2020-21 NBA Season

Shams Charania @ShamsCharania
1 minute ago
The NBA is targeting Dec. 22 for the start of the 2020-21 season and a 72-game campaign that finishes before the ‘21 Olympics, sources tell @The Athletic @Stadium.

There will be a lot to do in order for the season to start 60 days from today.

tjmakz wrote:Shams Charania @ShamsCharania
1 minute ago
The NBA is targeting Dec. 22 for the start of the 2020-21 season and a 72-game campaign that finishes before the ‘21 Olympics, sources tell @The Athletic @Stadium.

There will be a lot to do in order for the season to start 60 days from today.

I guess we should be hearing about when FA will begin.

Looks like they are trying to get back to normal as quickly as possible. Right about all the work necessary. That's staggering if they can pull that off on top of the bubble miracle.

db

wow...that's a pretty quick turnaround , especially since guys need surgery recover in the off-season (Like Theis).

does Kemba need a knee roto-rooter? if so its late to get it done now I guess.

amazed the NBAPA is going along with that quick pace.

kdp59 wrote:wow...that's a pretty quick turnaround , especially since guys need surgery recover in the off-season (Like Theis).

does Kemba need a knee roto-rooter? if so its late to get it done now I guess.

amazed the NBAPA is going along with that quick pace.

I bet money is the determining factor.
Having basketball on Christmas Day probably means a lot to the league's revenue.

dbrown4 wrote:Looks like they are trying to get back to normal as quickly as possible.  Right about all the work necessary.  That's staggering if they can pull that off on top of the bubble miracle.  

db

db

That seems right around the corner. I doubt players will want to return to a bubble environment. Unfortunately this country is no closer to slowing down the virus. The NBA did a fantastic job getting through the season but their challenge is still the same moving into next season.

I think fans will be going to games again. The NBA cannot afford to stay in business without fans in the stands. Players will get infected but hopefully our guys will do all that they can do to stay covid free.

I believe that as reliable therapeutics become available, the health impact can be reduced.

dboss wrote:

dbrown4 wrote:Looks like they are trying to get back to normal as quickly as possible.  Right about all the work necessary.  That's staggering if they can pull that off on top of the bubble miracle.  

db

db

That seems right around the corner.  I doubt players will want to return to a bubble environment.  Unfortunately this country is no closer to slowing down the virus.  The NBA did a fantastic job getting through the season but their challenge is still the same moving into next season.

I think fans will be going to games again.  The NBA cannot afford to stay in business without fans in the stands.  Players will get infected but hopefully our guys will do all that they can do to stay covid free.

I believe that as reliable therapeutics become available,  the health impact can be reduced.

the NFL is certainly scrambling in a non- bubble environment, so far. One wonders if they will be able to finish the season in tact.

wishful thinking doesn't make the virus go away, it would seem.

kdp59 wrote:wow...that's a pretty quick turnaround , especially since guys need surgery recover in the off-season (Like Theis).

does Kemba need a knee roto-rooter? if so its late to get it done now I guess.

amazed the NBAPA is going along with that quick pace.

Season may start with a lot of players not ready on opening night....

cowens/oldschool wrote:

kdp59 wrote:wow...that's a pretty quick turnaround , especially since guys need surgery recover in the off-season (Like Theis).

does Kemba need a knee roto-rooter? if so its late to get it done now I guess.

amazed the NBAPA is going along with that quick pace.

Season may start with a lot of players not ready on opening night....

Especially for the players who didn’t make it in the bubble.
They already haven’t played in 7 1/2 months.

If the cap drops $10m next season, that will have significant ramifications for free agency and the luxury tax.

https://nba.nbcsports.com/2020/10/25/report-salary-cap-to-decline-between-3-million-and-15-million-next-season/

tjmakz wrote:If the cap drops $10m next season, that will have significant ramifications for free agency and the luxury tax.

https://nba.nbcsports.com/2020/10/25/report-salary-cap-to-decline-between-3-million-and-15-million-next-season/

from the article:

We can assume that drop is off the pre-COVID-19 salary cap projections of around $115 million (the target teams had been planning for), which means a range of $100 million to $112 million. That’s a huge difference. The salary cap is also what the luxury tax line (and the salary floor) is based on.


so to be clear they are not talking about the salary cap going down from this past year, necessarily.

there were previous reports that the NBA and NBAPA would work out a deal to keep the cap at least at this years level, with any "losses" being moved against future years cap increases.

for instance:

lets say the cap numbers say the cap should drop the full $15 form the projected $115M next season. But the NBA and NBAPA agree to keep the cap at the current $109M (will still mean a cheap FA season).

then that $6M difference will be pulled back in future seasons salary cap increases. Perhaps over a couple years even.

either way the off-season may be challenging for most NBA GM's.

kdp59 wrote:

tjmakz wrote:If the cap drops $10m next season, that will have significant ramifications for free agency and the luxury tax.

https://nba.nbcsports.com/2020/10/25/report-salary-cap-to-decline-between-3-million-and-15-million-next-season/

from the article:

We can assume that drop is off the pre-COVID-19 salary cap projections of around $115 million (the target teams had been planning for), which means a range of $100 million to $112 million. That’s a huge difference. The salary cap is also what the luxury tax line (and the salary floor) is based on.


so to be clear they are not talking about the salary cap going down from this past year, necessarily.

there were previous reports that the NBA and NBAPA would work out a deal to keep the cap  at least at this years level, with any "losses" being moved against future years cap increases.

for instance:

lets say the cap numbers say the cap should drop the full $15 form the projected $115M next season. But  the NBA and NBAPA agree to keep the cap at the current $109M (will still mean a cheap FA season).

then that $6M difference will be pulled back in future seasons salary cap increases. Perhaps over a couple years even.

either way the off-season may be challenging for most NBA GM's.

The league could keep the cap and luxury tax flat for the upcoming season.
But, they already have $1.5B in lower revenue from what they predicted for the 2019-20 season and will face serious financial struggles this season too.
The salary cap could go down, we just don't know yet.
Since this is a multi-year financial mess, it seems like the cap should go down.
The previous years league revenue and cap projections for future years really have no validity at this point.
Everything has changed.

I think the NBA should introduce a salary exception  that does not contemplate projected revenues.

I believe that the CAP for the upcoming season  should increase 1.4% to track with the YOY change in the CPI Index.

Since players have to agree on escrow withholdings the CAP figure is irrelevant.  It does not matter if it stays the same.  That just means that players will take a hit in how much money they will make if the league makes less money.  

Further I think the exception should be available to sign a free agent or two and that the amount of the exception should be excluded from calculating the luxury tax.  The luxury tax is punitive.  No one knows the long term economic impact of the current health crisis therefore I think you role out the exception for a year and revisit it in 12 months.

A player's salary and what they will actually receive in salary is tied to the NBA being able to generate income.

I think the NBA will take a big hit again with the upcoming season.  We are heading into the Thanksgiving Holiday and families across this nation will come together.  We are probably going to see the biggest single spreader event since the pandemic began.  By the projected start of the season we could be adding 100K+ new cases per day.  Fans are not going to feel comfortable sitting in basketball arenas.  The NBA will take a huge hit.

I know that I am no expert and we are not smart enough to know where Covid 19 is heading but I would just refer you to the date of March 12, 2020.  NYCelt posted a Covid 19 announcement and on that date there were around 1,650 known infections in the US.  

Everyone needs to stay focused despite corona fatigue.  Do not let your guard down because we are heading into a really bad patch.

dboss wrote:I think the NBA should introduce a salary exception  that does not contemplate projected revenues.

I believe that the CAP for the upcoming season  should increase 1.4% to track with the YOY change in the CPI Index.

Since players have to agree on escrow withholdings the CAP figure is irrelevant.  It does not matter if it stays the same.  That just means that players will take a hit in how much money they will make if the league makes less money.  

Further I think the exception should be available to sign a free agent or two and that the amount of the exception should be excluded from calculating the luxury tax.  The luxury tax is punitive.  No one knows the long term economic impact of the current health crisis therefore I think you role out the exception for a year and revisit it in 12 months.

A player's salary and what they will actually receive in salary is tied to the NBA being able to generate income.

I think the NBA will take a big hit again with the upcoming season.  We are heading into the Thanksgiving Holiday and families across this nation will come together.  We are probably going to see the biggest single spreader event since the pandemic began.  By the projected start of the season we could be adding 100K+ new cases per day.  Fans are not going to feel comfortable sitting in basketball arenas.  The NBA will take a huge hit.

I know that I am no expert and we are not smart enough to know where Covid 19 is heading but I would just refer you to the date of March 12, 2020.  NYCelt posted a Covid 19 announcement and on that date there were around 1,650 known infections in the US.  

Everyone needs to stay focused despite corona fatigue.  Do not let your guard down because we are heading into a really bad patch.

dboss,

The cap number is relevant to teams that were projected to be under the cap this off-season.
The actual players salary adjustments won't happen until the season is over, but teams need a specific cap number to work with going into the draft and free agency.
Apparently, some or many teams are requesting that the luxury tax be raised this year, even if the cap stays the same, increases or decreases some.

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/30226351/nba-fears-january-start-season-cost-league-1-billion-revenue-losses



NBA fears January start to season could cost league up to $1 billion in revenue losses, sources say




Oct 30, 2020


Adrian Wojnarowski
Senior NBA Insider


After pushing back a deadline until next Friday that would allow for the NBA to serve notice on termination of the collective bargaining agreement in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, the league and the National Basketball Players Association are running short on time to agree on starting the NBA's season before Christmas.

And without assurances that the pandemic will allow for fans in arenas this season -- and projections that their absence could cost the league more than $4 billion in lost revenue -- the NBA fears delaying the start of the 2020-21 season until January could cost the league an additional $500 million to $1 billion in revenue losses next season and beyond, sources said.

The consequences for the league's players would be a steep drop in salaries due to the collective bargaining agreement's 50-50 revenue split between the league and players.

The NBA and NBPA are still at odds over a start date to the season, with the union resisting thus far a league plan to open a shortened 72-game regular season on Dec. 22 and complete the NBA Finals before the Summer Olympics in July, sources said.

The union has countered with a mid-January start, but wants to continue discussing the issue with its players, sources said. There is a level of impatience growing within the NBA, which wants to get a deal executed and get plans for a new season moving quickly, sources said.

NBPA executive director Michele Roberts has publicly and privately registered doubt about the desire of a significant portion of players for such a quick turnaround, with the Orlando bubble restart ending less than seven weeks before the presumed opening of training camps around Dec. 1.

Significant gaps remain between the NBA and NBPA on how the league will account for reductions in players' salaries in light of the significant financial losses for 2019-20 and steeper projections of losses next year, sources said. The NBA and NBPA split the basketball related income (BRI), and the league recently told teams that 40% of that revenue could be lost without gate receipts this season, sources said. The NBA's revenue was down 10% to $8.3 billion for the 2019-20 season, according to data provided to teams from the league.

Most NBA cities are still unable to have public gatherings of more than 500 people. The NBA plans to start the season without fans in arenas -- with little confidence that they'll be able to return any time early in the season as a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic spreads across the country.

A mid-January start around Martin Luther King Day would take the league's season past the July Summer Olympics and into the summer months, when the league fears television ratings would plummet. The NBA is estimating significant financial turmoil if the league has to compete with the Summer Olympics for television ratings in July and then be forced to adjust the NBA calendar for the 2021-22 season, sources said.

Both the NBA and NBPA have the option of tearing up the collective bargaining agreement, which would be a doomsday scenario for the possibility of the league returning to play in the 2020-21 season.

The pandemic triggered the force majeure clause in the CBA, and both the league and union have the ability to terminate the agreement and negotiate a new one. Nevertheless, it makes far more sense for the owners to consider such a dramatic option because the CBA's structure wasn't meant to sustain these kinds of financial losses. While the NBA has reserved the right to terminate the deal -- which would almost assure a lengthy stoppage in play for the league -- that threat has yet to become a serious factor in these months-long negotiations. If there's no deal by next Friday's new deadline on the termination of the CBA, perhaps that could change.

The NBA and NBPA have extended that opt-out window four times this year, including again Friday, as a good-faith gesture toward reaching structural changes to the CBA. For now, the union and league will continue talks through the weekend and into next week, sources said. For the season to start on Dec. 22, however, there's much work to be done.


Bob


.

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/30211678/nba-revenue-2019-20-season-dropped-10-83-billion-sources-say



NBA revenue for 2019-20 season dropped 10% to $8.3 billion, sources say



Oct 28, 2020
Adrian Wojnarowski, Zach Lowe



The NBA's revenue dropped 10% to $8.3 billion for the 2019-20 season amid losses because of the coronavirus pandemic, according to financial numbers shared with teams and obtained by ESPN.

The balance of the finances included an $800 million loss in gate receipts and a $400 million loss in sponsorships and merchandise, sources said.

The NBA's losses included $200 million in deemed "net negative impact" from a monthslong splintering of a partnership with China in the aftermath of the Daryl Morey tweet promoting Hong Kong freedom a year ago, sources said.

As the NBA and National Basketball Players Association discuss start dates and financial amendments to the collective bargaining agreement, the potential for a grim financial landscape without fans in the 2020-21 season looms over the league.

The 2019-20 season losses are slight in comparison to what awaits the NBA in 2020-21 if the season advances without fans and accompanying gate-night receipts, the league told teams -- a projected 40% loss in overall revenue, or approximately $4 billion.

Talks about the salary cap and luxury tax levels for next season remain at the core of discussions between the NBA and the NBPA. Had the league and players' union followed the normal formula to determine this season's salary cap -- linking it to overall league revenue -- sources told ESPN that it would have fallen to around $90 million -- down from about $109 million in 2019-20.

Dropping to that level would have put almost every team into severe luxury tax territory, and it would have left very little available money for this offseason's free agents.

The league and union are negotiating methods of artificially inflating the 2020-21 salary cap to keep it around $109 million, sources told ESPN. Those talks have centered on placing a larger percentage of each player's salary into an escrow fund. If at the end of the season, total player salaries exceed their mandated share of overall basketball-related income -- about 50% -- some or even all of that escrow money would go to teams.

The union is having its own internal discussion with its membership about what kind of escrow system is fairest to the full body of players. Taking a steep percentage this season -- and returning to the normal 10% escrow system in 2021-22 -- could disadvantage one subset of players compared to spreading the hit over multiple years.

For its part, the league is anticipating a revenue rebound in 2021-22 at the earliest. In inflating the cap in the interim, league officials and team governors are hoping to avoid a repeat of the salary-cap spike of 2016, when a $20 million-plus leap in the cap enabled the Golden State Warriors to sign Kevin Durant away from the Oklahoma City Thunder in free agency.

The NBA bubble in Orlando recouped $1.5 billion in revenue that would've been lost without restarting the season, sources said. Expenses for the bubble were $190 million -- $10 million more than originally estimated, sources said.

The NBA is open to the idea of regional pods and intraconference scheduling to lessen team travel and exposure to the coronavirus, sources said. The NBA hopes that it can play games with fans in home arenas in 2020-21, but it has also been exploring the possibility of modeling a bubble environment similar to what Major League Baseball used to finish the 2020 season's playoffs, sources said.

The NBA is pushing to reach an agreement with the National Basketball Players Association for a Dec. 22 start to the season and a 72-game regular season -- with a play-in tournament for the playoffs -- that would allow the league to finish its season before the Tokyo Olympics on July 23, sources said.

Another alternative -- less preferable to the league -- is starting the season around the Martin Luther King holiday in mid-January, which would push the completion of the season deeper into the summer -- causing the NBA playoffs to compete on television with the Summer Olympics and the start of the NFL and college football season.

The NBA is anxious to get its calendar back on track for the start of the 2021-22 season, and delaying the start of the 2020-21 season until mid-January would make it difficult to do that.

The NBA is considering releasing the schedule in halves to increase flexibility, allowing for postponements that are likely inevitable with coronavirus outbreaks. The NBA doubts an All-Star Game and All-Star Weekend -- set for Indianapolis in February -- make sense and may use an extended midseason break to offer rest for players, or to make up games that might be lost due to the virus.

ESPN front office insider Bobby Marks contributed to this report.


Bob



.

Chris Grenham @chrisgrenham
4 hours ago
Celtics players have been returning to the Auerbach Center for workouts of late. Enes Kanter was in yesterday, while Javonte Green was in today, among others. Others like Grant Williams, Tremont Waters and Tacko Fall are working out with trainers and agencies in other markets.


Bob


.

bobheckler wrote:Chris Grenham @chrisgrenham
4 hours ago
Celtics players have been returning to the Auerbach Center for workouts of late. Enes Kanter was in yesterday, while Javonte Green was in today, among others. Others like Grant Williams, Tremont Waters and Tacko Fall are working out with trainers and agencies in other markets.


Bob


.

And, don't forget, playing golf.

Tatum's long game is already looking pretty good.

Chris Grenham @chrisgrenham
2 minutes ago
Celtics physical therapist Nick Sang has taken a position with the New England Patriots. Big loss for Boston's training and performance team.


Bob


.

Chris Grenham @chrisgrenham
about 1 hour ago
Tacko Fall vs. Myles Turner on Turner’s IG story: pic.twitter.com/AESA8vhIyB

reply retweet like

https://mobile.twitter.com/chrisgrenham/status/1324497452221845505



Chris Grenham
@chrisgrenham
·
1h
Fall, Turner and Grant Williams are repped by the same agency and have been working out together in Santa Barbara, CA.


Bob


.

The NBA will play a 72-game season, with training camps opening on Dec. 1, the regular season ending on May 16 and the Finals finishing no later than July 22, sources said. The NBA will play in markets, reduce their travel by 25 percent, and significantly reduce cross-country travel especially early in the season, sources said. – via Shams Charania @ The Athletic


Several players pushed for the start of free agency soon after the Nov. 18 NBA Draft. Nov. 19 and Nov. 20 were mentioned as possibilities. — The NBA and union are discussing an escrow of player salaries in the 10-to-20 percent range — likely landing around 17-to-18 percent — over the next two years before a hopeful return to the normal 10 percent withholding in 2022-23. —NBPA executive director Michele Roberts and NBA commissioner Adam Silver spoke on Thursday morning, where the aspect of the television networks “suddenly” pursuing Christmas week came up. – via Shams Charania @ The Athletic

Adrian Wojnarowski: Among NBPA player reps on tonight’s call, there was some curiosity about starting free agency prior to Nov. 18 Draft, sources tell ESPN. For a few reasons, it isn’t possible under these circumstances. However, it is an idea that’s had some support among teams in ordinary times. – via Twitter wojespn

Adrian Wojnarowski: First, there won’t be finalized deal between NBA/NBPA until just prior to draft. Teams would be managing FA and draft simultaneously. Also, switching order starts new salary cap year earlier, offering some teams edge in draft-related trades that otherwise wouldn’t be possible. – via Twitter wojespn

I like the idea of FA before the draft.

I think it is a smart move, those free agents can go for open jobs on teams before the teams draft new players. This makes it a little easier for management on draft day as to who to go for. I wish they would think about it alot for the future

It's official!!





Bob


.

this is a smart move by the NBA, they need to try to get close to their regular schedule. Obviously the players do not want to play during the summer. Perhaps some may be involved in the Olympics? Giving up Christmas would be a mistake, opening it up to football to take it and maybe not give it up later on. This is a money maker for them with the tv coverage all day long. With the world the way it is right now, there are going to be alot of homebound families so this is good for the league since they lost viewers during the bubble.