OKC Thunder: Creativity and adaptability at crux of Adam Silver’s update
How much of the season can be salvaged?
Nichols asked what the season would look like if/when the NBA does return? Would it include regular-season games or go straight to playoffs?
Silver said he honestly doesn’t know because there is so much uncertainty of how long the league will be out. Given how quickly information has changed in one week that’s a safe and fair stance to take.
To that end, he highlighted the initial hopes were for a short term (30 days) hiatus but that shifted as more information became available (and will continue to be tweaked as this process continues).
The most recent “hopeful” return date with or without fans is mid to late June as per Adrian Wojnarowski’s recent article. Clearly, the return date is also predicated on how communities practice self-distancing and isolation from groups.
If the NBA eventually resumes this season, what would that look like? Regular season games? Straight to the playoffs? And would re-starting this summer domino into more permanent changes to the NBA calendar? "Possibly," Adam Silver told me. pic.twitter.com/upQx9iuPpq
— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) March 19, 2020
Nichols then asked the commish if he had a strong feeling one way or the other whether the league will recommence this year. Silver said he truly doesn’t know but remains optimistic. He reminded it’s just been a week but for NBA players their life is so different from the average person due to their careers having an age-related window.
Meaning a lost season or shortened season can affect their overall career production, stats and obviously earning potential. Unsaid, but no doubt a part of the equation for games returning is lost revenue for the BoG and the league itself via TV revenues.