NBA tries to keep focus on return
Players angered by Floyd’s death
The NBA tends to lead a lot more than it follows. The league acted swiftly in ceasing operations after Rudy Gobert of the Jazz tested positive for COVID-19, and the rest of the leagues followed.
And several NBA names have taken leadership roles in the wake of the death of George Floyd, which has all the appearances of a modernday lynching with Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin’s knee taking the place of a rope. Chauvin belatedly was arrested and is facing charges of third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter, charges that could be elevated as the investigation progresses. The reaction to the video of Floyd’s death and timing of his arrest has triggered nationwide protests, mostly peaceful, many violent and destructive.
A global pandemic has been pushed off the front page and the opinions of athletes are being heard.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who along with Bill Russell, Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain and LeBron James belongs in any discussion as to the identity of the greatest basketball player in history, never has been one to shout. The level of his thinking always has been higher than the tone of his voice.
Kareem, whose skyhook was the most unstoppable shot in the game’s history, weighed in with proactive words in an op-ed piece he penned for the Los Angeles Times.
An excerpt: “Protests often are used as an excuse for some to take advantage, just as when fans celebrating a hometown sports team championship burn cars and destroy storefronts. I don’t want to see stores looted or even buildings burn. But African Americans have been living in a burning building for many years, choking on the smoke as the flames burn closer and closer. Racism in America is like dust in the air. It seems invisible — even if you’re choking on it — until you let the sun in.”
Retired Heat star Dwyane Wade tweeted: “Justice will not be served until those unaffected are as outraged as those who are.”
Heat power forward Udonis Haslem, who said he is related to many who work in the Miami Police Department, spoke Sunday at a press conference conducted by the department.
“There definitely has to be justice for George,” Haslem said, per the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel. “There definitely has to be protests for what happened to George. But I’d be lying if I said that it’s been gone about the right way. I’d be lying if I said that I’m proud of what’s really been going on. I have an obligation to this community, because this community has done so much for me. But I also have an obligation to the police department, as well. So many of my family members come here every day. They work, they take care of people, they make sure people are safe, so there’s got to be a better way. I stand here right now confused, torn, frustrated.” He doesn’t stand alone. In Minneapolis, Floyd’s brother, Terrence Floyd, returned to the scene of his brother’s death and sounded a voice of calm Monday: “Let’s switch it up, y’all. Let’s switch it up and do this peacefully, please.”
Athletes and league officials from all sports, not just basketball, have taken their minds off plans of returning to play with posts on social media, but the NBA always seems to be at the head of the pack. So it’s easy to assume the NBA also will handle returning to work, which somehow doesn’t seem as important as it did a week ago, in the right way.
ESPN reported that the NBA board of governors is expected to approve Thursday a plan to have 22 teams returning to work with all games taking place at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Florida in late July. The details still are being hammered out.
If that plan is approved, the season will be over for eight franchises.
In anticipation of resuming the season, the NBA gave clearance to players to return to team facilities for individual workouts Monday with the stipulation that only one player and one coach can use one basket and no more than four players can be in the gym at one time. All must wear masks when not on the court. Here’s hoping that restriction won’t last long.
Why does a phase-in plan that starts with social distancing make sense? Basketball is a game played with sweaty men leaning on each other, bodies crashing going for rebounds and loose balls. If it can’t be played without a rapid spread of COVID-19, isn’t it better to learn that at the beginning than after 22 teams assemble in a quasibubble in Orlando?