Oklahoma City Thunder general manager Sam Presti spoke with the media on Monday to conduct his exit interview and touched on multiple talking points throughout his two-plus hour-long press conference.
One of the more significant quotes he provided was his full support of the Play-In tournament and a potential Mid-Season tournament. Presti noted that he believes there should be more than just one thing for all 30 teams to chase and celebrate. Presti also said that it makes sense and is a bold move that will help the health of the league in the long run and that the initial ridicule by fans will be worth it.
“I love the play-in thing and I’m a big mid-season tournament supporter, as well, and even the early rounds of the playoffs.”
“I think it’s bold. I give Adam (Silver) and Evan Wasch and Byron a lot of credit for thinking boldly, and I think it’s very future-oriented, and it takes courage to put something out there that is going to be probably maligned a little bit, maybe won’t get the immediate love, but they’re thinking bigger picture because, yeah, maybe they’re going to have to withstand some scrutiny early. They’re going to have to withstand some mocking. Like I said before, social media is a performance art, and there will be plenty of art going on about that, especially if there’s a bad game or something like that happens.
But the long-term impact for the league, what that could mean, if a non-traditional fan base or a younger fan base can grow up with that and see that maybe in a different light than the first three or four years of it, I think it could do amazing things for the business.”
The Play-In tournament is in its second season and has been a success in terms of popularity while a Mid-Season tournament looks to be on the way in the future as NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has been pushing for the idea for several years now.
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