Report: NBA Sent Survey to GMs on Competition Formats in Play

The NBA sent a survey to its 30 general managers Friday night regarding possible competition formats for resuming this season, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania.

The poll included questions on whether the NBA should hold a play-in tournament, the preferred number of teams to have at the playing site and the number of scrimmages and regular-season games to hold before the playoffs. The poll also asked about considering expanded rosters, reports Charania.

The competition formats reportedly include teams advancing directly to the playoffs based on their standings as of March 12 when the league shut down. The option would include 16 teams, four rounds and a best-of-seven series. The survey also offers a "playoffs plus" option that would expand the number of postseason teams by holding a play-in tournament or replacing the first round of the playoffs with a group stage.

According to Charania, the survey also suggests the option of resuming the regular season with all 30 teams playing the same number of games and then whether to hold a regular postseason or play-in tournament. Other questions in the poll include the preferred number of regular-season games to play (72 or 76), the playoff format (traditional or reseeding the teams) and possible finish dates for the season. The dates reportedly under consideration include Labor Day, Sept. 15, Oct. 1, Oct. 15 and Nov. 1.

Charania reports NBA commissioner Adam Silver held a conference call with GMs Thursday to discuss plans for restarting training camp and coronavirus testing. 

The league has yet to decide if and when it will restart the 2019–20 season. Several ideas for resumption have been floated, and the cities of Orlando and Las Vegas remain in the running for hosting NBA teams in a "bubble city."