What should the NBA do with the rest of the season? 70 games, 82 games, start playoffs, cancel season?

[J-Wolves]

25 votes for basketball to continue this season. 16 votes to cancel the season already.

[Mind_Odyssey]

Play the 70 games so players get their money.

Shorten the playoffs.

[The Duke]

70 games and playoffs is likely the goal now.
Lots can change (actual and perception) in 1 whole month, where ppl would feel this is feasible. Teams get a brand new schedule to finish off the 70 games. Players are employees (and would be under some modified agreement that NBPA Approves), if anyone doesn't want to report due to only playing 4 games or covid reasons, they have that ability, and they could be placed on a newly created "commissioners except list" (not paid), so they are effectively suspended, without calling out it that.

[G R E Y]

I voted 82 games plus playoffs. The 70 games meets the tv deal criteria but conflicts with the competitive balance: Washington has an outside chance to catch 8th, and four West teams are within half a game of one another, with the team in 8th having the hardest SoS left. But every game counts, and every team is in the same situation, so I also understand someone arguing that more could/should have been done by those teams earlier. But some of those teams had a harder SoS earlier in the season (recall Utah's amazing run to finish a season strong after starting poorly). So on the whole, I'd rather the games be all played out.

The biggest concern for me is of course health in relation to the pandemic, specifically a second wave. My very first option would be to scrap this season and make sure everything is good to go for next season, but I understand the NBA has multiple competing priorities it has to find a way to fit the best way possible. The single non-negotiable is that HEALTH COMES FIRST. On top of testing, they have to have in place proper facilities and equipment at hand should anyone get sick.

Also, back to the first point about number of games:

Read on Twitter

As to the second point about health coming first, I really truly hope there is never a conflict between health and broadcast partner desires/demands:

Read on Twitter

[Catchall]

Mentioned it on another thread about this.

70 games is needed to get a majority of the local tv revenue.

Its all about the money.

Sent from my SM-G960U using RealGM mobile app

The NBA should be able to negotiate a makegood with the media networks. I don't think that should be the driving decision. However, I can see why the league would cozy up to Disney if the NBA is about to become a made-for-tv product.

[Catchall]

"Playoff seeding!" - Again, you'll have nearly half of the league tanking. Seeding would be impacted heavily based on the luck of the draw in which teams the playoff teams face. Imagine Utah losing home court advantage because they have to play Denver while OKC gets to play Minnesota.

Just pointing out that there is no home-court advantage if teams are playing in an Olympic Village scenario.

[J-Wolves]

The NBA’s decision on how to restart its season will have rippling effects across the league in many aspects that few would consider. One of the biggest financial impacts will come in the form of contractual bonuses tied into performances in dozens upon dozens of players deals.

ESPN’s Bobby Marks detailed how the league may address the issue of 82-game performance incentives when the league will likely play less than 70 games this season:

Sources told ESPN that the most likely outcome will be similar to how the league handled bonuses during the lockout-shortened season in 2011-12. Contract incentives initially intended for 82 games were prorated to account for the 66-game season. For example, a player with a $500,000 bonus in his contract for playing in 70 games qualified for the bonus if he played in 56 games. However, performance bonuses based on averages — such as shooting percentages — were not adjusted.

Specific to the Pelicans, Jrue Holiday could see some fairly large bonuses come down to minute details. According to Marks, Holiday has incentives – all worth $255,000 – tied to games played (66), minutes (2,075), assists per game (7.3) and rebounds per game (3.15).

Currently, Holiday has played 55 games. Prorated to a 70-game schedule, he would need to play 56 games to qualify. Holiday missed nine games in total this season with various minor injuries.

He’s also played 1,922 minutes. He needed only to play 1,771 minutes, meaning he far cleared the mark. In terms of assists, Holiday at 6.9 assists per game marginally below the 7.3 needed per game. If he had played in the final 18 games, he would have needed to average 8.6 assists per game to meet the mark. His 4.9 rebounds per game, though, are well above the mark needed.

Therefore, based on the season ending without another regular season game being played, the likely outcome will see Holiday earn $510,000 of his possible $1,020,000 in incentives while missing out on an additional $255,000 by just one game played and the other bonus by less than half an assist per game.

https://lonzowire.usatoday.com/2020/05/28/jrue-holiday-news-new-orleans-pelicans-nba-restart-playoffs-orlando-disney-world-florida/

[NBAFan93]

I mentioned this in another thread on the trade board, but I don't understand how the league will fairly get to 70 games for each team. The Blazers have just 4 games left, but their 71st game would be that opponent's 70th game. The league would have to make up entirely new schedules or just arbitrarily assign teams to play eachother to get to 70.

And then, there's the motivation factor as mentioned earlier. Why is anyone on GS bothering to get into playing shape for 4 games, just to sit again until December? Or any non-playoff team, for that matter. Either play the full 82, in which those teams still have little motivation, have a tournament, or just go to playoffs.

I agree - if you’re going to play 70, might as well just play to 82 and do it the right way.

I think they should do 82 and then the playoffs as normal. It’s the most pure way to do it.

I’m also starting to wonder how all the protesting and chaos that’s been going on is going to impact the NBA’s restart. It can’t have zero impact, right?

[Syd-TK3]

Just start the playoffs

[dohboy_24]

As far as the regular season is concerned, I'd consider it done at this point. The decisions are what to do with the playoffs and teams in the draft.

As far as the playoffs are concerned, I'd like to see them stay exactly the same. Don't break the tradition there.

Seeds 1-8 per conference (east, west) and play the same amount of games as every other playoffs to determine the champion so there is no asterisk on the accomplishment or any longer term changes to the playoff format.

As far as the draft is concerned...

Instead of the draft lottery being determined by the lottery odds and bouncing balls, what about if the remaining teams had their own tournament to decide who gets the top 4 picks?

Have a 14-team single elimination tournament with seeding that would give the non-playoff teams with the two best records first round byes (Portland, New Orleans - wins tie breaker against Sacramento with 1/4/20 win on the road) and seed the rest in reverse order of record (3 - Sacramento, 4 - San Antonio, 5 - Phoenix, 6 - Washington, 7 - Charlotte, 8 - Chicago, 9 - New York, 10 - Detroit, 11 - Atlanta, 12 - Minnesota, 13 - Cleveland, 14 - Golden State).

Winner of the tournament gets the #1 pick. Runner up gets the #2 pick. Semi-final losers play a single-elimination game to decide who gets #3 and who gets #4 pick.

Award the remaining picks based on the original seeding (regular season records), not performance during the draft tournament outside of the top 4 picks that are awarded.

This way, it's not bouncing balls that determine the fate of the top 4 picks, but the teams themselves - giving them the opportunity to show who deserves to earn one of the top 4 picks.



Good idea? Bad idea?

[Ckay]

Just start the damn playoffs.

[mg]

We're already into June. If they start back up on July 31 that will be a 4 1/2 month break. Kinda crazy to have playoffs as this won't even seem like the same season. In addition to covid we now have these riots going on in major cities too. Just seem like too much water under the bridge at this point.
With that said it's all about money so they will force something thru.

[BigtimeNBAfan]

20 team pod playoff with 8 teams advancing out of it, and then a traditional 8 team playoff.

[PDX MM]

If up to me I would cancel it and be ready to go next season. I know if I was a player no matter what is decided my season would be over. I simply don't have any trust in Silver and the rest of management to put the health of everyone involved above greed.

[PharmD]

As far as the regular season is concerned, I'd consider it done at this point. The decisions are what to do with the playoffs and teams in the draft.

As far as the playoffs are concerned, I'd like to see them stay exactly the same. Don't break the tradition there.

Seeds 1-8 per conference (east, west) and play the same amount of games as every other playoffs to determine the champion so there is no asterisk on the accomplishment or any longer term changes to the playoff format.

As far as the draft is concerned...

Instead of the draft lottery being determined by the lottery odds and bouncing balls, what about if the remaining teams had their own tournament to decide who gets the top 4 picks?

Have a 14-team single elimination tournament with seeding that would give the non-playoff teams with the two best records first round byes (Portland, New Orleans - wins tie breaker against Sacramento with 1/4/20 win on the road) and seed the rest in reverse order of record (3 - Sacramento, 4 - San Antonio, 5 - Phoenix, 6 - Washington, 7 - Charlotte, 8 - Chicago, 9 - New York, 10 - Detroit, 11 - Atlanta, 12 - Minnesota, 13 - Cleveland, 14 - Golden State).

Winner of the tournament gets the #1 pick. Runner up gets the #2 pick. Quarter final losers play a single-elimination game to decide who gets #3 and who gets #4 pick.

Award the remaining picks based on the original seeding (regular season records), not performance during the draft tournament outside of the top 4 picks that are awarded.

This way, it's not bouncing balls that determine the fate of the top 4 picks, but the teams themselves - giving them the opportunity to show who deserves to earn one of the top 4 picks.



Good idea? Bad idea?

Why do the players want to fight for a high draft pick to replace them? Are we really going to ask them to spend a month training for and risk injury for something like this?

[Damkac]

70 games + playoffs would be ideal.

Of course this all depends on the state of the outbreak come July.

70 games + playoffs would be great even when the situation is back to normal. 82 games is too many.

[fianchetto]

Someone people explain the point in playing a 70 game season. 70 games means the playoff teams are already set. Not seeing the point in having 14 teams sleepwalk through 4-6 meaningless games.

Like if the Blazers are eliminated from playoff contention, then they're going to tank under the "all of our starters don't feel comfortable playing" guise. But then Nawlins, Sacramento, etc. aren't going to want to fall in the draft, so they'll go full on tank as well. That would be some really, really bad basketball. Like play Carmelo 48 minutes and see if he can beat Kobe's 81 while the other team puts up 150+ bad.

"Playoff seeding!" - Again, you'll have nearly half of the league tanking. Seeding would be impacted heavily based on the luck of the draw in which teams the playoff teams face. Imagine Utah losing home court advantage because they have to play Denver while OKC gets to play Minnesota.

Just skip straight to the playoffs and cut the number of people potentially at risk by nearly half if you aren't going to complete the 82 game season.

Or if you have to do 70 for money making reasons, then at least do some sort of play-in so the games actually matter. Or lock the draft order or make the draft order more random to discourage tanking.

A few people already mentioned it but it has to do with contracts the NBA has with broadcasters I believe guaranteeing at least 70 regular season games played in a season to avoid any contract breaches.

Also, gives you some time to get in the groove and get your legs under you

[The_Hater]

The only bad solution is to cancel the season. Anything else they come up with will get a 10/10 from this corner.

Yet here we are, a bunch of diehard NBA fans on the same site and 1/3 of the respondents would prefer to see no more NBA basketball this season.

[starbosa10]

As far as the regular season is concerned, I'd consider it done at this point. The decisions are what to do with the playoffs and teams in the draft.

As far as the playoffs are concerned, I'd like to see them stay exactly the same. Don't break the tradition there.

Seeds 1-8 per conference (east, west) and play the same amount of games as every other playoffs to determine the champion so there is no asterisk on the accomplishment or any longer term changes to the playoff format.

As far as the draft is concerned...

Instead of the draft lottery being determined by the lottery odds and bouncing balls, what about if the remaining teams had their own tournament to decide who gets the top 4 picks?

Have a 14-team single elimination tournament with seeding that would give the non-playoff teams with the two best records first round byes (Portland, New Orleans - wins tie breaker against Sacramento with 1/4/20 win on the road) and seed the rest in reverse order of record (3 - Sacramento, 4 - San Antonio, 5 - Phoenix, 6 - Washington, 7 - Charlotte, 8 - Chicago, 9 - New York, 10 - Detroit, 11 - Atlanta, 12 - Minnesota, 13 - Cleveland, 14 - Golden State).

Winner of the tournament gets the #1 pick. Runner up gets the #2 pick. Quarter final losers play a single-elimination game to decide who gets #3 and who gets #4 pick.

Award the remaining picks based on the original seeding (regular season records), not performance during the draft tournament outside of the top 4 picks that are awarded.

This way, it's not bouncing balls that determine the fate of the top 4 picks, but the teams themselves - giving them the opportunity to show who deserves to earn one of the top 4 picks.



Good idea? Bad idea?

Why do the players want to fight for a high draft pick to replace them? Are we really going to ask them to spend a month training for and risk injury for something like this?

Not to mention it would just give borderline playoffs teams the top picks and the actual bad teams who could use a top pick would end up at pick #13,14

[dohboy_24]

Players want to be on a winning team and want something to play for this year.

Those close to the playoffs argue they could have made the playoffs with the opportunity to play more games, but that might only be true for Portland, New Orleans, Sacramento, and San Antonio as they're the only ones close enough to unseat Memphis.

Since only one of those 4 teams could possibly unseat Memphis, why should the 16 teams already in the playoffs have to suffer for 1 team to have the chance to make the playoffs who isn't already qualified?

IMHO, these bubble playoff teams shouldn't be rewarded by getting into the playoffs and messing with that tradition, but instead should be given the opportunity to control their own fate for next year and beyond by acquiring one of the top 4 picks.

If getting a high draft pick will help them become a better team who can win more games, they can play a tournament to earn the right to one of the top picks.

If they're good enough to make up a 3.5 to 5.5 game difference in standings during the last few weeks of play, they should be good enough to win 3 games and for those teams at the bottom of the standings - as the NCAA March Madness tournament can attest, anyone can win one game, especially when it's on a neutral court.

Based on these seedings, I think the top 4 picks would end up going to Portland, Golden State, San Antonio, and New Orleans in that order, which compared to the current order (Golden State, Cleveland, Minnesota, Atlanta) is quite a difference.

That being said, the 4 worst teams aren't guaranteed one of the top 4 picks under the current system either but at least a tournament like this can allow the team, players, staff, and organization to have more control over their lottery fate and fans to have another chance to watch their favorite team play.