The NBA has a unique ruleset from international and college basketball and even the WNBA. One of the things that sets the league apart is its longer playing time, as it has 12-minute quarters for a total of 48 minutes. Meanwhile, FIBA games are played with 10-minute quarters.
However, each quarter could become shorter as commissioner Adam Silver hinted at being a fan of the shorter quarters.
While this idea is likely not going to be executed anytime soon, it already has its naysayers. One of the people against shortening the 12-minute quarters to 10 is Zach Harper of The Athletic.
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In an article on Thursday, Harper shared four points as to why the current format does not need to be changed. His first point stated that superstars would continue to play the same number of minutes. Harper's example asserted that a star player playing 36 minutes in a 48-minute game will still play 36 minutes in a game with only 40 minutes.
Second, Harper pointed out that load management will remain. Resting stars to keep them fresh and healthy has become a prominent practice in the league. One of the reasons for cutting a quarter's length is to help keep players healthy. Although Harper thinks that this will not fix the issue.
Third, he wrote that there is no reason for the league to follow international standards. This is because the NBA is considered to be the best league and has no reason to conform to other standards.
Finally, Harper said the league's problems cannot be attributed to its structure. Instead, it is the promotion that is the problem.
What exactly did Adam Silver say about reducing the NBA's quarters to 10 minutes?
The idea that Adam Silver wants to cut the length of quarters from 12 to 10 took hold when he guested on "The Dan Patrick Show" on Wednesday.
Silver was asked the wildest thing that has been considered in terms of changing the rules in the NBA. After briefly discussing a minor rule regarding free throws, he talked about the potential change to quarter length.
"The NBA is the only league that plays 48 minutes," Silver said. "I am a fan of four 10-minute quarters. Not sure that many others are, putting aside what it means for records and things like that, I think that a two-hour format per game is more consistent with modern television habits."
However, Adam Silver clarified that a major alteration such as this one will require more conversations.
Adam Silver did not say that the league is considering this change. He was clear in stating that he was likely one of the few people who were a proponent of such a move.
Rule changes are not something that can be done easily as well. The Board of Governors will need to discuss and approve any modifications to the structure of games before they can happen.