New York Knicks shooting guard Donte DiVincenzo has been ruled ineligible for the Most Improved Player of the Year award for a reason that may be very upsetting to Knicks fans.
DiVincenzo was eliminated from the ballot due to a complex rule in the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement that mandates a minimum number of games and minutes played during the season.
Yes, DiVincenzo played in 81 games this year. The minimum set by the CBA is only 65 games. So why doesn’t the Villanova product stand a chance anymore?
It’s all in the details. The caveat in the official voting rules is as follows (h/t James Herbert of CBS Sports):
“Please note that a player is only eligible for this award if he meets the criteria set forth in the NBA/NBPA Collective Bargaining Agreement (‘CBA’). Specifically, a player must have played at least (a) 65 Regular Season games, or (b) 62 Regular Season games, have suffered a season-ending injury as determined in accordance with the CBA, and prior to suffering such injury had played in at least 85% of his team’s Regular Season games.
“A player shall be deemed to have played in a Regular Season match for these purposes if he has played at least 20 minutes of such match, provided that for no more than two Regular Season matches, a player shall be deemed to have played the match if he played at least 15 and less than 20 minutes. A player who has not met the games played requirements may still be eligible for this award if he prevails in a challenge to establish his eligibility according to the procedures set forth in the CBA.
Since DiVincenzo has played fewer than 20 minutes in 19 of his 81 games in 2023-24, he is out of contention under these rules.
ESPN’s JJ Redick called the decision on X “absurd”.