NBA in 'Serious Discussions' to Shorten Regular Season, Introduce Mid-Season Tournament
By Liam McKeone | Nov 23 2019
The NBA is reportedly in 'serious discussions' to make big changes to the league as we know it, according to Adrian Wojnarowski and Zach Lowe. The pair reported the news on Saturday morning, and potential changes include a shortened regular season, a 30-team midseason tournament, and a reseeding of conference finalists.
Reporting with @ZachLowe_NBA: NBA’s engaged in serious discussions w/ NBPA and broadcast partners on sweeping, dramatic changes to league calendar that include re-seeding of conference finals, an in-season tournament and a postseason play-in. Story: https://t.co/ySSP1sxIla
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) November 23, 2019
No changes will go through unless the NBA can come to an agreement with the Player's Association. A shorter regular season has been a hot topic of discussion for some time as the long seven-month slog has lessened in importance to both players and fans. According to the report, the regular season would be shortened by only four games, but it would eliminate four back-to-back games for all teams, an idea that has become more popular as load management becomes more prevalent.
The reseeding of teams when it comes to the conference semifinals is also very interesting because it would presumably ignore East vs. West. The 30-team in-season tournament is also an intriguing possibility. These changes could have a massive impact going forward if they go through, and it remains to be seen if it will be for the better.