Thoughts on the Upcoming NBA Season

Still no final results yet in the election. There are still lots of ballots to be counted, and we will have to wait, as hard as it may be for a lot of us right now. Just let them count all the votes and try your best to stay calm. But, we do have news in the NBA world as of last night. Let’s talk about that.

The NBA decided to start the 2020-21 season next month on December 22nd. This had been in the works for a while, and it only seemed like a matter of time until it was official. I think this definitely has pros and cons. It also means that we are a mere month and a half away from more NBA basketball, which I love. I believe training camps will start on December 1st, the draft is two weeks away, set for November 11th, and then free agency will ramp up. Basically a lot of stuff is going to happen in the next month. There is going to be a flurry of movement, draft picks and teams getting ready to go. They have also cut the schedule down to 72 games, and there is less travel. There will be more back to backs, but less travel, which is a good thing in this COVID world.

As far as what I don't like about this news, there are a few things. One, I do not think there was enough time for the four teams that made it to the conference finals, and especially the two finals teams. Those teams are going to have to recover from any nagging injuries, and they're going to have to gel with the new players quickly. They also may not be fully into the season until maybe January. I saw LeBron said that he might coast the first month, as he should. He just played a ton of basketball in the bubble, and he is older than other players. He needs to let his body rest. I also think this will cause a ton of players to use "load management" as an excuse just to get a break. I also think this is going to really water down the upcoming draft. I think the lottery teams will know who they want, but a lot of other teams are going to be trying to make moves to get vets in so they feel more prepared for the fast approaching season. I also think more guys will come in a bit more out of shape. There just hasn't been as much time, even for the teams that only played the eight seeding games.

On the good side, I am pumped for NBA guys. I love that there is going to be so many deals made between now and December. I like to see how trades are made and how players feel about it, and especially in such a short amount of time. I'm curious to see how the draft goes down too. I think it will look like the NFL draft, but I bet there will be a plethora of moves on draft day. I also like that teams that didn't get invited to the bubble will be able to play basketball sooner rather than having to wait even longer. I'm especially excited to see Golden State. They have everyone back, minus KD, and they have the second overall pick. Speaking of KD, I am kind of excited to see the Nets. KD is back, Kyrie should be healthy and they have a whole new coaching staff. I'm curious to see how Giannis comes out after winning his second MVP award. And I love that they will still have their Christmas day games. That is a tradition that I adore.

All in all I'm happy that the NBA is coming back. They showed how well they can handle the pandemic, but this will be a whole other animal. They will have to deal with travel, little to no fans in arenas, and I'm sure some positive COVID tests. But I have faith that the NBA will do the right, and best thing for the players and teams. This is some good sports news, and that is much needed given how rough football has been so far. It will be good to be watching NBA games next month. I know that much.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

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