NBA commissioner Silver suggests switch to 10-minute quarters

LOS ANGELES — NBA commissioner Adam Silver raised the possibility that the US basketball league could someday switch from 12-minute to 10-minute quarters to court a changing television audience and align with international rules.

"I'm a fan of four 10-minute quarters," Silver said on "The Dan Patrick Show" on Wednesday, although he acknowledged such a change would need much further study.

"I'm not sure that many others are," he conceded. "It's such a dramatic change to the game. I think something like that would have to be talked more about over time."

And, Silver added, it is not something the league is actively considering.

"It's not quite at that level," said Silver, who was responding to a question about rule tweaks that league officials have discussed.

The NBA has played 48-minute games throughout its history, but Olympic and other international games are 40 minutes long, while US collegiate men's games are played in two 20-minute periods.

Should the league ever opt to make the change, it would likely make some single-game and single-season records impossible to break.

"Because this game is so global, one of the things we'd like to see over time is creating a more consistent set of rules globally around the game," Silver said.

"Putting aside what it would mean for records and things like that, I think that a two-hour format for a game is more consistent for modern television habits."

Such a move could also make for less wear and tear on players over the sprawling NBA season, without sacrificing games.

New York Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau, asked about Silver's comments before his team's game against the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday, did not like the idea.

"I'm more of a traditional guy, so I'd hate to see that ... just because of all the records and things of that nature," Thibodeau said.

"I think what the fans enjoy is great competition," Thibodeau added. "I think if we focus on the competition aspect of it, everything else will fall into place."