- The NBA will present the Board of Governors with a plan to restart the league.
- The format would include 22 teams, who will play eight more games before declaring the final rankings.
- A possible play-in tournament for the playoffs is possible.
- ESPN’s Wide World of Sports will host the remainder of the campaign.
A Plan With 22 Teams Will be Revealed Today
According to the sources, the NBA’s plan includes 22 teams, 13 from the Western Conference, and 9 from the Eastern. From the West, we have the first eight teams in the standings plus five more, who are within six games of the eighth spot. Those teams are New Orleans, Portland, San Antonio, Sacramento, and Phoenix. In the East, we have just one side, Washington.
All of them are going to play eight regular-season games, and in the end, if the ninth team in the standings comes within four games of the No.8 seed, the two will participate an in-play tournament. It would be the best-of-two series
Of course, the situation in the West promises a good fight, where several teams chase Memphis Grizzlies. It would be interesting to see the outcome, and also the race for that ninth position as well.
When it comes to the plan, some parts are still being discussed, but they are not considering the format. Those talks are involving the financial aspects of the game, and are about the salaries of the players. The athletes would have to give up on the part of their paychecks. According to some of the sources, it is expected that this sum goes up to $610 million.
Also, certain teams are worried about their finances. Those are predominantly the ones who are left out of the restart, among others the Hawks, Cavs, Hornets, and the Pistons, as they have to wait for the start of the next season to start earning again and playing as well. These franchises have some proposals that include regional leagues over the fall.
The league will also finalize the talks with the players in order to provide safety guidelines and healthcare measures, which will reduce the risks of catching the infection.
Orlando the Venue of the Restart
The ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex will host all the teams and provide them with the resources to successfully continue the season. The NBA authorities are suggesting that the 255-acre complex has enough space to hold all the games and to accept all 22 teams with their demands.
Florida’s Gov. Ron DeSantis stated that he believes that there won’t be a better place for such a plan than Orlando and ESPN’s complex.
“I’m all in from the state’s perspective. I don’t think you could find a better place than Orlando to do this. I think it’s very exciting.”
He also added that several other US sports are planning to start their competitions from his state. Recently we saw a charity golf match with Tiger Woods, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Phil Mickelson here. After that, the MLS announced its intentions to start the league here, and previously, the UFC held its events in Jacksonville.
