The NBA season will return but the Detroit Pistons won’t
By Ash Vanclay
The NBA season is set to resume, but the Detroit Pistons will not be participating. Their season is over.
The NBA announced its plan to resume its league with training camps to begin on June 30, with a date of July 31 for actual, real, meaningful basketball to be played! However, the Detroit Pistons won’t be playing.
The NBA board of governors voted with a 21-1 majority to resume the season. Teams will play eight regular season games each, and may end up having a play-in tournament for the eighth seed in each conference, before the NBA will resume its usual playoff format. The NBA will resume in Orlando, Florida at the Wide World of Sports complex.
The 8 teams that miss out are: Golden State Warriors, Cleveland Cavaliers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Atlanta Hawks, New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls, Charlotte Hornets, and our very own Detroit Pistons.
So, where does this leave the Pistons? It leaves them with an extended off-season, and currently sitting fifth in the lottery just half a game behind third.
Although reports surfaced recently here that the 8 teams not resuming the season have concerns around their players being disadvantaged by not playing competitive basketball, and have suggested some form of increased basketball activity.
Other important dates were also announced for the transition into next season. The current season cannot finish past October 12th with next season’s opening night being December 1st (at this point). The draft lottery will be on the 25th August and we will then have to wait until October 15th for the NBA draft.
Shams Charania had the original report here:
Back to our Detroit Pistons… The extended off-season is definitely a good thing for Blake Griffin, it gives him a chance to be completely healthy and not have to rush. I also believe it’s a good thing for the front office, as they have plenty of time to figure out what their best move is and to make it happen.
What do you guys think? Let us know in the comments or find us on Twitter.