NBA approves 22-team return; Wolves season ends
File of photo of Timberwolves guard D'Angelo Russell.[Associated Press]
The NBA’s Board of Governors has approved a 22-team format for restarting the league season in late July at the Disney campus near Orlando, Florida.
The notion passed “overwhelmingly," said a person familiar with the situation.
The person spoke to The Associated Press Thursday on condition of anonymity because the vote results had not been released publicly.
The format calls for each team playing eight games to determine playoff seeding plus the possible utilization of a play-in tournament for the final spot in the Eastern Conference and Western Conference postseason fields.
The Minnesota Timberwolves are one of the eight teams that did not qualify so their season comes to an end with a 19-45 record.
"While we are disappointed for our team and our fans that our season is coming to an end, we understand and accept the league’s plan to move forward with 22 teams," Timberwolves President of Basketball Operations Gersson Rosas released in a statement. "It is important that we be a good teammate not only to the NBA, but to the other 29 teams to support the efforts to complete this season and prepare for next season in a healthy and safe manner."