Quick NBA Turnaround!

LeBron James is once again the King, seated high on his throne...but wait, not so fast! The NBA has announced that they are planning to begin the 2020-2021 regular season with a targeted start date of December 22nd! With barely over two weeks passed since the Los Angeles Lakers have been crowned champion they would have less than two months to enjoy that title and begin a brand new journey.

Is this realistic?

At this point, anything is possible. The NBA is pressed to begin before Christmas Day to take advantage of those primetime games. When the idea of beginning the season by year end reached the light numerous NBA teams reached out to ESPN stating that the timeline proposed was not feasible. Most teams were under the impression the new season would begin roughly around Martin Luther King Day and closer toward the end of January or even the start of February.

As recently as last month NBA commissioner Adam Silver said, "The goal for us next season is to play a standard season, 82-game season and playoffs. In home arenas, in front of fans." Now we know that right now that's not possible as many states still will not allow any fans inside their facilities, and we are also now learning it more than likely will be a shortened regular season. The season won't be compromised too much as it will only be about a ten game difference (similar to how many total games were played this year).

Many NBA Veterans, including LeBron James, have made it known that they are also not in favor of such a quick turnaround. Some have even gone as far to say they would sit out the first part of the regular season. On the other hand, when Covid hit back in early March, more than half of the NBA teams who did not travel to Orlando haven't played a game in almost 8 months. As a result of this these teams will more than likely head into next year with the advantage of being well-rested.

We also cannot forget we still haven't even had the NBA Draft. With the possibility of the Draft coming as soon as November, buckle-up because the NBA is not looking to slow down anytime soon!