The good and bad of three resumptions of play ideas in the NBA
According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania (subscription required), the NBA has begun to lay the groundwork to resume this year’s basketball season. The league has already been in contact with The Walt Disney World company to have the season take place there, and Orlando’s prestigious theme park has begun the requisite reservations.
As of now, the league has sent a survey to the 30 NBA general managers to contemplate the competition formats for the eventual return of the 2019-20 season.
Four ideas that have been thrown around include a potential play-in tournament for all 30 teams to decide playoff representatives, a “Playoff Plus” format that would feature 18-24 teams, the regular season resuming to help shape the playoff picture in its natural format or having the eight best teams from each conference (record-wise) entering the playoffs as soon as the restart begins.
NBA surveyed GMs on several formats to restart the season:
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 23, 2020
- 16 teams directly to playoffs
- “Playoffs Plus” (play-in or group stage)
- All 30 teams — or all 30 teams with play-in tournament
Full story on @TheAthleticNBA: https://t.co/knIzZjGaFY
Despite speculation, there’s still plenty that needs to be ironed out. Nothing is set in stone and there’s no guarantee that the season even resumes. Though, early indications are promising.
The question is, which idea is the best move? We’ll explore the good and bad elements of all four potential resumptions of play ideas.