Well… looks like basketball will be making its return soon!
The NBA board of governors held a virtual meeting earlier today to discuss how to get basketball up and running again. During the meeting, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver reportedly has set July 31st as a return date for basketball to restart.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver and the league office informed Board of Governors that July 31 is a target date for return of season, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 29, 2020
Per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, he stated that “most” team owners expect Silver’s plan for basketball to return will be announced within the next week.
With a likely return comes the plan of play which could look like this:
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16 teams: Directly into NBA Playoffs
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20 teams: Group/stage play
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22 teams: Games determine seeding, play-in tournament to decide find seeds
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30 teams: 72-game regular season with a play-in tournament
Along with the proposed plan to return, comes the safety protocols for players and staff in regards to the coronvirus. This is obviously the most important part of having teams return and teams want to make sure all guidelines are met. New Orleans Hornets owner Michael Jordan chimed in on the call regarding the safety nets in place and acted as an advocate for players. The Athletics Shams Charania stated the following on Jordan:
Hornets owner Michael Jordan advocated on the call for player safety, and not simply having players return for meaningless games, sources said. Given the NBA is prioritizing health and safety first and foremost, 30 team return is unlikely.
Before the meeting took place, the NBA sent out surveys to GM’s of each team. Here are those results:
- 53% of GMs chose to advance directly to playoffs; 27% for resuming abbreviated season with play-in
- 60% voted for 72-game season
- “Playoffs Plus”: 83% voted 20 or more teams
- Non-playoff teams split on resuming the season
- Most GMs want the season to end no later than October 1st
- GMs want larger roster/more flexibility to manage their roster
- 53 percent voted to maintain traditional playoff seeding; 47 percent for reseeding
For our LA fans, the Lakers and Clippers would be part of the proposed bracket if the NBA decides to push straight into the playoffs.
The Lakers would hold the #2 seed and could probably take on the #15 Brooklyn Nets while the Clippers two spots behind at #4 en route to take on the #13 Dallas Mavericks. With the playoffs being re-seeded in the image (see right), the season could be completed by the hopeful October end date.
Hopefully, with the announcement of a return date, the league will let all know their proposed area of play. Rumored to host has been Las Vegas as well as Orlando. Both areas could potentially fulfill the league’s need for housing and care. More word on that when it becomes available.
