One of the things that has been discussed extensively during this NBA season is the possibility of shortening the regular season but cutting down on the number of NBA games. The current regular season is 82 games, and it has been so since the 1967-68 season, before which it used to be 80 games before the playoffs began.
In recent times, the number of injured stars in the postseason seems to have gone up, with the Covid-19 affected congested schedule being blamed by some. However, stars also regular load-manage in the NBA now, there are only a handful of players in the league that play all 82 games during the season. This has led to calls for the season to be shortened.
Richard Jefferson sounded off on the issue recently, vehemently arguing against shortening the season after NBA Commissioner Adam Silver spoke about considering the argument. And now former NBA star Grant Hill has added his voice to the debate.
“Instead of doing a marathon in a day we are going to do it in 25 days because it’s too hard? No, the season is supposed to be hard”
Despite the injuries @realgranthill33 dealt with, he agrees with @rjeff24 that the NBA should NOT shorten the season @termineradio | @jumpshot8 pic.twitter.com/qdJTmahEr5
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) June 4, 2022
“You know, I don’t say this much, but I’m probably in agreement with Richard Jefferson. And I’m someone that would have benefitted from the environment that we’re in now in the NBA. I remember in Detroit, 96-97, I’m leading the team in points, rebounds, assists, and minutes. I’m like second or third in the league in minutes.
“I tweaked my calf or something in the game and the next day in practice, our trainers sit me out in practice. I remember Rick Mahorn walks by me in practice and says, ‘Oh, soft a** Dukie.’ And I responded, I used to tell him, ‘You didn’t go to college, you went to an institute’. And so we’d go back and forth, but that was the environment. You played. And it was no resting or workload or any of that.
“And so, as the money has grown and the information we have now, it’s changed immensely. So I would’ve benefitted from that. But I think there’s some things… Like to me, it’s supposed to be hard, you know?
“It’s almost like I was telling somebody the other day, okay, now we’re gonna change marathons because it’s so hard to run a marathon. So we’re going to stop a marathon every day after one mile, and we’re going to rest, we’re gonna eat, we’re gonna sleep, and we’re gonna resume the next day. So instead of doing a marathon in a day we’re gonna do it over 25 days because it’s too hard.
“Like no, the season is supposed to be heard. And part of the challenge is to stay healthy and building some toughness to be in this situation you’re in now where you’re in the playoffs and in the finals. So I reluctantly embrace the workload, but shortening the season? No, I have an issue with that.”
This is a very comprehensive take from Hill, who explains in detail why it wouldn’t make sense for teams to be able to play shortened seasons now. While there are arguments to be made from both sides of the spectrum on this issue, it’s hard to disagree that what sets the great players apart is their ability to stay healthy throughout their careers and play through adversity.
