List of Proposed Changes for 2021-22 NBA Season Revealed Including In-Season Tournament
The NBA has been looking for ways to spice up the regular season, and it looks like they have the foundation of a plan to bring ratings back up.
Recent discussions around the league have entertained a handful of rule changes, and it was revealed Friday that the NBA sent forth a list of proposals to all 30 teams. The proposals featured changes that would be implemented in the 2021-22 season, starting with a shortened 78-game regular season.
Sources: NBA has sent teams the proposal for 2021-22 season changes:
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 21, 2019
- 78-game regular season
- In-season tournament ($1M per player, $1.5M coaches pool for champion)
- Play-in tourneys for 7-8 playoff seeds
- Final 4 reseed in playoffs based on regular season records
A 78-game regular season is not a major change, but every subtracted game does keep the players that much fresher.
The next proposal would feature an in-season tournament in which players could pocket as much as $1 million in winnings. Bad teams have the chance to play for something meaningful and everyone in the league has a shot at some extra cash.
Sources: NBA's in-season tournament format proposal: All 30 teams involved from late Nov. to mid-Dec.:
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 21, 2019
- Divisional games (4 home, 4 away) for group stage
- 6 divisional stage winners, plus 2 wildcards for knockout
- Quarterfinals at home market; semifinals/Finals at neutral site
The in-season tournament would take place from late-November to mid-December, involving all 30 teams. It would also take shine some light the fact that the NBA has divisions -- which virtually no one pays attention to -- as teams would be matched up against their divisional rivals.
The other proposed tournament would involve a play-in tournament for the seventh and eighth seeds in the playoffs, which would give more teams a reason to stay in the hunt for the postseason. It potentially could allow for a surging team to ride its hot streak into a play-in game and snag a playoff spot out from under another team's nose.
All these changes could add a new element to the NBA, and if approved, they could be coming to the league sooner than later.