With the NBA world so much focused on the Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis trade, people would have forgotten about another drastic change that Adam Silver recently proposed. What was set to be a simple conversation between the NBA commissioner and Dan Patrick turned into something more when the official announced his intention to lower the time an NBA game is played. Reducing the playing time from 12 minutes per quarter to just 10, Silver believed, could solve the “issues around load management and resting”. However, given his experience as a veteran player, Paul George believes that there is a better way to go about things.

The 34-year-old small forward recently released another episode of his long-running podcast. He and his co-hosts devoted a particular portion in discussing Adam Silver’s remarks. Right out of the bat, Paul George highlighted his opposition to the idea. Though he admitted that, in the long haul, the player’s bodies would find a reduction in even 2 minutes per quarter to be better suited, it doesn’t do much to drastically cut the time of an NBA season. George’s co-host highlighted that over 656 minutes worth of time can be cut from an NBA season through Silver’s proposal. At the same time, the co-host also offered George the choice of choosing between less minutes and less games. The veteran went with the latter.

“Yeah. I rather have shorter season. If if they’re going to cut something, I would rather have shorter season,” said George. When asked what he considers to be a reasonable number of games, the host replied back “I think like mid-60s is…. it’s very reasonable. I think mid-60s is very reasonable, you know what I mean. I think, like, if they like what it is for, I think 66 games have to be played to make, you know, to be award-worthy, I think that’s very valid to play 66 games within a season.”

Reducing the number of season games is certainly one way to go. That is when a case needs to be made about retaining the attention span of viewers and increasing viewership. After all, two of the top sports leagues in the world, the NFL and the EPL, have found success through hosting a limited number of games. NFL teams have to reportedly play only 17 regular season games over the 18-week season, while Premier League games have teams playing 38 matches each.

Unfortunately, wishing for such a system to be implemented is easier said than done. The 82-game system has been followed by the league since the 1967-68 season. Along with being a matter of precedent, one has to also remember that, at the end of the day, the NBA is a business. Reducing the number of games would affect the revenue the league generates. There would be a drastic reduction in the profit gained from ticket sales, sponsorships, and media deals. The financial effect would not be that drastic if only the minutes were reduced.

Paul George is not the first member of the NBA circle to speak against the 82-game season. Back in November, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr revealed that so many games do not work today. After all, “I think guys are playing faster and harder than ever before”. This makes the players more prone to injuries. Dirk Nowitzki once indicated that the season should go from 82 games to ‘mid-60s’. Even the late Kobe Bryant once said “You shorten the games, you shorten the risk for injury and things of that nature. It definitely helps.” Nothing happened when the things were said back then. However, Adam Silver might listen this time. After all, his plan to reduce 48-minute NBA games to 40 minutes isn’t that popular.

Tom Thibodeau and Michael Malone dismissed Adam Silver’s 40-minute game plan: “I think we have a great game”

No sooner had Adam Silver made the remarks when the time came for the franchise members to share their views. Some like Joe Mazzulla did not choose to be too enthusiastic about the discussion. Like, all that the Boston Celtics head coach said was “I don’t care. Whatever you got to do. Just play the game”. Others were more upfront. When Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau was asked about his thoughts, he made a joke about not engaging in “hypothetical thoughts”. Later, he stated that he would hate such a change. This was because Thibodeau considered himself to be “more traditional”.

“I think we have a great game. I think what people really want to see is competition” said Thibodeau. “When you study which transpired over time, there has always been different styles of play. So, the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, what goes into winning is the same. And, I think what fans really enjoy is great competition. I think if we focus on the competition aspect of it, everything else will fall into place.”

Meanwhile, Michael Malone gave the league credit for continuing to come up with new ideas that could help keep the fans engaged. At the same time, he admitted “I hope we don’t go to 10-minute quarters. I hope we don’t put in a 4-point line. I hope we don’t become Barnum & Bailey, or do whatever we have to do to keep viewership. Because there is a history and greatness to this game. And a purity to this game and I hope we can find a way to stay true to that.”

In the end, whatever happens is Adam Silver’s decision. Which option he chooses to go with, or whether any changes will happen at all, is something that remains to be seen.