The Lakers Are Reportedly Not Going To Hang A Banner If They Win The In-Season Tournament And There's Absolutely Nothing Wrong With That

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With the NBA Cup Finals set with what should be an awesome showdown between the Lakes and Pacers, one thing I personally hadn't heard/seen when it comes to the IST is what teams were going to do if they won when it came time to display this new honor. Obviously they get a trophy, but I was curious if the NBA would force teams to raise a banner or something for it. They want fans to care about this thing, so I could see a world where winning the IST meant you had to raise an IST banner, just like the real thing.

When it comes to the topic of banners, not all NBA franchises are created equal. Some teams raise banners after winning their division or their conference. Usually, it's franchises that either don't have an NBA title or haven't won a title in decades. Then you have more prestigious franchises that have a long history of winning titles who hold their banners in the rafters to a higher standard.

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I know that while the Celts were still alive in this thing there was not a single part of me that wanted them to even consider the idea of raising a IST banner to the rafters of the Garden. Even as someone who loves the IST, let's not get crazy. That shit is sacred. At the same time, I can totally understand and have no problem if another franchise wanted to wear the IST title with pride.

Our Final is a great example of both ends of the spectrum. In one corner, you have the Indiana Pacers, a franchise that has never won the NBA title. In their rafters at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse, they have their retired numbers, some ABA title banners, and some conference banners etc. If they end up winning on Saturday night and ultimately decide they want to hang a banner for it, I say go nuts. Who gives a shit? Let them enjoy what an awesome run it would have been.

In the other corner, you have the Lakers. A little bit of a different story when it comes to them and their 17* (it's really 13, argue a wall) banners. They are one of the few franchises where the only thing that matters is an NBA title. Not too different from how I view the Celts. These franchises don't need gimmicks. The Lakers don't raise anything for division titles or conference titles, so how would they handle something like an IST banner?

As much as it pains me to admit to ever agreeing with anything Laker related, it seems like they are going with the right approach

This was immediately refuted with more reports saying the team hasn't decided, probably in an effort to keep all the momentum for Saturday night or something. I cannot imagine a franchise like the Lakers who only hangs title banners would raise an IST banner, but then again this is the same franchise that raises the banners for a team that wasn't even theirs so who knows? Also, what if the NBA encourages it? What happens then? 

The league clearly wants this to become a thing, something that franchises, players, and fans all care about. Will it ever reach the same level of importance as an NBA title? Probably not, and I imagine that becomes an even tougher hurdle as long as teams don't have to treat winning it with the same type of celebration. Maybe the common ground is you don't have to raise a "banner" but you have to have some sort of acknowledgment in your arena? Personally, I wouldn't love that at the Garden either.

I do wonder though with the league so invested in this tournament, if the Lakers were to win would they view this as an opportunity to set the standard? If the IST is important enough that the Lakers ultimately raise a banner and take it that seriously, maybe the league feels like that sets the standard moving forward and helps the IST gain more validity. If one of the most iconic franchises doesn't give a shit about it and doesn't raise one, maybe the league thinks that devalues the IST in the long run.

My personal standard is pretty simple. Banners are for titles and retired legends. That's it. But like I said, not all franchises are created equal. It's probably best to leave these decisions up to each individual team, but remember, the league hasn't really given a shit about tradition when it comes to the IST. They denied the Celts their request to add parquet to their court, which was the first time in the history of the franchise they've ever played without it. It wouldn't shock me if they tell the Lakers they don't care about their banner standards, and make them raise one right next to their 2020 Bubble banner.