NBA’S PLAN FOR RETURN COULD BE FAVORABLE FOR THE KINGS
The NBA is reportedly planning to resume play in late July and momentum appears to be building for an expanded postseason format that could bring an anticlimactic end to the Kings’ 13-year playoff drought.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver discussed return-to-play scenarios with the Board of Governors during a conference call Friday. Silver told the board the NBA is targeting July 31 as a return date, sources told Shams Charania of The Athletic. Charania reported Charlotte Hornets owner Michael Jordan advocated for player safety, saying players shouldn’t be asked to come back for meaningless games, and a return of all 30 teams is unlikely.
ESPN reported the NBA is planning a Board of Governors vote Thursday and owners are expected to support Silver’s recommendation.
Kings forward Harrison Barnes said he agrees with recent statements from Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard, who said he won’t participate in a return to play unless his team has an opportunity to make the playoffs.
“I think Dame is right,” Barnes told Howard Beck on “The Full 48” podcast. “If you come back and play, you want to be playing for something.”
The Athletic reported the results of a survey the league sent to general managers. The survey showed 53 percent favor proceeding directly to the playoffs and 83 percent favor a “Playoffs Plus” format involving 20 or more teams in postseason play. There appears to be little support for the idea of bringing back all 30 teams to play out the full remaining regular season schedule, but there is an incentive to get each team to 70 games, as that would fulfill local television agreements.
NBA officials are examining numerous return-to-play scenarios with emphasis on health and safety, competitive balance and league finances. The league is expected to make final decisions regarding location and format in the coming days. The ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World in Orlando has emerged as the
likely destination.
ESPN reported one of the plans discussed would invite all teams within six games of a playoff spot to compete in regular-season games. Those teams would then compete in
a play-in tournament for the final playoff bids.
Any plan for 20 or more teams would likely include the Kings. The Kings, Portland Trail Blazers and New Orleans Pelicans were tied for ninth in the Western Conference when the NBA suspended its season March 11 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Those teams were 3 1/2 games behind the Memphis Grizzlies, who faced a daunting schedule over the final month of the season.
The Kings have not made the playoffs since 2006. They have the NBA’s longest active postseason drought after 13 consecutive losing seasons. The Los Angeles Clippers’ 15-year playoff absence from 1976 to 1991 remains the longest in NBA history.