Now that Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Doncic will officially miss the rest of the regular season, it appears he won't qualify for NBA awards, having fallen one game shy of the 65-game minimum. But hold on a second! There still might be a path for Luka to escape the confines of the rule.
NBA insider Marc Stein reported on Sunday that Luka's agent, Bill Duffy, will be appealing Luka's disqualification from awards. This will come in the form of Duffy submitting an application to the league office for an Extraordinary Circumstances Challenge (yes, this is a real thing!) on the grounds that the two games Luka missed on account of the birth of his daughter should not count against Doncic.
Here's where things get a little logistically complicated, though. Per league rules, Duffy can't file his Extraordinary Circumstances Challenge application until April 12 (the final day of the regular season), which could delay the league from sending out its award ballots to voters as regularly scheduled.
NBA awards voting process might get delayed by Luka Doncic
Since the 65-game rule was installed two years ago, the league office has sent out ballots to voters a little after midnight on the Monday following the last day of the regular season, requiring that voters send back their ballots by 6 pm ET Tuesday (per Stein).
This all might get pushed back due to Duffy's appeal on behalf of Doncic, but it remains to be seen. The NBA hasn't dealt with a single instance of Extraordinary Circumstances Challenge application until now.
You would imagine that the league office might find the means to communicate with Duffy before April 12, effectively coming to its own, behind-closed-doors decision on the matter before the formal filing takes place, but who knows? That would certainly give the league the best chance to move on the Doncic decision immediately (and make a formal announcement immediately on Monday, or even Sunday night), allowing voting to proceed per usual. We'll find out soon enough.
Luka Doncic has a good chance to escape awards disqualification
If you're a Lakers fans sweating about how the NBA will ultimately rule on Doncic, don't be surprised if the league office ultimately accepts Duffy's appeal and lets Luka back into the award pool! Zach Lowe made a good point on Monday during The Bill Simmons Podcast, essentially saying that the league would look scummy if it disallowed the Luka appeal, mostly because it directly involves the wholesome idea of Doncic prioritizing the birth of his child.
If Lowe is gauging the temperature of the league office accurately, this was a brilliant play by Duffy. Will it lead to Doncic winning NBA MVP? Almost certainly not. But All-NBA status would be right back in play if the appeal is successful, and it feels like there's a good chance it will be.