ClarkeW wrote:Jedzz wrote:Calinks wrote:That's why we are discussing it. We don't know how they will approach a return. Also don't know what will happen with the next season. I am sure the players will want some kind of off-season and the league obviously needs something. Will it be accelerated? Don't know.
At some point they have to get back on schedule. They could approach it in a lot of ways. Maybe next season gets shortened to like 60 games as if it was a lock out, that way they can have a longer off-season Who knows.
I just see no reason for delaying the next season or shortening it if they are going to be playing again now. Why have two ruined seasons in a row? Just deal with the fact that this season got tanked by something out of their control, and end it with a quick playoffs. I don't see much reasoning in any kind of month long camp since teams haven't changed. The only way that makes sense is if they don't play now and yet they hold a draft and then try to wrap up the season after it. Then changes would have occured and camps might make sense. But honestly if they are going to wait until July to play they should just end the season, deal with it, hold a month long playoffs in July. Then have August - October 15 off. 2.5 monnths. Two weeks of preseason camp and start the next season as always.
I think one of the primary motivating factors for owners wanting to push the beginning of next season to December is the increased possibility of having fans in the arenas. The longer they wait to start the season, the more likely that fans are able to attend a larger percentage of the games. That means an increase in revenue for the owners. December is the latest it could be pushed back while still wrapping up the playoffs prior to the NFL season kickoff in September.
There had already been some sort of recent push to start the league in December before all of this, I believe coming from the owner of the Atlanta Hawks. That was to decrease overlap with the NFL schedule. The majority of the owners were not on board at the time, but COVID-19 has opened up an opportunity for them to test it out now which I think they will take. If it doesn’t work out, they can find a way to get back to the October - June schedule when things are back to normal.
Personally I’m a bit excited by the potential change. A Christmas Day (or Christmas Week) opening day sounds great to me.
yes I remember reading some talk about pushing the season start back previously. If they do it, I don't seem them ever returning to the normal schedule easily. Because they would be wrapping up the new season schedule at the very time they were starting camps previously. It would be forever or they would be screwing with the season schedule for years after. Also, if it's to avoid football scheduling then starting Christmas day would be foolish as NFL already owns it. Many of those late football games really matter to playoffs, and then playoffs start. Where as opening week of the NBA simply matters to no one other than to those itching to get back to basketball. The games are meaningless the first few weeks. The Wolves even disregarded their first fast start in ages this season and dumped the season early to progress with rookie development and sales of players.
3 and 5 game series playoffs would be a way to solve it now. If they want to wait a month in the fall they can still do that. But an immediate, shortened playoffs would be amazing right now and then you could still hold draft maybe a week later, have a normal offseason while everyone tries to wait out this covid this summer.