Fall basketball? NBA season could stretch into September

The NBA season could be extended into September in order to determine a winner, rather than canceling it, several ESPN analysts suggest.

While there’s been talk the league could play into August, this is the first time we’ve heard of potentially playing to the end of summer or even the start of fall.

Appearing on Outside the Lines, Ramona Shelburne declares the league will do all it can to have a team hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy (Video link).

“This is a general sense among owners and players that no matter what they want to salvage the season, if that’s in July, if that’s in August, if that’s in September, so be it,” she said. “I don’t think anyone wants to start a new season without crowning a champion from this season.”

Former NBA player Jalen Rose said players could get ready physically to resume the season fairly quickly and doesn’t see competition with other sports as an issue (Video link).

“The NBA could start in mid-June, mid-July, the NBA could start in August,” he said on ESPN’s morning show Get Up. “This idea that you can’t play basketball in September because you don’t want to compete with the NFL is absurd.”

Brian Windhorst echoed Rose’s comments on the same program.

“I think they’ll do whatever it takes, whatever it is on the calendar,” he said. “I don’t think I would rule out September basketball at all.”