Cutting standard NBA game time from 48 to 40 minutes is one alteration the league is consideringNBAE/GETTY IMAGES
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver "mentioned everything from shorter games to a shorter season" as ways the league "could make its future product better for players and fans," according to Brian Mahoney of the AP. Silver said, "It's on the league office to always be challenging the way we do things." Silver has "focused on player health as commissioner," but players are "still sitting out games throughout the season ... often for reasons being listed as load management." Silver said he is "particularly interested in looking at different kinds of formats" for the regular season, such as midseason events and play-in tournaments, because "even accepting that players have so many miles on their bodies, there may be better ways to present it" than just an 82-game schedule. Silver also "mentioned the possibility of trimming games from 48 minutes to 40." However, he "cautioned that none of the changes he discussed after the league's Board of Governors meetings were close to being implemented" (AP, 4/12). YAHOO SPORTS' Jack Baer noted Silver has some "big ideas for changes to the league," but "not even he is sure people are going to want [to] hear them." Silver "openly admitted that the NBA's regular season could be losing its luster." To "inject some drama" during the regular season, Silver "painted a picture that sounds a lot like European soccer" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 4/13).
BALANCING ACT: In Boston, Gary Washburn wondered what the NBA needs to do about teams that "rest players during stretch runs to the playoffs?" Silver "doesn't have many pressing league issues at this point, but the term 'load management' is one of them." However, Silver said the NBA has to be "careful ... from a competitive standpoint that we're not applying a new set of rules in the last week of the season that doesn't apply throughout the year" (BOSTON GLOBE, 4/14).
