NBA Commissioner Adam Silver Reportedly Likes idea of Cutting NBA Games to 40 Minutes
Sports leagues are constantly introducing new concepts and ideas in order to make the game either safer or more competitive. The commissioner of the National Basketball Association believes that decreasing the schedule may improve player health and performance. NBA commissioner Adam Silver reportedly likes the idea of cutting NBA games to 40 minutes.
Why the change? Well, truth be told, many franchises are dealing with injuries. For instance, teams have recently made announcements regarding Anthony Edwards, Jalen Williams and Tyrese Haliburton being out due to injury.
Even all-time leading scorer LeBron James said he feels like there are more injuries this season. As a player who has been around for decades he would be a good barometer for this subject. Nevertheless, James says,
“It does seem as much…We go back to the pace of the game right now and I think it has a lot to do with it. There’s no way that you can simulate the way we’re playing in today’s game, to offseason training. You can do as much as you can; but to jump into full throttle with how we’re playing the game today is very challenging.”
To back up LeBron James’ point regarding players getting hurt at a more alarming rate. Here’s a list of Injured NBA players 11 days into the season:
Anthony Edwards (knee)
Kawhi Leonard (knee)
Tyrese Haliburton (hamstring)
Chet Holmgren (knee)
Jalen Williams (leg, ankle)
Paolo Banchero (ankle)
Jalen Duren (hamstring)
Jaren Jackson Jr. (MCL)
Ja Morant (hamstring)
Kon Knueppel (hamstring)
Ivica Zubac (ankle)
Kristaps Porzingis (health issue)
Coby White (calf)
Jalen Suggs (knee)
Tobias Harris (calf)
Jusuf Nurkic (toe)
Cason Wallace (shoulder)
Mark Williams (shoulder)
Nic Claxton (hamstring)
Ben Simmons (Achilles)
Bradley Beal (knee management)
Keegan Murray (ankle)
Egor Demin (leg)
Max Strus (foot)
Shaedon Sharpe (knee)
Steven Adams (calf)
Dominick Barlow (back)
Dylan Cardwell (knee)
Justin Champagnie (foot)
Sergio de Larrea (knee)
Mouhamed Gueye (foot)
Ariel Hukporti (Achilles)
TJ McConnell (hamstring)
Noah Penda (hamstring)
Maxime Raynaud (knee)
Ben Sheppard (knee)
Julian Strawther (knee)
Nae’Qwon Tomlin (back)
Henri Veesaar (ACL)
Tristan Vukcevic (hip)
Grant Williams (hamstring)
Jimmy Butler (ACL)*
Brandon Ingram (heel)*
Dereck Lively II (foot)*
Donte DiVincenzo (Achilles)*
Moses Moody (knee)*
Johnny Furphy (ACL)*
Yanic Konan Niederhauser (foot)*
Jayden Quaintance (knee)*
Thomas Sorber (ACL)*
Nikola Topic (back)*
With star players missing chunks of time the issue becomes how do you keep athletes on the court? How do you keep the integrity of the game intact while lessening health risks. The answer could lie with the elimination of back to backs and a shorter season.
Nevertheless, as for actual game time, 48 minutes has worked for decades. So then, reinventing the wheel could just lead to more issues instead of just being a fix. NBA games being shortened will not only change the viewer experience but the legacy nature of the game.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver Reportedly Likes idea of Cutting NBA Games to 40 Minutes
Going from 48 to 40 minutes would completely mess with stats, rotations, records and basically every historical comparison fans enjoy debating. Besides the fact that removing games and reducing game minutes interferes a lot with the league’s history, in stats and such. Additionally, this move would most likely mean fewer minutes for bench players. We would possibly see 8-11 on the bench being cut out the action.
Which is why this game change may just remain a thought or suggestion. The NBPA would have some say on this matter. And would need to be in agreement in order for it to come to fruition.
However, fewer minutes means fewer jobs for players. Less opportunities for bench players. Therefore, perhaps a very small chance that the NBPA would ever agree to a 40 minute game.
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