 NBA Draft.

NBA scouts believe players such as Duke University's Jabari Parker, University of Kansas' Andrew Wiggins, University of Kentucky's Julius Randle, and University of Arizona's Aaron Gordon can change the fortunes of pro franchise looking to rebuild.

"What's happened now is the law of unintended consequences," said Cuban. "Because there's so many under-performing teams in the East, and they have to play each four times, poor teams are going to make the playoffs with better records than they expected to have and good teams in the West aren't going to make the playoffs and you're going to have good teams getting better players and this being a good draft. Teams that tried to under-perform to get the better players are going to make the playoffs and not be in the lottery."

Teams that have had recent playoff success such as the Golden State Warriors (12-10), the Memphis Grizzlies (10-11), and the Los Angeles Lakers (10-11) as well as up-and-coming teams such as the Minnesota Timberwolves (11-11) and the New Orleans Pelicans (9-10) could come out winners in the 2014 NBA Draft.

"If I were a fan, and I am, I'd be focusing more on the issue that one of those teams that doesn't make the playoffs in the West nevertheless will be lottery eligible and turn up with a better pick than you might think they should get," said Stern, in a radio interview with Ian Eagle and Stern Kerr. "That to me is the potential is that lurking out there that's going to occasion a lot of conversation."