No one knows when/if the current NBA season will return or when the next season will begin, but the New Orleans Pelicans president of basketball operations David Griffin believes starting the next season later will benefit his team.
The NBA is strongly considering moving back the start of next season until December, giving more time to the league comfortably to finish the current season.
“From my perspective, I would really embrace us starting later,” Griffin said during a conference call with various reporters. “Quite frankly, that would be our best opportunity to make a foothold in the market in terms of our fan base being right there from the beginning. We’re in a situation where football is king, and it’s always going to be. We’re uniquely positioned to understand what that shift can do from a beneficial standpoint. Maybe other markets feel differently. We certainly would embrace that,” Griffin said, per nola.com.
With the NBA possible moving the season start in December, there will be less “conflict interest” between the Pelicans and the Saints, the NFL team of the city of New Orleans.
The Pelicans’ executive also referred to the time the NBA teams will need to get back in shape in order to play in the highest level possible.
“I think it will be difficult for the league to have us come back in the facility and have us get ready for let’s call it a month to get physically ready and then only play a week or two weeks of games,” Griffin noted. “I think unless they’re able to give us a full schedule, they won’t have us come back. I would anticipate if we come back, there will be enough games for us to do some damage in,” he added, via nola.com.
