It’s the middle of July, the absolute dead period in the online sports betting calendar. We’ve got six weeks of humid baseball games and other odds and ends until football betting can finally begin again.
Understandably, the sports news cupboard is pretty bare. This is doubly true for NBA odds and general basketball news; the NBA Finals concluded a few weeks ago, and much of the NBA free agency drama is winding down.
There was, however, some notable NBA news out of Las Vegas this week.
The NBA Summer League is speeding along, with some basketball betting fans even getting in on the action.
But the bigger news actually stems from the recently concluded NBA Board of Governors meeting, where some of the most influential decision-makers in the professional basketball world gathered to discuss the pertinent issues of the day.
With some of NBA commissioner Adam Silver’s responses in the ensuing NBA Board of Governors press conference cracking the news cycle, I thought it was important to watch the whole thing and draw out the highlights.
NBA Board of Governors Meeting 2022: Revenue is Up
The press conference got off to a positive start, with Silver discussing the economic impact of the NBA Summer League on the local Las Vegas economy.
Silver went on to answer a question about business revenue, where he expressed his happiness (and even a bit of surprise) that NBA revenue eclipsed $10 billion over the last year.
NBA Board of Governors Meeting 2022: A Whole Lot on the Kevin Durant Trade Request Talk
Yes, this is probably the juicy gossip that drew you to this topic in the first place. Silver was asked multiple questions about the status of Durant, as well as how the league office feels more broadly about star players making dramatic trade requests.
In the past, Silver has noted that players can disrupt the stability of the NBA business model when they get too demanding in this department. (Anthony Davis demanding out of New Orleans with multiple years left on his deal comes to mind.) Silver reiterated these talking points again this week.
But he also made a series of observations about the nature of the Durant situation.
“I don’t know whether he requested a trade or demanded one, frankly,” Silver quipped at the beginning of the first question.
This was a point that he would return to again and with sound reasoning. If Durant is requesting a trade, then that’s all fine and good. If he is demanding one, though, the implication may be that Durant is unwilling to fulfill the terms of his contract extension. That’s where Silver sees the potential for broader problems.
Silver said the Durant situation did not come up in conversation during the Board of Governors meeting – just (frequently) at the media conference.
NBA Board of Governors Meeting 2022: COVID-19 Protocols for the 2022-23 Season
Multiple members of the media asked questions about the future of COVID-19 protocols.
Silver walked through a series of potential details that were, honestly, pretty tedious.
NBA Board of Governors Meeting 2022: Brittney Griner’s Imprisonment in Russia
Multiple members of the media asked about the ongoing imprisonment of Brittney Griner in Russia.
Silver said that the NBA is doing everything it can, and his understanding is that the U.S. government is working similarly. Unfortunately, when dealing with the Russian government, “there is only so much you can do.”
NBA Board of Governors Meeting 2022: Upcoming CBA Shenanigans
There weren’t any questions directly about the next collective bargaining agreement, but the specter of upcoming negotiations loomed large over media discussions with Silver.
Many of Silver’s responses edged into CBA territory, as he noted in several answers that various subjects “would be on the table” for the next CBA negotiations.
COVID-19 is a factor here, as well as load management, lowering the draft age, trade demands and potentially even women’s reproductive concerns.
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