What is on the line for the Utah Jazz?
So what are the Utah Jazz and the NBA’s other 29 teams competing for? Well, not much. At least for an NBA player.
Winning the tournament will see each player win $500k, not a paltry sum to many, but the best of the best of the NBA isn’t going to go all out in extra games for what accounts for a game-check. Someone like Steph Curry makes more than that per game. Since this is a star-driven league, shouldn’t the onus be on incentivizing the best in the league?
Players who don’t make the finals, but make the knockout round, will still make extra cash, with semi-finalists earning $200k, and quarterfinalists making $50k.
Not only can a player make money but they can also earn bogus (errr…bonus) awards; with a tournament Most Valuable Player to be awarded at the conclusion of the tournament as well as “All-Tournament Team” selections.
The rewards for such a tournament don’t seem that rewarding, and it makes a lot of sense why Adam Silver made the results of the regular season matter during the tournament; it’s the only way to best protect the league from its stars sitting out a pointless in-season tournament.