Star players are dangerously close to missing out awards and honors because they won’t meet the new 65-game threshold the league’s imposed and NBA executive vice president Joe Dumars has reacted.
NBA players must play in 65 games for a minimum of 20 minutes to be eligible for awards such as MVP and Dumars explained that teething problems were bound to happen with the new rulings.
“You’re always gonna have unintended consequences, that’s the first thing,” Dumars told Yahoo Sports on Wednesday afternoon. “The second thing, you kind of knew that the first couple of guys that were going to get close to that mark, it will become an issue. So it probably was going to become a talking point at some point.
“It could’ve been a month from now. The number is what the number is. I’m not surprised, [though].”
Reigning MVP Embiid has played in 34 games, but can only miss four more until he becomes ineligible for this season’s MVP.
Haliburton is in danger of missing out on All-NBA selection, meaning he could miss out on an extra $40 million over the life of his contract.
The Pacers star recently called the 65-game rule “stupid” and went on to say “as long as the owners are happy”.
However Dumars provided a stark reminder to the players.
“Lest we forget, this was collectively bargained, players’ association, signed off by the owners, signed off by the competition committee,” Dumars said. “And we’ve updated the numbers. We throw a lot of numbers around, and at the end of the day, everybody landed on 65 and said, ‘You know what, that’s 20 percent, 20 percent of the season basically. That’s fair.’ Everybody in the ecosystem signed off on this.”
If more players become ineligible, will the awards still be a true representation of the best player?
“I’m gonna go back to my players’ hat. I’m gonna feel bad for whatever player that happens to. But I can assure you that whoever steps into that space … it’s going to be someone who has had a great year,” Dumars said. “Every year, these things come out and people say, ‘Who got snubbed?’ But no way can you sit here and say you won’t feel bad if someone misses out. I’ll feel awful.”
READ MORE: Draymond Green Rips NBA’s MVP Rule After Joel Embiid’s Latest Injury
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