Steve Koonin Proposes NBA Move Schedule Back Two Months With 'Relevance Equaling Revenue'

[RealGM Wiretap]

Atlanta Hawks CEO Steve Koonin is proposing starting and ending the NBA season two months than they currently do in order to avoid football.

"Relevance equals revenue," Koonin said. "We've got to create the most relevance, and the revenue will fix itself.

Under Koonin's proposal, the start of the NBA season would shift from mid-October to mid-December, after college football has completed its regular season and has begun its bowl season.

The Finals would take place sometime in August rather than June with the draft and free agency to come after that.

"A big piece is you don't have to reinvent the wheel to enhance ratings," Koonin said. "Sometimes, moving away from competition is a great way to grow ratings.

"If King Kong is at your door, you might go out the back door, rather than go out the front and engage in a hand-to-hand fight with King Kong. Many times, at the start of the NBA season, we are competing with arguably the best Thursday Night Football game with the NBA on TNT, our marquee broadcast, and we get crushed and we wonder why.

"It's because at the beginning of the season, there's very little relevance for the NBA. The relevance is now. That's when people are talking about it."

NBA SVP of strategy and analytics Evan Wasch said the NBA is open to such an idea. 

Via Tim Bontemps/ESPN

[Red_Claw]

Thats stupid.

The NBA is in a better position than any other professional sport. No cheating, No brain damage, Highest average salaries.

You're doing other sports a favour by not competing with them. NBA is in the driver's seat right now and should reap the benefits not fear other leagues.

[Roddy B for 3]

I'm normally very anti change (for instance the tournament).

I want this though.

[G R E Y]

I have no feel for how popular college football is in the USA. Is this really the thing that the NBA is competing with for viewership and attendance? Seems like the latter is fine? It's the various means of watching when not at games that has been cited as a big issue.

How does this change affect fans' attention in other sports? Especially if NBA wants to go global?

Also, I imagine that players with families and kids want some time to spend with them over the summer before they go back to school. Plus there are other events that players are attached to whether it's promos or personal endeavours that need to be addressed. Players' schedules extend beyond NBA's requirements and these broader aspects of their lives have to be considered.