NBA using D-League to test shorter games
The NBA will be using the Developmental League to experiment with ways to cut down on game times at the parent level, a concern of incoming commissioner Adam Silver.
Grantland’s Zach Lowe explored the issue in depth recently, noting some of the steps the NBA has already taken that include prohibiting excessive pregame rituals and using the horn to hustle teams out of timeouts.
Lowe has previously advocated cutting games from the current 48 minutes to 40, similar to the format in college and international play. Such a chop would equate to roughly 14 full games, likely requiring a commensurate drop in salary that nobody is going to accept.