All signs point to the restart of the NBA season on July 31 and per the proposal submitted by NBA commissioner Adam Silver, all participating 22 teams will be brought to Orlando, which is designated as the league's "bubble city." With the games confined on one location, it's obvious that teams stand to lose home-court advantage but the league is prepared to offer alternatives.
Needless to say, the NBA knows how important the home-court advantage is as teams worked hard to enjoy the benefits but the coronavirus pandemic imposed many limitations and this game element is among the immediate casualties. The league, nonetheless, would not want this privilege to be just brushed aside.
The plan now is "to recreate" some of the benefits of a home-court advantage that likely will be extended to teams that will be part of the playoffs series, according to CBS Sports, picking up on an earlier story by ESPN.
The general proposal is still up for discussion but some of the points to be taken are:
- Higher seeds getting the ball at the beginning of the second, third, and fourth quarters.
- Higher seeds being allowed to choose one player who would be allowed seven personal fouls instead of six.
- Higher seeds being granted an extra coach's challenge.
- Higher seeds getting preferential hotel selection at Disney.
- Higher seeds being allowed to transport their actual hardwood courts to Disney to recreate the feel of home-court advantage.
CBS said the ideas have yet to be presented to the competition committee and in case they will be deemed inapplicable, some of the teams will likely sue for a more practical option. There's a suggestion that instead of giving home-court advantage, the NBA should instead think of ways to grant playoffs lead like the power for a high-seeded team to choose a first-round challenger.
In any case, getting any of these add-ons appeared to be the least of concerns for NBA teams. The Milwaukee Bucks, for instance, is more set to just see the games, halted in March when the global pandemic was just breaking out, resume the soonest. And the sentiment is understandable as the Bucks are best in the league before the season was suspended.
So when the NBA finally gives the green light for the hostilities to resume in Orlando, Fadeaway World said not all 30 teams will be called back. Eight teams will be locked in a play-in tournament for the double-elimination then qualifier will advance to the playoffs that will see 16 teams battling for the two slots in the Finals.
Silver's target date is the end of July, the timeline in consideration of a season wrap up in August or September that should pave the way for the Season 2020-21 to commence in late December.
