NBA’s Adam Silver open to shorter season

BOSTON

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver says he would consider shortening the regular season, but only if the league could develop something meaningful to do to replace the games — and revenue — they would be giving up.

Speaking at the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference on Friday, Silver raised the idea of replacing the All-Star Game with a midseason or preseason tournament in which teams would compete for a separate championship, like they do in European soccer. Or groups of teams could compete in mini-tournaments in Asia or Europe.

The problem, Silver said, is how to make these other events meaningful.

“The All-Star Game didn’t work,” he said, calling it “an afterthought” of the weekend despite changes like tinkering with the rosters through a player draft that was made public for the first time. “I get it. We put an earring on a pig.”

The league is unlikely to make any changes — at least not any time soon — if only because a 70-game schedule like the one Silver discussed would require each team to give up six home games. Although players and coaches would love to see a shorter season, none is excited about taking a 20 percent pay cut.

Staff/wire report