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Knicks: Could we see the NBA return on Christmas?

By Jeffrey Bellone

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 29: A 'we love New York' is displayed on a billboard outside the Madison Square Garden as the city continues Phase 4 of re-opening following restrictions imposed to slow the spread of coronavirus on August 29, 2020 in New York City. The fourth phase allows outdoor arts and entertainment, sporting events without fans and media production. (Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 29: A 'we love New York' is displayed on a billboard outside the Madison Square Garden as the city continues Phase 4 of re-opening following restrictions imposed to slow the spread of coronavirus on August 29, 2020 in New York City. The fourth phase allows outdoor arts and entertainment, sporting events without fans and media production. (Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images) /
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We could see New York Knicks basketball in the near future.

The NBA board of governors is meeting on Friday to discuss the possibility of starting the 2020-21 season as soon as Christmas Day, according to ESPN.

Shortly after ESPN’s report was published, Shams Charania of The Athletic dropped a report indicating the league is targeting December 22 as a start date for a 72-game season that would finish in time for the summer Olympics.

What this means: If you’ve been reading the tea leaves over the past several weeks about when to expect the NBA to return to action for a new season, you would probably bet on the league returning sometime after January 1. There have been reports that owners would prefer to return when fans can start attending games, even if that meant waiting until next February or March to kick-off the regular season schedule.

However, the latest report from ESPN seems to indicate a change in direction with the league looking to start playing games again “as quickly as possible,” perhaps even without fans. The Athletic report shows NBA decision-makers appear interested in playing as close to a full season as possible, while finishing in time for the Olympics.

A rapid fire offseason: After the coronavirus pandemic forced the NBA to suspend its 2019-20 season in mid-March and to return with only 22 teams in a bubble environment in Orlando in August, the offseason schedule has been thrown into chaos.

The NBA Draft, originally scheduled for June 25, has been moved to November 18. There is no official word on when free agency will begin, but there’s a good chance it could start around December 1, after the Thanksgiving holiday.

If the 2020-21 season were to begin on Christmas Day, that would compress the entire offseason from the NBA Draft until Opening Night into five weeks. Typically, the offseason lasts close to four months from late June until mid-October.

Knicks schedule: Historically, the Knicks have been one of the teams featured on Christmas, until recently, when the league decided to showcase teams with recent playoff success. Perhaps in these unusual times, TV executives will push for the Knicks to be showcased again, especially if they use the offseason to add star talent, such as Chris Paul.

The Knicks might play their first game since mid-March on Christmas Day 2020.

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In trying to return to play in local markets, the NBA is reportedly considering a regular season schedule that will see teams play almost exclusively, if not exclusively, within their division. By reducing travel, this would mean the Knicks could play a majority of their games against the Celtics, Nets, 76ers, and Raptors.

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