Michael Malone spoke after the Denver Nuggets lost 122-112 to the New York Knicks last night. When asked about Adam Silver’s recent comments about moving the NBA from 12-minute to 10-minute quarters, Malone noted that he hopes the NBA doesn’t make the moves, as he considers a fairly transparent move to try and attract an audience, and comparing it to a tactic to The Greatest Showman.
“I hope we don’t go to 10-minute quarters… I hope we don’t go to the four-point line. I hope we don’t become Barnum & Bailey where we’re just having to do whatever we have to do to keep viewership. Because there is a history and greatness to this game and a purity to this game and I hope we can find a way to stay true to that.”
Malone was not the only NBA coach to oppose the idea. His opponent on the night, Tom Thibodeau, who coaches the New York Knicks, also turned down the idea. He called himself a traditionalist and expressed that he wanted the NBA to stay the way it is. As for what impacts it will have on the sport, that is not something that concerns coach Thibs.
“I’m probably more traditional so I’d hate to see that,” the Knicks coach said. “That’s just a personal [opinion]. I haven’t really thought about it just because of the records and things of that nature. I think we have a great game. I think what people want to see is competition.”
These comments come in the wake of NBA Commissioner Adam Silver saying he wants to change the length of NBA quarters from 12 minutes to 10 minutes. He mentioned this change for two reasons – the first being to align the NBA with all other basketball leagues in the world. The second is making the games short to attract a larger audience.
Shorter Quarters Won’t Help The NBA
Despite what Adam Silver thinks, reducing the NBA’s quarter lengths will not help the league in any way. Reducing quarter lengths will actually be a massive detriment to the league. Starting with the players, a reduced amount of time to play, even if it is just going from 48 minutes to 40 minutes, will limit the playing opportunities for several fringe rotation players in the league.
This would mean smaller NBA rosters, as coaches like to keep a short rotation of players during games among players who will consistently get the chance to step on the court. As a result, a lot of players will be out of jobs, and the NBA would even have to reconsider the salary cap, as fewer players on a roster would allow teams to add more expensive talent, thus creating a disparity among roster qualities.
On top of that, reducing the length of NBA games is not going to help attract a new audience. The NBA’s current ratings concerns are not because of the length of games. Rather, the issues surround the willingness of NBA players to play at a high level due to the length of the season, and the NBA’s inability to market the newer generation as superstars and faces of the league.
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