Champion coach Michael Malone as well as JJ Reddick and Tom Thibodeau are not the biggest fans should the NBA decide to make a dramatic change and make the game shorter and faster.
The three head coaches expressed the same sentiments on the league commissioner Adam Silver’s openness to switch from 12-minute to 10-minute quarters--similar to that of FIBA.
“I hope we don’t go to [a] 10-minute quarter because there is a history and greatness to this game and a purity to this game and I hope we can find a way to stay true to that," Malone said when asked about his comments.
Silver floated the possibility in his guesting in the Dan Patrick Show where he was asked what’s “wildest" changes he and the league have considered.
"I am a fan of four 10-minute quarters. I'm not sure that many others are," Silver admitted. "It's such a dramatic change to the game. I think something like that would have to be talked more about over time.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver floats the idea of changing the game from 12 to 10 minute quarters #NBA
— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) January 29, 2025
Citing consistency with international basketball and TV presentation as main reasons for that idea, Silver clarified that it was just an idea that he'd been floating, not that it was actually being considered.
"It's not quite at that level," he said.
However, Reddick and Thibodeau both expressed their dislike of any potential changes.
“Not a fan. That’s not a good idea. We are the premier league, in the NBA. Why are we conforming to anyone else?” the first-year LA Lakers head coach spoke.
“I’m probably more traditional so I’d hate to see that. I haven’t really thought about it just because of the records and things of that nature. I think we have a great game. I think what people want to see is competition,” the Knicks head tactician ehcoed.
Tom Thibodeau was asked about Adam Silver's comments today regarding the NBA hypothetically going to 10-minute quarters:
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) January 29, 2025
"I think what the fans enjoy is great competition. I think if we focus on the competition aspect of it, everything else will fall into place."
Making a huge rule change such as altering the length of the game -- which, at 48 minutes, has been the same throughout the league's 78-year history -- could have a drastic impact on the sport in ways big and small.
Reducing quarter lengths means smaller playing opportunities, especially for role players who’s already limited minutes will get diminished as stars who need rest are going to lose the fewest minutes.
In the end, Silver remains content on the evolution of the game from the day he took office in 2014 until now with some notable changes like altering the final two minutes of the game for fewer stoppages, adding a coach's challenges, and the birth of the NBA Cup.
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"I also don't want to overreact to what we're seeing in the game. The game goes through transitions. I think the game is incredible right now, day in, day out,” the commissioner insisted.
