Shaq is right in saying the NBA is broken and here’s how it can be fixed rather easily

The NBA is broken, and Shaq said what a lot of us have been thinking: the league is “fucking terrible” and that players are “soft.” The NBA has become a three-point shooting contest with a sprinkle of cardio, and I’m starting to wonder if the only solution is to take drastic action.

Shaq believes NBA viewership is down because everyone wants to shoot 3’s

Shaq believes NBA viewership is down because everyone wants to shoot threes

(🎥 @bigpodwithshaq / https://t.co/FRGChSptKO) pic.twitter.com/RDwog4gtAx

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) November 7, 2024

Before you clutch your Steph Curry jerseys and cry sacrilege, hear me out.

Maybe just scrap the three-point line and get back to basics. Would it really be the worst thing in the world if we forced these dudes to play some fundamental basketball again? No more chucking 45-foot prayers.

No more teams missing 75 threes in a single game like the Bulls and Hornets disgracefully did last week. Get in the paint, run an actual offense, and learn how to hit a midrange jumper for once in your life.

Think of it like “No Build Mode” in Fortnite. The game got stale because everyone was obsessed with building skyscrapers instead of just playing the damn game. Then Epic Games stripped it down to the basics, and suddenly Fortnite became fun again. The NBA could take a similar approach.

Look, I’m not blaming Steph Curry directly. Shaq is right in saying that is when things changed but at the same time, it’s no secret that Curry is a generational talent and the Warriors dynasty is one of the coolest runs we’ve ever seen. But the problem is, as Shaq indicated, everyone tried to copy them, and it’s turned the league into an unwatchable mess.

• Every team plays the same style. Spread the floor, dribble handoffs, jack up threes. Rinse and repeat.
• Defense is non-existent. Why bother guarding the rim when guys are pulling up from half-court?
• Analytics made things worse. Missing threes is still “good” because math says so. Cool.

When the Hornets and Bulls set a record for 75 missed threes in a single game, that wasn’t an anomaly—that’s the NBA we have now. It’s not just the three-point problem. The NBA has a laundry list of issues dragging it down.

1. The Schedule Is a Mess: The regular season is too long and feels meaningless. Does anyone really care about a Tuesday night game in January when half the players are coasting? Probably not.

2. The NBA Cup Is a Disaster: What was the In-Season Tournament even supposed to accomplish? The courts looked like a toddler’s art project, and the players didn’t seem to care about it until the finals. Did fans show up in droves to watch it? Nope. Did it make the regular season more exciting? Also nope.

3. Load Management Is Killing Fan Interest: I get it—players need to protect their bodies. But good luck explaining to a dad who dropped $500 on tickets that Kawhi Leonard needs a nap tonight. Load management has made it impossible to trust that you’re even going to see stars on the floor.

4. Players Don’t Care About the Regular Season: This is the elephant in the room. Most guys aren’t trying until April. They’re saving their energy for the playoffs, and it shows. The lack of hustle and effort is glaring, especially compared to the gritty, physical basketball we saw in the ’90s and early 2000s.

Shaq: ‘Today’s NBA is Fucking Terrible and Soft

Shaq says today’s NBA is “f*cking terrible” and soft, criticizing teams for lacking real defensive strategies and relying too much on switching everything on defense

“How do you switch a 5’11 guy on a 7’5 guy?”

(🎥 @bigpodwithshaq / https://t.co/ciIKDoO4Al) pic.twitter.com/mcQtdVUjK0

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) December 11, 2024

A European Soccer Format Might Be the Fix

If the NBA really wants to shake things up, maybe it’s time to look across the pond and steal a page from European soccer. Let’s face it, their league structures are infinitely more exciting.

Here’s what the NBA could borrow:

1. Promotion and Relegation: Imagine if the bottom three teams in the NBA standings got booted to the G League at the end of the season, and the top G League teams moved up. The stakes would be insane. Teams like the Pistons wouldn’t just tank for lottery balls—they’d be fighting for survival.

2. Divisional Play for Titles: Split the NBA into divisions and have mini-tournaments throughout the season to crown divisional winners. Not only does this make more games feel important, but it also gives teams and fans more chances to celebrate success.

3. A Cup Format That Actually Matters: The In-Season Tournament needs real stakes. Make it a knockout-style bracket like the FA Cup, where G League teams could face off against NBA teams. Imagine a Cinderella story where the Maine Celtics take down the actual Celtics. Chaos would ensue, and I’d be glued to my TV.

4. Seeding Based on Points, Not Conferences: Scrap the East vs. West standings. Rank every team 1 through 30 based on points (wins, plus maybe bonus points for blowouts or OT wins). The best teams make the playoffs, regardless of geography. It’s fair, it’s exciting, and it avoids scenarios where a weak conference sends mediocre teams to the postseason.

Make The NBA Fun Again:

Shaq’s frustration is justified. Basketball used to be physical, strategic, and balanced. Now it’s a glorified three-point contest with players who sleepwalk through the regular season. The solution?

• Get rid of the three-point line or at least tweak it to make jacking up threes less of a crutch.
• Overhaul the season format with European soccer-style stakes to make every game matter.
• Fix load management so fans actually get to see the stars they paid to watch.
• Stop pretending the NBA Cup is working and give us something worth caring about.

If the NBA keeps ignoring these issues, fans will keep tuning out. The league can’t afford to let that happen. It’s time to shake up the system, bring back grit, and give us basketball that actually feels real again.

I still love playoff basketball. The intensity ramps up, defense actually exists, and the stars show up. But the regular season? It’s a chore to sit through.

If you disagree with myself and Shaq, go ahead and fire up Bulls-Hornets from last week. Watch all 75 missed threes and tell me with a straight face that this is good basketball.

Shaq’s right—the NBA is a mess but the issues run much deeper than indicated. The NBA needs to be stripped down. Go back to basics. Maybe then we’ll see a product worth watching again.

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