Proposed NBA Plan Would Complete Finals By October 12
Last week, we heard that the NBA was tentatively circling July 31 on its calendar as a target date for the resumption of the 2019/20 season. Today, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski provides another important detail on the NBA’s proposed timeline, tweeting that the league is eyeing October 12 as the last possible date for Game 7 of the 2020 Finals.
Wojnarowski notes in a follow-up tweet that the league is still working through details on its return-to-play plan with the NBPA. As such, it’s not clear whether that October 12 date is part of the tentative proposal for now, or if it’s just the latest possible Game 7 date that has been discussed, out of a handful of possibilities.
The NBA intends to bring a proposal to its Board of Governors on Thursday for a vote, so the details of the plan will likely need to be finalized soon.
During the first month or two following the suspension of the season, reports suggested that the NBA preferred not to have the 2019/20 season run beyond Labor Day. The new timeline reflects the league’s changing stance on that issue.
The NBA has seemingly become more willing to start the 2020/21 season much later than usual in the hopes that by the time opening night arrives, fans will be allowed back in arenas. Given how much revenue is generated from ticket sales and in-arena purchases, the league likely won’t be in any rush to begin next season until states have lifted bans on large gatherings, at least to some extent.
If the season runs into early October, 2020’s draft and free agency period likely wouldn’t take place until mid-to-late October at the earliest. It also seems unlikely that the ’20/21 campaign will tip off before Christmas.
Hall-Of-Famer Wes Unseld Passes Away
Former NBA star, head coach, and executive Wes Unseld has passed away, his family announced today, via the Wizards. Unseld was 74 years old.
“It is with profound sadness that we share that our adored husband, father, and grandfather Wes Unseld passed away peacefully this morning surrounded by family following lengthy health battles, most recently with pneumonia,” the family’s statement reads, in part.
Wizards owner Ted Leonsis also issued a statement on Unseld’s passing:
“On behalf of the Wizards organization and the entire MSE Family, I would like to extend our deepest sympathies and condolences to the Unseld family,” Leonsis said. “… We all admired Wes as the pillar of this franchise for so long, but it was his work off the court that will truly leave an impactful legacy and live on through the many people he touched and influenced throughout his life of basketball and beyond.”
Unseld, the second overall pick in the 1968 NBA draft, spent his 13-year career playing for the Bullets, first in Baltimore and later in Washington. He earned MVP honors in his first NBA season in 1969, becoming only the second rookie in league history to do so, along with Wilt Chamberlain. Unseld eventually won a championship and a Finals MVP award in 1978.
An elite rebounder at 6’7″, Unseld averaged 14.0 RPG in 984 career regular season contests to go along with 10.8 PPG. He earned five All-Star nods and was inducted to the Basketball Hall of Fame as a player in 1988.
Unseld held a role in the Bullets’ front office following his retirement in 1981, then served as the team’s head coach from 1987-94 before becoming the general manager of the newly-renamed Wizards in 1996. He was the franchise’s head of basketball operations until 2000, then again from 2001-03 following Michael Jordan‘s departure.
Our condolences go out to Unseld’s friends and family, including his son Wes Unseld Jr., currently an assistant coach for the Nuggets.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
More Details On Friday’s Board Of Governors Call
There’s concern among some NBA owners about the fact that a 22-team return-to-play format would result in a number of small-market teams not playing any games for nine months or more, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Zach Lowe.
The ESPN duo reports that Thunder owner Clay Bennett expressed those concerns on last Friday’s Board of Governors call, openly wondering if the NBA could bring back all 30 clubs when it resumes play. Other team owners, including Josh Harris (Sixers) and Robert Sarver (Suns) “enthusiastically” backed the idea of having as many teams as possible in the bubble environment, per Woj and Lowe, who add that Hawks owner Tony Ressler wants his team to be able to play in Orlando even without a path to the postseason.
While some team owners are in favor of having all 30 teams resume play, commissioner Adam Silver and the NBA don’t appear as bullish on that idea, given the health and safety concerns tied to bringing so many people to Orlando. Additionally, as ESPN’s report notes, Silver reminded those on Friday’s call that many players – and some teams – are “far less invested” in the idea of conducting several weeks of camps and enduring a quarantine period in order to play a handful of regular season games.
Wojnarowski and Lowe provided several more details on Friday’s conference call. We’ll round up the highlights right here:
- One Eastern Conference official on Friday’s call described the push to include as many teams as possible as follows, according to ESPN: “The message was something bigger, reminding people that some teams can’t just reopen the doors in nine of 10 months and so easily sell tickets or a sponsorship without having played basketball for that long.”
- With the NBA focusing on a 22-team return to play, there have been conversations about the teams left out of this season’s resumption holding mandatory summer training camps or even participating in regional fall leagues to help bridge the gap between seasons, per ESPN. Such a concept would need to be collectively bargained with players, and Woj and Lowe say there’s an expectation that the league will reach out to the NBPA to discuss the issue.
- The NBA is still determining how a potential play-in tournament would work in the 22-team format, Woj and Lowe say. It remains unclear how much of an advantage the current No. 8 seeds would receive in such a tournament, especially if they widen their leads on non-playoff teams when the season resumes. The unbalanced nature of bringing back 13 Western teams and just nine Eastern squads also complicates the play-in issue.
- According to ESPN’s report, the NBA estimates that a 22-team format with some regular season games and a play-in tournament will be worth “several hundred million dollars more in revenue” than a 16-team format that advances straight to the postseason.
Nuggets’ Grant Likely To Decline ’20/21 Option
Appearing on Yahoo Sports’ Posted Up With Chris Haynes podcast, Nuggets forward Jerami Grant admitted that he has thought about his upcoming free agency amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. While he acknowledged that the salary cap for 2020/21 might drop a little – or “a lot” – Grant told Haynes that he thinks he’ll still likely pass on his $9.35MM player option for next season.
“I’m definitely not leaning towards picking up the player option,” Grant said, according to Quenton S. Albertie of NuggLove). “Like you said, I feel like I definitely outplayed the $9MM that I’m making each year right now. But at the same time… I’d love to come to a conclusion or something like that with Denver, it just depends what we discuss and negotiate when the time comes.”
Traded from Oklahoma City to Denver last summer for a first-round pick, Grant got off to a slow start as a Nugget, but had rebounded nicely by the time the NBA suspended its season. In 64 total games (26.2 MPG), he averaged 11.6 PPG and 3.5 RPG on .471/.400/.744 shooting. While Grant’s overall net rating wasn’t great, Denver performed better with him on the floor than off it during the final two months of the season leading up to March 11.
Once the offseason begins, Grant will have the option of picking up his $9.35MM player option and putting off unrestricted free agency until 2021 or opting out and becoming a free agent immediately. Given his age, performance, and contract situation, he’s one of a small handful of veterans likely to turn down a player option this year, as we detailed in May.
If Grant does opt out, it won’t necessarily signal the end of his time in Denver. He and the Nuggets could still work out a new contract, as he alluded to in his comments to Haynes. With Paul Millsap and Mason Plumlee also headed for the open market, the Nuggets would have to decide which frontcourt pieces they’ll prioritize in free agency.
Knicks’ Coaching Job Considered Thibodeau’s To Lose?
After a report last week suggested that Tom Thibodeau topped the Knicks‘ wish list in their head coaching search, multiple updates since then have reiterated that Thibodeau looks like the frontrunner for the job.
Sources tell Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News that Thibodeau is the “heavy favorite” to become the Knicks’ next head coach. Bondy cautions that other candidates – including Mike Miller, Kenny Atkinson, and perhaps even John Calipari – are in play, but says there’s a belief that the position is Thibodeau’s to lose. A source tells The Daily News that Thibodeau is confident enough about his chances that he has already made calls about assembling a staff.
Citing Thibodeau’s longstanding relationship with new Knicks president of basketball operations Leon Rose, Marc Berman of The New York Post also says there’s an “excellent chance” that the team will zero in on Thibodeau when its head coaching search officially gets underway.
Additionally, Berman hears from sources that members of Thibodeau’s past Bulls and Timberwolves staffs will likely be interested in joining him in New York if he’s hired by the Knicks. Berman specifically cites Andy Greer, Larry Greer, and Dice Yoshimoto as coaches Thibodeau might look to bring with him if given the opportunity.
The Knicks’ search hasn’t begun in earnest yet, but as Berman points out, there’s a good chance that the club won’t part of a resumed NBA season — reports last week indicated that the league favors a 20-team or 22-team restart. If the NBA officially moves forward with a plan that excludes the Knicks, there would be little reason for the franchise to delay its head coaching search until after the resumption of the season.
Harrison Barnes Only Wants To Play If Games Matter
Harrison Barnes is the latest player to speak out against the idea of participating in meaningless games. Appearing on The Full 48 podcast with Howard Beck (hat tip to Sabreena Merchant of Sactown Royalty), the Kings forward echoed comments made this week by Portland’s Damian Lillard.
“I think Dame is right,” Barnes said. “If you come back and play, you want to be playing for something.”
The Kings and Trail Blazers would both be part of a 22-team scenario that is reportedly gaining support throughout the league. That proposal is believed to include a few regular season games, followed by a play-in format for the postseason. Both teams are on the edge of the Western Conference playoff race, lurking three and a half games behind the eighth-place Grizzlies.
Barnes notes on the podcast that Sacramento has been dealing with injuries all season and was just starting to put things together before the hiatus.
“This group, where we’re at, we need to play, we need to play together, and playing for something is important,” he said.
Barnes also told Beck that he wants to be part of the group in Orlando because of his competitive instincts, but doesn’t see the point of participating if there’s nothing to be gained. He stated that any playoff proposal will have critics, adding, “the idea of fairness — that’s out the window.”
Plan With 22 Teams Has Growing Support
A plan to bring 22 teams to Orlando to resume the season has received growing support, several members of the NBA’s Board of Governors told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne.
As we detailed earlier on Friday, the Board of Governors will vote on Thursday on the preferred format to return to play.
The four formats up for vote would include 16, 20, 22 or all 30 teams. The latter is the least likely to be approved, according to the ESPN report.
The 22-team format would likely include regular-season and play-in games to compete for playoff berths in both conferences.
The teams that would be invited are the ones that currently hold playoff spots and those that are currently within six games of the final playoff spots in each conference. The six-team group would include the Pelicans, Suns, Trail Blazers, Kings, Spurs and Wizards.
If the 20-team plan is approved, the Suns and Wizards would not participate. The NBA needs a three-fourths majority of owners to approve a return-to-play plan.
NBA Plans June 4 Board Of Governors Vote On Return To Play
The NBA is planning to have its Board of Governors vote on the format for a return to play next Thursday, June 4, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).
The hope is that the vote will be a formality, with the NBA’s team owners expected to approve whatever format commissioner Adam Silver recommends for the resumption of the season in Orlando. Teams expect Silver’s proposal to include approximately 20-22 clubs, with the teams at the bottom of the standing left out, according to Wojnarowski, Ramona Shelburne, and Zach Lowe (Twitter link).
Once Silver’s plan gets the go-ahead, the league can move on to working out more specific details on its next steps, including likely rescheduling the draft and free agency.
Earlier this week, there was some speculation that today’s Board of Governors conference call might result in a finalized plan for the NBA’s return, but the league wanted to take a few more days to weigh its options and discuss details with teams and players.
Still, there have been a number of positive updates this week, including today’s report from The Athletic suggesting that the NBA is eyeing July 31 as its target date to resume play. That report also indicated that four potential formats were discussed during today’s conference call. We relayed a few additional details on those proposals this afternoon.
Players Oppose Going Straight To Postseason When Play Resumes
Appearing on ESPN’s SportsCenter on Friday (video link), Ramona Shelburne reported that NBA players she has spoken to are opposed to the idea of advancing directly to the postseason when the league resumes play.
“The one thing that they really don’t want to do is go straight to the playoffs,” Shelburne said. “They might have essentially four months off between March 11 and whenever we get the season resumed, and nobody wants the first meaningful game they play to be a playoff game. They need at least a week – maybe even longer than that – of real games that count for something before they play a playoff game.”
Some of the proposed scenarios for the NBA return would involve just bringing back the 16 playoff teams and advancing directly to the postseason; others would involve only teams at or near the bottom of the playoff picture participating in a play-in tournament. Shelburne suggests that neither of those solutions would be favorable for teams at the top of the postseason picture, who would want some time to shake off the rust and re-establish their chemistry before jumping into the playoffs.
Earlier today, we relayed Shams Charania’s report on the four scenarios the league discussed in its conference call with the Board of Governors call today. We noted in that story that bringing back all 30 teams seems unlikely. Based on Shelburne’s report, it sounds like the NBPA may not be on board with jumping directly to the playoffs with just 16 teams either.
That would leave two scenarios — a World Cup-esque play-in pool, featuring 20 teams, and a “playoffs-plus” option that may feature 22 teams. Shelburne and Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer provided a few more updates on that second option this afternoon, offering the following details:
- Teams within six games of a playoff spot would be invited to participate, per Shelburne (Twitter link). That means the Trail Blazers, Pelicans, Kings, Spurs, Suns, and Wizards would join the 16 current playoff teams.
- All 22 teams would likely play eight regular-season games apiece, then a play-in tournament would be held for the eighth seed in each conference, according to O’Connor (Twitter link).
- While the proposal isn’t yet finalized, it sounds as if conferences would remain in place for the postseason under this scenario, O’Connor adds.
The solution would check off a few boxes for the NBA. It would give every playoff team a solid ramping-up period before the postseason; it would allow many of those 22 teams to reach the 70-game threshold necessary for regional TV contracts; and it would give every team in Orlando something to play for without the league having to bring back all 30 clubs.
However, as O’Connor observes in another tweet, there are some potential downsides as well. Timing could be an issue if the NBA is aiming to resume play on July 31 and requires two or three weeks of regular season games before beginning the playoffs.
Plus, the particulars of the play-in tournament are unclear — for instance, the Magic are currently 5.5 games up on the Wizards and could increase that gap with eight more regular season games to play. Would Washington still be given a chance to steal the eighth seed in that scenario?
There’s no indication yet that the NBA is leaning toward that 22-team concept, and even if the league goes in that direction, it’s possible some details would be tweaked, so we’ll have to wait for further updates on talks between the league, teams, and players. There’s hope that a vote will happen next week.
NBA Targeting July 31 For Return To Play
NBA commissioner Adam Silver and the league office informed the Board of Governors on today’s conference call that July 31 is the tentative target date for a return to play, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
That target date doesn’t tell us exactly when the NBA would want its season to end, since we don’t know how many games will be played once the season resumes. However, a typical postseason requires about two months from start to finish, so it appears as if the league is comfortably playing through August and September.
According to Charania (via Twitter), the NBA discussed four potential return scenarios on today’s call with team owners. Those scenarios were as follows:
- Bringing back 16 teams and advancing directly to the postseason.
- Bringing back 20 teams and using a play-in pool that would involve a group stage.
- Note: The Trail Blazers, Pelicans, Kings, and Spurs would likely be involved in this scenario in addition to the playoff teams.
- Bringing back 22 teams and playing regular season games to determine seeding. A play-in tournament would then be used to determine the final playoff teams.
- Note: The Suns and Wizards would be added to this scenario, as ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne tweets.
- Bringing back 30 teams, completing a 72-game regular season, then conducting a play-in tournament for the final playoff teams.
Within each of those scenarios, the NBA could tweak the details and go in a few different directions. For instance, even something a solution as simple as advancing to the postseason with the current top-eight seeds in each conference could involve reseeding those teams from one through 16, regardless of conference.
It seems like a safe bet, however, that the format the league eventually lands on won’t stray too far from one of those four options. Marc Berman of The New York Post tweets that returning with 24 teams is believed to still be on the table as well, so that may be a variation of the third option listed above.
According to Charania (via Twitter), that fourth and final option – with all 30 teams returning to play – looks like the least likely outcome. Charania reports that Hornets owner Michael Jordan advocated on today’s call for player safety and not asking players to return for meaningless games — that viewpoint has been voiced by at least one superstar player as well. So unless all 30 teams get a chance to make the playoffs, which seems like a long shot, the NBA is unlikely to bring them all back.
The NBA and NBPA are expected to further deliberate in the coming days, with Silver potentially bringing a proposal back to the Board of Governors for a vote next week.