NBA, NBAPA To Vote On 2020-21 Season Start Date This Week
Nov 4, 2020, 8:48 AM | Updated: 8:48 am
(Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)
(Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)
Basketball is likely to return by Christmas, according to multiple reports
While the 2019-20 NBA season only ended a matter of weeks ago, players could be reporting for training camps by December 1st to gear up for the 2020-21 regular season.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, a vote will be held on Thursday or Friday to determine the start date of next season.
Up until this week, reports surfaced that a large amount of players were pushing for a start date of Martin Luther King Jr. Day on January 18th.
Commissioner Adam Silver has stressed what missing out on holiday basketball could do to the league’s predicted revenue, possibly causing over $500 million in losses for both players and owners.
The NBA believes there is somewhere between $500 million and $1 billion in revenue losses next season and beyond by failing to start the season in December, sources said.
Adrian Wojnarowski and Zach Lowe of ESPN
The proposed start date of December 22nd would mean that a 72-game regular season would take place from December-May, with the postseason running through July 22nd.
This would ensure that certain players who will be taking part in the 2021 Olympic Games could participate, as the rescheduled games will take place next summer in Tokyo, Japan. A January start would mean that the NBA would be competing with Olympic viewership, another aspect that the league would like to avoid.
If the league and players association come to an agreement by Friday, training camps will open on December 1st and last three-weeks until each team plays a series of preseason games.
Once the preseason ends, a 72-game season would commence.
An interesting aspect of the season is the possibility of a play-in tournament to determine the final two seeds in the postseason:
The play-in tournament proposal has coalesced around the structure ESPN first reported was gaining traction in early 2018: a four-team tournament among the Nos. 7, 8, 9 and 10 seeds for the final two playoff spots in each conference.
The tournament would begin with No. 7 hosting No. 8, and the winner locking into the No. 7 spot. Meanwhile, No. 9 would face No. 10, with the winner advancing to play the loser of the 7-versus-8 matchup for the No. 8 seed, sources have told ESPN.
Adrian Wojnarowski and Zach Lowe of ESPN
What does this mean for the Sacramento Kings?
Well, it’s good for them, to start.
Sacramento now has some wiggle-room to work with in chasing a postseason spot, needing to finish 10th instead of 8th to ensure an appearance in some meaningful games.
While finishing 7th of 8th would be better in regards to the play-in tournament, it will be tough for the Kings to grab a top-eight spot with teams like the Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns coming into the picture.
The Kings can finish with the 9th or 10th position and put themselves into a situation that they have not been in since 2006: a meaningful basketball game.
Of course, an agreement still needs to be made.
Be sure to stay tuned for more updates on the NBA’s announcement for the start of the 2020-21 regular season and all other Sacramento Kings offseason updates right here at Sports 1140 KHTK.
