The NBA recently sent a survey to general managers asking about a variety of options for a return to play. 

It’s not an official vote, but more about due diligence and information collecting as the league figures out the best way to wrap up the postponed 2019-2010 season.

Today Shams Charania revealed some results of that survey:

Shams also mentioned the following in an ensuing tweet:

  • Most GMs want season to end no later than Oct. 1
  • GMs want larger roster/more flexibility to manage their roster
  • 53 percent voted to maintain traditional playoff seeding; 47 percent for reseeding

The “playoffs plus” model would expand the number of teams that play the resumed season, via a play-in tournament for final seeding, or a group stage that would replace the first round of the postseason with a group stage instead.

And the 53% number is funny, because that represents 16 out of 30 teams, which we one would assume is the eight teams from each conference currently in playoff position. If you’re the Blazers, Pelicans, and Kings, all sitting 3.5 games back from the #8 seed in the west, of course you want the play-in idea vs. going directly to the playoffs, because that’s your only path to jumping the Grizzlies and sliding into the postseason.

The Sixers, for context, are 39-26 with 17 games remaining on the schedule. Ten were to be played at home and seven on the road. If we went directly to the playoffs, they would get the Celtics in round one, a team they beat three times in the regular season.

What’s the best case scenario for Philly? I’d think it would be to go straight to the playoffs.

Otherwise, they’d have a chance to jump Indy or Miami to get up into the 4 or 5 range, but the Heat are probably a tougher matchup than Boston, and you’d then face Milwaukee in round two, instead of going to Toronto. Celtics/Raptors seems like a preferable path to Heat/Bucks, but maybe others feel differently.