The NBA has reached a point of no return. The western and eastern conferences have become so unequal in recent years that commissioner of the NBA Adam Silver can no longer ignore this matter. Historically, both conferences provided the fans with nightly spectacles thanks to a great number of quality teams. This is no longer the case. For the past five years, most of the NBA talent has been distributed among western conference teams. The western teams are only getting better and hungrier for a shot at the NBA title. As a result, we have witnessed a talent drain in the eastern conference.

The big winner out of all this has been LeBron James and his two teams in recent years. First, it was the Miami Heat who clearly dominated the conference, and now it is the Cleveland Cavaliers who are facing no resistance.

Western conference keeps improving

Talent is no longer distributed among numerous teams in the NBA. The usual suspects show their faces towards the end of the season. This is largely LeBron James' fault, who started the trend of creating superteams. Yes, great teams have always existed, but LeBron took it a step further by personally acting as a general manager that recruits his friends or desired players. Now, all we do is wait for the NBA regular season to be over in order to watch an NBA finals rematch between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors.

Meanwhile, the other western teams are working towards assembling superteams of their own.

Jimmy Butler has moved from the Chicago Bulls to the Minnesota Timberwolves and Paul George has been traded from the Indiana Pacers to the Oklahoma City Thunder. These are two All-Stars who were the anchors of their teams in the eastern conference.

George will join forces with Russell Westbrook, Butler with Karl Anthony Towns, and do not forget Chris Paul with James Harden in Houston. If the east was already weak, these departures further hinder team's options of challenging or attempting to challenge the supremacy of LeBron's Cavaliers in the East. Players like Atlanta Hawks' Paul Millsap, Toronto Raptors' Kyle Lowry, or Washington Wizards' Otto Porter might be next to migrate to the west.

A lopsided NBA

The top 16 teams of the NBA should make the playoffs. The 16 teams with the best records deserve to match up against each other and fight for a championship. The burdens of traveling can no longer be an excuse. The NBA playoffs would be exciting once again. Watching the Warriors and Cavaliers sweep their way into the finals is probably not the most entertaining thing to see for a spectator who enjoys the excitement of close matches, especially in the playoffs.

At least, the western conference is delivering high-quality matches that include potent teams like the Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs, Los Angeles Clippers, Oklahoma City Thunder, Memphis Grizzlies, or Utah Jazz. Next season, the Rockets will be even more dangerous thanks to the addition of Chris Paul.

The Spurs will be in the chase for the NBA title yet another year. The Clippers might have lost Paul but Griffin has stayed, and they can still sign a solid point guard. The Thunder are ready to make some noise with Paul George and Russell Westbrook. The rugged Grizzlies will be a tough matchup for any opponent yet another season. The Jazz are confident they can keep Gordon Hayward, and the addition of flashy point guard Ricky Rubio can improve their collective game. These are all solid teams that understand how to compete.

Even teams in the lower half of the western conference standings continue to improve. Jimmy Butler and Karl Anthony Towns willy surely take the Minnesota Timberwolves far next season.

DeMarcus Cousins and Anthony Davis will be ready to show what they can do with the New Orleans Pelicans. Even the Los Angeles Lakers have new aspirations thanks to Lonzo Ball and their potential big-name signings next summer. It almost looks like every team in the West is now loaded with talent and hope. Consequently, we will at least be able to tune in to watch some western conference games next season.

In the eastern conference, apart from the Cavaliers, no one else seems hungry to improve and threaten the Cavs. The Boston Celtics seem to have a never-ending patience. Danny Ainge is still unwilling to make a blockbuster trade. The Toronto Raptors will either get weaker after possibly losing Kyle Lowry or keep their same disappointing level next year.

The same can be said about the Washington Wizards and the possible departure of Otto Porter in free agency. The rest of the teams in the conference are either too young, inexperienced, or in a rebuilding mode. NBA fans are likely to continue to ignore the happenings in the eastern conference, and that cannot be good for the ratings. Merging the two conferences is the only logical solution.