Written by Nate Scott at FoxSports.com
For years now, the All-NBA teams have been a somewhat arbitrary designation with absolutely massive consequences. Written right into the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement are major, major financial rewards for players who make one of the three All-NBA teams. Millions of dollars hang in the balance, based on the voting of 100+ media members allowed to interpret what it means to be All-NBA for themselves.
For all that is at stake, the process remains flawed. There are major issues with designing an award system based on position – more on this later – and by having potentially biased media members making the picks. The league finally addressed the second part this season: Two team broadcasters announced this week that they had lost All-NBA voting rights, and that none of the media members employed by teams or the league would have voting rights anymore.
This is a step in the right direction. But things aren’t perfect yet.
First off: Yes, it really matters for NBA players if they make an All-NBA team, and it’s only going to start mattering more. We’ve had the “Derrick Rose Rule” on the books for awhile, which allows a potential franchise player to make 30% of the salary cap as opposed to 25% of the salary cap after his rookie contract if he’s twice been voted an All-Star starter, twice been voted All-NBA or won an MVP award. (You may remember a big hubbub about this last year with Anthony Davis potentially making an All-NBA third team.)
There are also provisions in the new CBA that could matter even more. From ESPN’s Brian Windhorst: “If a player is voted to the All-NBA team and has eight or nine years of experience, then he qualifies for a special exception to sign a massive contract with his team for about $75 million more than any other team can pay him.”
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