Timing is everything
Metro Manila is in GCQ which means playing basketball is still prohibited. Even if government declares a modified GCQ in NCR, basketball remains in the list of sports not allowed to be played because it’s impossible to enforce social distancing on the court. National priority takes precedence over everything and that’s why the PBA isn’t rushing the restart of its season. It will only be in August when the PBA Board of Governors convenes to reassess the situation, check government policy and determine if the season can continue or not.
In other countries, basketball is beginning to resurface on the professional level because leagues must hold games to keep sponsorship money intact. The Chinese Basketball Association will reopen on June 20, bringing 10 teams to Qingdao and 10 teams to Dongguan to finish the regular season before July 4. There will be four to six games in the schedule a day. No audience is allowed and teams will be locked down in a bubble environment. In Germany, the 10 Bundesliga teams began a three-week tournament in Munich this weekend. The schedule stipulates two games a day for 10 consecutive days. In Spain, the top 12 teams will play a round-robin tournament in Valencia starting June 17 and ending June 30. In the US, the NBA will resume its suspended regular season on July 31 with 22 of 30 teams confined at the 89-hectare ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex of the Disney World Resort in Florida. Only 20 percent of the regular season remains unplayed and the NBA has worked out a system to end the Finals no later than Oct. 12 with the draft to take place three days later. The NBA’s 2020-21 season is tentatively set to start on Dec. 1. The danger is if anyone in the bubble in China, Germany, Spain or the US tests positive for the virus, all hell could break loose. Let’s keep in mind that the pandemic isn’t over and there’s a reason why people all over the world continue to wear face masks.
While other countries are speeding up the process to restart their professional basketball seasons, the PBA is doing the right thing in following government guidelines on first, when to restart practice and second, when to resume its season. The PBA has assured players, coaches and staff of full salaries and benefits during the lockdown so it’s not a case of no play, no pay. Restarting the season in a bubble was taken up by the Board early last month but the risks and costs far outweighed the benefits of pushing through with the proposal. There were also government restrictions to consider. Clearly, timing is everything when it comes to reopening the PBA season.
The PBA, however, has taken the first step towards a restart by requesting approval from the IATF to hold team practices limited to six to a batch, including four players, for 45 to 60 minutes a day under strict health protocols. The request was addressed to Health Secretary Francisco Duque as the IATF chairman. The PBA detailed a protocol for individual workouts, a during-workout procedure, an after-workout procedure, requirements before participating in individual indoor exercises and a pre-workout procedure before entering the practice venue in its request. PBA commissioner Willie Marcial said as soon as the IATF responds to the request, an emergency Board meeting will be called to discuss the next steps to take in compliance with the reply.