NBA Earlier Start in 2017
The NBA is expected to announce an earlier season start in 2017 to help resolve the schedule backlog of back to back games during the season.
The NBA management front office and league players are expected to agree to start the regular season about ten days earlier in 2017. This would shorten the preseason and create more room in a packed game schedule and reduce the pressure on teams to plays too many nights in a row or close to it. Players and coaches complain about the physical and mental strain on some long road trips with back to back games or four games in five nights. It is a wear and rear mentality that players endure but it has a big negative impact.
Instead of opening night usually on Oct. 25 it would instead happen anywhere from Oct. 15 to Oct. 20 in 2017-18. Starting the season earlier to adjust the pressure of the regular-season schedule has been a priority for NBA commissioner Adam Silver.
Commissioner Adam Silver discussing an earlier season start next year
“There’s a general sense right now that in this day and age where players are in condition all year round (and) are working out hard in the summer, that we don’t necessarily need an eight-game preseason moving into the regular season,” Silver said in 2015 in USA Today.
The league officials want to make player health a priority since Silver took over as commissioner. Teams will play an average of 15 back-to-back sets this season, down from nearly 18 last season but more reduction is needed. Teams also will play twenty sets of four games in five nights down from seventy two seasons ago. Commissioner Silver also instituted a three-day schedule break after the All-Star Game for all teams. The all star game is usually set on a Tuesday night with the next three nights off for the entire league. Most teams will start up again on following Saturday with some teams off an extra day or two until schedule resumes.
Shortening the NBA pre-season by ten days and starting the regular season is a good start for players acceptance. Most players know they need to stay in shape all year and be ready when season begins.
