Adam Silver: I Think The State Of The Game Is Excellent
The NBA has received criticism in some quarters for its increased three-point rate. After spending a considerable amount of time publicly wondering if the NBA does have a gameplay problem, Adam Silver appeared to shift to a more forceful defense of its league as it exists now. "I think the state of the game is excellent. I think it's the media's role, the fans' role, it's perfectly appropriate to be critical of the game, and I find it very helpful. I'm not one of those people who said I don't read criticism. I try to read it all, frankly, and we try to absorb it at the league office. Many great ideas have come from outside this league. Even some of the things that we've done recently over the last several years. Things like a Play-In Tournament, things like the In-Season Tournament, which became known as the NBA Cup. I can't claim those were original ideas. Those were things, whether we saw other leagues doing that, media talking about them. So we've made plenty of tweaks over the years. "In terms of three-point shooting, it was interesting, just yesterday I was listening to Steve Kerr interviewed by Bob Costas. I actually was eagerly awaiting his response on the state of three-point shooting in this league, one of the all-time great three-point shooters when he played, and I would say, if anything, the three-point revolution of sorts was led by the Golden State Warriors and Steph Curry. "His reaction was, do I think there's too much three-point shooting? Possibly, yes. Do I think the state of the game is great? Also yes. Is there a fix that comes to mind that would improve the game and potentially reduce the amount of three-point shooting? There wasn't one that he had to suggest. "As you know, we have a Competition Committee. It's something we talk about all the time. And if there's a way to improve the game, believe me, we'll be all over it. "I've also learned, having been around this game for a long time, not to overreact. I think here that - I do think it's a beautiful game. I think about 25 years ago was the last time we were in the Bay Area for an All-Star Game. The state of the game then, when many people were saying it was too physical, we were too dependent on the dunk, that players weren't sufficiently skilled as they were saying then in the old days. "The fact now that you can't play in this league unless you can shoot, that even seven-footers have to be able to shoot these days and have to be able to shoot at long range, I actually think that's a beautiful thing." Silver also sees how the three-pointer creates opportunities for players of all sizes to make an impact on the game. "It's a very egalitarian shot. You could say to the extent the game is played primarily under the basket, it gives primacy to size. Where that notion if you're a great shooter, you can succeed with differing body types, if you can consistently make those shots. "A long way of saying we're paying a lot of attention to it. I'm never going to say there isn't room for improvement. We'll continue to look at it and study it, but I am happy with the state of the game right now."
The NBA has received criticism in some quarters for its increased three-point rate. After spending a considerable amount of time publicly wondering if the NBA does have a gameplay problem, Adam Silver appeared to shift to a more forceful defense of its league as it exists now.
"I think the state of the game is excellent. I think it's the media's role, the fans' role, it's perfectly appropriate to be critical of the game, and I find it very helpful. I'm not one of those people who said I don't read criticism. I try to read it all, frankly, and we try to absorb it at the league office. Many great ideas have come from outside this league. Even some of the things that we've done recently over the last several years. Things like a Play-In Tournament, things like the In-Season Tournament, which became known as the NBA Cup. I can't claim those were original ideas. Those were things, whether we saw other leagues doing that, media talking about them. So we've made plenty of tweaks over the years.
"In terms of three-point shooting, it was interesting, just yesterday I was listening to Steve Kerr interviewed by Bob Costas. I actually was eagerly awaiting his response on the state of three-point shooting in this league, one of the all-time great three-point shooters when he played, and I would say, if anything, the three-point revolution of sorts was led by the Golden State Warriors and Steph Curry.
"His reaction was, do I think there's too much three-point shooting? Possibly, yes. Do I think the state of the game is great? Also yes. Is there a fix that comes to mind that would improve the game and potentially reduce the amount of three-point shooting? There wasn't one that he had to suggest.
"As you know, we have a Competition Committee. It's something we talk about all the time. And if there's a way to improve the game, believe me, we'll be all over it.
"I've also learned, having been around this game for a long time, not to overreact. I think here that - I do think it's a beautiful game. I think about 25 years ago was the last time we were in the Bay Area for an All-Star Game. The state of the game then, when many people were saying it was too physical, we were too dependent on the dunk, that players weren't sufficiently skilled as they were saying then in the old days.
"The fact now that you can't play in this league unless you can shoot, that even seven-footers have to be able to shoot these days and have to be able to shoot at long range, I actually think that's a beautiful thing."
Silver also sees how the three-pointer creates opportunities for players of all sizes to make an impact on the game.
"It's a very egalitarian shot. You could say to the extent the game is played primarily under the basket, it gives primacy to size. Where that notion if you're a great shooter, you can succeed with differing body types, if you can consistently make those shots.
"A long way of saying we're paying a lot of attention to it. I'm never going to say there isn't room for improvement. We'll continue to look at it and study it, but I am happy with the state of the game right now."
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