After months of continuous commentary about the NBA’s decline in TV viewership, commissioner Adam Silver has offered a unique solution. Appearing on The Dan Patrick Show earlier this week, Silver said he likes the idea of shortening NBA games by 8 minutes — from four 12-minute quarters to four 10-minute quarters.

“Something else that I’m a fan of, and I’m probably in the minority, as we get more involved in global basketball—the NBA is the only league that plays 48 minutes. I am a fan of four 10-minute quarters. I’m not sure that many others are. Putting aside what it means for records and things like that, I think a two-hour format for a game is more consistent with modern television habits. People in arenas aren’t asking us to shorten the game, but as a television program: two hours, that’s Olympic basketball, college basketball of course.”

Silver then compared the potential rule change to what Major League Baseball has done with the pitch clock and said it would shorten the league’s 82-game schedule.

“If you went to a 40-minute game, with the minutes around load management and resting, it would be the equivalent of — I don’t know the exact math — taking like 15 games off the season. And I don’t think most fans would be disappointed if it was a two-hour presentation instead of a — our game is actually about two hours and 15 minutes now.”

I give Adam Silver credit for at least offering solutions. So many commissioners avoid these interviews or give generic, predetermined responses when asked interesting questions. Not only does Silver make himself available to the media more than most other commissioners, but he typically provides substance when he does an interview.

Adam Silver’s tenure as NBA Commissioner has been unique. Team owners would probably give him an A+. Valuations have skyrocketed, and the league just signed a new $76 billion media rights deal that no one thought they could get. On the other hand, though, it feels like Silver’s pursuit of revenue growth is often contradictory to what fans of the sport actually want, no matter how positive of a spin he puts on it.

Just look at the two quotes above. Silver buried the lede. He makes 10-minute quarters sound like such an obvious solution — every other league is doing it, so why isn’t the NBA? It would get TV broadcasts under 2 hours; who doesn’t want quicker games?…