[stupac2]

OK, fine.  I'm OK with the playoffs not determining a "best team".  But what's your criteria for figuring out the optimum number of teams to go to a playoff?
BC

Well you can imagine a few. But the main one is "does it have enough room for every conference to have a team?" As far as I'm concerned that's the biggest issue.

After that you could ask something like "the largest you can make it where no team is, on average, greater than a double-digit favorite." That's a lot wonkier but also puts you around 8.

But really, what it's going to be is "what is the thing that makes us the most money without causing so much change that it pisses people off?" That's why I think we'll play out the contract at 4 and then get 8 later, and why I was pissed that the contract is so long. I just don't see it happening before the contract expires.

[stupac2]

OK, fine.  I'm OK with the playoffs not determining a "best team".  But what's your criteria for figuring out the optimum number of teams to go to a playoff?
BC

Well you can imagine a few. But the main one is "does it have enough room for every conference to have a team?" As far as I'm concerned that's the biggest issue.

After that you could ask something like "the largest you can make it where no team is, on average, greater than a double-digit favorite." That's a lot wonkier but also puts you around 8.

But really, what it's going to be is "what is the thing that makes us the most money without causing so much change that it pisses people off?" That's why I think we'll play out the contract at 4 and then get 8 later, and why I was pissed that the contract is so long. I just don't see it happening before the contract expires.