Adam Silver spoke with the media ahead of Game 1 of the NBA Finals. In it, he covered a wide variety of topics, shedding light on his and the league’s mindset heading into next season and beyond.
Silver admitted that the compressed schedule could have had an effect on the unusually high number of severe injuries this season, saying “I have no doubt the physical stress and mental toll has contributed to injuries,” according to a tweet by USA Today’s Mark Medina. He also introduced the topic of an internal clock, saying because players are used to playing within a certain time frame, changing that time frame radically could have an effect on injuries. He admitted that, considering the extraordinary circumstances, it’s hard to say whether the choices they made were the right ones, tweets Medina.
“Quite frankly,” Silver said, “we might not know for quite a while after this pandemic is over, whether we made the right decision or not.”
Silver also discussed the Raptors, who, given the closed border with Canada, had to play out this season in Tampa Bay, Florida. According to Marc Stein of the New York Times, Silver said it’s “unclear” if the Raptors will be able to return to Toronto for next season, but that the team and the league are hopeful.
On the topic of black and female representation, both among coaching staffs and around the league, Silver was adamant that the league most look to improve itself. “It’s something that requires daily attention,” Medina quotes Silver as saying. “We’re not gonna rest on our laurels.”
“It’s a little bit frustrating,” Silver continued. “It’s an area you look around here, and you’d like to see more representation here with all aspects of our business.”
Silver was optimistic about the continuation of the play-in tournament, which has been a ratings success over the last two seasons. “It’s my expectation we’ll continue it for next season,” Silver said, as tweeted by Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Silver added that the decision is pending agreement by the players’ union and the teams, and that some, including LeBron James, were not a fan of the tournament.
Finally, on the topic of league expansion, Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated tweets that Silver says “it’s not at the top of the agenda right now” but that he’ll continue to consider at the topic.
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