I am leaning towards the same thing for financial reasons. Mas maraming teams ang magsasara I feel if ganun ang magiging format. The weak east teams will never make the playoffs and won't sell tickets. Fans would turn away because hindi pa nag uumpisa ang season, wala na kagad pag asa mag playoffs.
IMO, choosing the top 16 teams is better for parity in the long run. In the current format, 48-win teams like Suns keep getting lottery picks, while 38-win playoff teams in the east get left out. And the cycle keeps perpetuating itself, east keeps getting weaker, west keeps getting stronger...
How the draft lottery weakens the east
*The 43-win Utah Jazz missed the playoffs, but made the lottery, while the 38-win Milwaukee Bucks saw the postseason in 2013.
*In 2011, the Pacers won just 37 games and made the playoffs, while the Rockets won 43 and got a lottery pick.
*In 2009, the 46-win Phoenix Suns didn't make the playoffs, but the 39-win Detroit Pistons did.
*2005 saw the Timberwolves win 44 and make the lottery, while the Nets won 42 and didn't.
*In 2004, the 39-win Knicks and 36-win Celtics made the playoffs in the weak East, while the 42-win Jazz and 41-win Trail Blazers drew pingpong balls.
*In 2001, the 45-win Rockets and 44-win SuperSonics earned spots in the lottery, but the 43-win *Orlando Magic and the 41-win Indiana Pacers did not.
Those 42-, 44-, even 48-win Western Conference teams are getting an (admittedly slim) chance at the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. More importantly, though, they are absolutely getting a leg up on a better opportunity to collect talent compared to those Eastern teams which are losing three, five, or even 11 more games.
This discrepancy helps to reinforce the power of the Western Conference, while limiting the ability of the Eastern Conference to correct the imbalance.
http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/65148/how-the-draft-lottery-weakens-the-east
As for ticket sales, Indiana is having their best season in years, but their playoff tickets are selling for reportedly
as low as $9. If the NBA chooses the best 16 teams for next years playoffs, those middling east teams will only temporarily get shafted. They will have a chance to better rebuild their franchises in the long run because of their inclusion in the lottery. And maybe a top East team like the Pacers won't have to face an unmarketable team like the Hawks in the first round. Siguro pag Suns na ang ka-matchup, hindi na $9 ang pinakamababang tiket.