NBA is facing award season crisis the latest injury will force them to address

The NBA is going to have to change that 65-game rule they put into the CBA at the start of the 2023-24 season. What started out as an interesting idea meant to address a legitimate issue has transformed into a nuisance that will inevitably turn the record books into a joke. Now that Nikola Jokic is expected to miss four weeks, we may finally get some motion because everyone is in an uproar.

Adam Silver had good intentions but the rule must change

This rule was never meant to punish players with real injuries. It was supposed to stop superstars from load management. The very first year, it looked like it worked. The number of games played for players who routinely didn't show up to their jobs increased. But there has been a slew of real ailments over the past two years, and guys who deserve acknowledgement for their greatness aren't getting it.

Victor Wembanyama was a victim last season when the blood clot cost him the Defensive Player of the Year award and any chance of making the All-NBA team. Giannis Antetokounmpo has already missed 13 games this year. Are we about to have an All-NBA team without the Greek Freak, the Alien, and the Joker?

Watching what these guys have been doing this year makes that question laughable. It shouldn't even be a consideration, and that's what I expect the commissioner to realize as this all plays out, and everyone from fans to media members cries foul. The consensus here is pretty clear—nobody wants this. Well, nobody rational wants this. You'll always have people like this fan.

Could you imagine Deni Avdija winning an MVP or being selected to the First All-NBA Team? Gross. As much as I respect J-Dub's game, I'd better not see him earn either one of those honors.

The greats should always be recognized for their greatness

We just watched Jokic put up a 50-point triple-double. Luka Doncic is a threat to score 30 points in a single half of a ballgame at any time because he's done it multiple times; he's done it this season. That's an All-NBA player. Let's not kid ourselves.

I feel bad for Denver's Serbian star. He's going to miss out on a chance to win a fourth MVP. Only five players in the history of the league have done that: Wilt Chamberlain, LeBron James, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Russell, and Michael Jordan. It's criminal to rob him of a shot to join that cast of all-time greats, but someone like him probably needed to be sacrificed to get this kind of motion going.

It was just as much a travesty to rob Vic of that DPOY last year, and potentially this year if he misses more than six additional games. Unfortunately, they can't do anything about that midseason, but they need to fix it next summer. Stop playing with history.