NBA commissioner discussed shortened season and axing All Star game

[Brick City]

Adam Silver is kicking around the idea of a shortened 70 game season (down from the present 82 games). He also wants to replace the All Star game with a mini tournament, the revenues from which would theoretically make up for the lost home games from the shortened season.

I would love to see the NHL reduce it's imo too long season, but understand it does not have the luxury of the NBA's TV revenue. What say you BoH?

Adam Silver discussed replacing All-Star weekend, shortening the schedule, anxiety and more

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[tony d]

A shorter season would make sense in the NHL and NBA, wonder if this gets any traction. I think it should as it's a great idea.

 

[Centrum Hockey]

He also said in his interview with bill simmons no amount of money will convince the league to expand.The 30 teams are to unbalanced at this point

 

[LadyStanley]

Adam Silver discussed replacing All-Star weekend, shortening the schedule, anxiety and more


Potentially a big paradigm shift. Sponsors or fans the biggest losers?

 

[cutchemist42]

I've always thought the ProBowl would be the first to go. It's a week before Super Bowl so doesnt even satisfy the corporate-wooing aspect that other leagues' ASGs do.

The only one I personally watch is baseballs game.

 

[cutchemist42]

Really think both sports would benefit from a shorter season. If I had to rank them though, basketball is the sport where the best teams get sorted out the quickest, while having the most useless 1st round of playoffs. Why do we need 82 games to determine the 4-5 teams being sent to slaughter in the first round?

 

[sawchuk1971]

Adam Silver discussed replacing All-Star weekend, shortening the schedule, anxiety and more


Potentially a big paradigm shift. Sponsors or fans the biggest losers?

too bad the nhl does not have a competent commissioner like adam silver.....

 

[PhillyWings]

What took so long? All star games in all sports are a waste of time and money.

 

[Bucky_Hoyt]

I have been saying that the NHL should do away with the All-Star game for ages.

Replace it with a tourney:

Year 1 Olympic Qualification
Year 2 Olympics
Year 3 WC Qualification
Year 4 WC

Then repeat.

 

[StreetHawk]

He also said in his interview with bill simmons no amount of money will convince the league to expand.The 30 teams are to unbalanced at this point

Look at the bottom few team each season in the nba. It’s bad. They simply don’t have the talent pool despite it being a very international game, second to soccer to draw talent from.

To chop off 12 games, be interesting to see the impact to the nhl as currently the nba finals and the NHL cup finals are only a couple days apart.

This would like put the nba finals to finish before the Stanley Cup is awarded.

 

[Acesolid]

Look at the bottom few team each season in the nba. It’s bad. They simply don’t have the talent pool despite it being a very international game, second to soccer to draw talent from.

To chop off 12 games, be interesting to see the impact to the nhl as currently the nba finals and the NHL cup finals are only a couple days apart.

This would like put the nba finals to finish before the Stanley Cup is awarded.

I disagree, they have the talent pool. All they need to do is cut the ludicrous concept of a "max salary", and then super-teams will quickly die as the top players are paid what they are actually worth (like 30-50% of cap) instead of a low ceilling that allows the creation of super-teams.

Then the talent will be spread around, and there'll be parity.

It's so simple! The NBA will remain a joke as long as the Maximum Salary exists.

 

[Mightygoose]

Hard to see them shortening to 70 games though I would like to see it.

TV contract, sponsorship, season ticket/suite values would have to roll back which will may bring the salary cap down. That will fly with the PA like a lead balloon even with less games.

In getting public funds for new arenas and renovations, it will be harder to justify by gauranteeing 35 instead of 41 dates. Perhaps NBA owners just buy NLL or Arena football teams to fill in the gaps.

 

[supsens]

I have been saying that the NHL should do away with the All-Star game for ages.

Replace it with a tourney:

Year 1 Olympic Qualification
Year 2 Olympics
Year 3 WC Qualification
Year 4 WC

Then repeat.

I don't know if they should offer superior hockey entertainment in the middle of the season. It would make the skill level seem watered down for the rest of the season and steal some of the playoff thunder.

 

[JETZZZ]

I know the NHL will never get rid of the All Star Game because it makes them money, but moving the All Star Game to pre-season would improve it.
When the Alternative to the All Star Game is 5 days of mid-season rest, there will always be an Ovechkin who decides that he will rather face a suspension then go.
If its during the pre season, maybe it wont be as much of a hassle?

I would also prefer a 60-70 game season, and either:

Option A - use the free space in the schedule for a WCoH/Olympics every 2nd February
Option B - finish shortened season/playoffs soon enough so the annual World Championships becomes best-on-best
(Wont ever happen but I can dream)

 

[PurpleMouse]

In general any form of entertainment would benefit from a "less is more" philosophy. With more ways of delivering content, the nature of everything is to expand- more access and more content. But most people have multiple interests so reducing and allowing them to follow what's there is beneficial. A big fan of a sports team, more than likely, follows at least one other sport. And that's to say nothing with the other interests like movies, music, tv, and books they have to divide their attention over. Having less of everything probably makes people happier.

 

[alko]

I dont like it. All the NHL records will be strongly affected. Goodbye for 100 point seasons, 50-goals seasons.

 

[NCRanger]

Getting rid of the All-Star Game in all sports (save maybe baseball): GOOD!!!

Shortening season in hockey: BAD IDEA!!! For the following reasons:

1. The price of a ticket just escalated a minimum of 15%, which probably reduces overall revenue as less people can afford the games.

2. Welcome to the Dead Puck Era 2.0. With fewer games, each game takes on more importance. 1-0 games will be commonplace with even harder traps. The game will be UGLY. It will be worse than an Italian League soccer match.

3. The only way a shortened season works is if the playoffs are expanded to 24 teams. That way, there's a little bit of wiggle room in games so each one isn't played so close to the vest defensively.

 

[TheTotalPackage]

I must be one of the few that doesn't want to see a shorter regular season. For one, the more hockey, the better. Secondly, I don't even know how you can suggest X amount of games is better than Y. 82 fits nicely, as would 76 or 84.

The All-Star Game though can be punted once and for all. I'm sure there are other ways they can reach out to the fans and sponsors. Those days right there will help the season end a few days sooner.

 

[Gnashville]

Why anyone finds the NBA regular season interesting is beyond me. Even the playoffs are boring blowouts until the conference finals.

 

[MNNumbers]

NBA is a different species than NHL. NBA suffers from lack of interest, because everyone knows who the best 4 teams are soon after the season starts. Even qualifying for the playoffs as a 6 seed or something offers little to fans. Thus, lack of interest can be a big problem. Very likely, the national TV contract would not be reduced much by cutting b-2-b games in the NBA, if the season length on the calendar is the same.

However, for NHL, the major $$ is local - seats and local TV. There is NO way the owners will sacrifice that. Cutting 3 homes games a way is about 7% of their income. No way. There is only a very small national TV contract as a buffer.

 

[Centrum Hockey]

I disagree, they have the talent pool. All they need to do is cut the ludicrous concept of a "max salary", and then super-teams will quickly die as the top players are paid what they are actually worth (like 30-50% of cap) instead of a low ceilling that allows the creation of super-teams.

Then the talent will be spread around, and there'll be parity.

It's so simple! The NBA will remain a joke as long as the Maximum Salary exists.

Any expansion team whould probably be awful like the Charlotte bobcats unlike the golden knights in the nhl.If the nba went to Seattle and the nhl team was good record wise and the nba was not it whould give the nhl a few extra years to build up a diehard fanbase.

 

[Acesolid]

Why anyone finds the NBA regular season interesting is beyond me. Even the playoffs are boring blowouts until the conference finals.

With more parity it'd be more interesting.

The NBA needs to have a hard cap instead of a soft cap, and also remove the "max salary" rule.

You do both these things, and in five years the NBA has a LOT more parity, and is a lot more interesting!

 

[Reality Check]

The big 3 and the NHL all should reduce the number of games per season. Not to mention contract a team or two.

But will they? Of course not. Money is the bottom line for not only ownership but players.

All-Star games serve no purpose in this day and age. 25 years ago? Sure...but the appeal was already in decline with more advances in technology.

 

[Centrum Hockey]

With more parity it'd be more interesting.

The NBA needs to have a hard cap instead of a soft cap, and also remove the "max salary" rule.

You do both these things, and in five years the NBA has a LOT more parity, and is a lot more interesting!

Players still only want to play where it’s warm a hard cap whould mean the warm weather teams can sign only a few star players though.

 

[patnyrnyg]

Look at the bottom few team each season in the nba. It’s bad. They simply don’t have the talent pool despite it being a very international game, second to soccer to draw talent from.

To chop off 12 games, be interesting to see the impact to the nhl as currently the nba finals and the NHL cup finals are only a couple days apart.

This would like put the nba finals to finish before the Stanley Cup is awarded.

I disagree about the talent pool. The issue is just the nature of the sport itself. The star players can often play the entire game and their team's offense will run through them on almost every possession. Secondly, the NBA is a league where the star is going to get the call, giving a greater advantage to the best players.

In the NFL, the best players only play 1/2 the game (offense or defense) and it is much easier for coaches to scheme to take away the opponent's best player (keeping an extra blocker to help against a stud edge rusher, not running at stude defenders, stacking the box against a great running game, doubling the great receiver, etc). Plus, you have 11 guys on the field at one time and the positions are more specialized. Much harder for a teammate to "cover for" or replace another. If a defenseman in hockey pinches, a forward can cover the point. Or, I think of the 80 NBA finals. Kareem as hurt, so Magic played Center that game. If Odell Beckham is hurt, Saquon Barkley is not going to just play WR with their 12th guy filling in at RB. Sterling Shepard becomes the primary receiver, and the 3rd or 4th gets on the field to replace Beckham. Talent drop-off is much greater.

In baseball, the best hitters only bat 4 times a game and the best pitchers only pitch once every 5 days.

In hockey, the best forwards play 20 minutes a game and will have shifts where they are pinned and playing D for most of it. You have 18 skaters who all have to contribute in some way.

Point is the star in bball will have A LOT more influence over the outcome of each game than in any other sport.