Silver’s assessment, as of his press conference a couple of weeks ago, is: “From the data we look at, there continues to be enormous interest for the NBA in China, and my sense is that there will be a return to normalcy fairly soon, but I can’t say exactly when, when it comes to CCTV.” On the other hand, maybe the NBA can’t afford to be this far behind the hearts and minds of Chinese people already taking incredible risks in the name of Adam Silver’s purported non-negotiable issue of free speech. Maybe that would be a way for the NBA to protect its values, and to not just have partners in China, but to grow, to excite and motivate the next generation of NBA fans who might be tiring of the CCTV version of events.