Bucks’ great year is in limbo
Finishing the NBA season looks unlikely
As the coronavirus crisis continues, shuttering schools, restaurants, places of worship and more, the potential for the NBA season restarting are getting slimmer.
On Sunday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued new guidelines, recommending that large gatherings, such as sporting events,
should not take place for at least the next six to eight weeks. When the NBA went on hiatus Wednesday, the league's initial hope was to pause for a month to discern a path toward resuming the season.
Just a few days into its new normal, the league is already making adjustments while bracing for a much longer break than originally expected. It's possible that the earliest games could resume would be June, and even that is a tenuous proposition.
According to multiple reports, the NBA is planning to cancel the rest of its G League season – the Wisconsin Herd has the best record – while group practices at the NBA level have been banned indefinitely.
In an update to existing protocols, the league is now allowing players to travel out of their home markets to return to their offseason homes while being sure to stay in constant contact with their team. The only exceptions to the league's travel allowance are players who have been placed into self-isolation or quarantine due to possible or confirmed exposure to coronavirus or players who wish to travel outside of North America.
With players unable to practice together indefinitely and some leaving the city, the Milwaukee Bucks are getting closer to a reality where their dream season ends unfulfilled and incomplete. At the time the league was suspended, the Bucks sat atop the standings with a 53-12 record and on pace to match or exceed the franchise record of 66 victories in a season set in the team's lone championship campaign in 1970-71.
There might still be regular-season honors. Giannis Antetokounmpo is the MVP favorite while Khris Middleton had made a case for an all-NBA team and Brook Lopez had emerged as one of the league's top defenders alongside Antetokounmpo. But the Bucks may not get a chance to prove they as a team have what it takes to win a championship. If play does not resume the season, the NBA would likely not name a champion for the first time.
There could still be a path forward, but the window is only open a crack.
It's looking more likely that games may not resume until sometime in May or June, potentially without fans in the crowd. If this were to be the case, the league would have to strongly consider skipping directly to the playoffs – maybe shifting to best-of-five series instead of best-of-seven – chopping off the final 15-19 games of the regular season. This would allow games to be concluded in a reasonable time frame during the summer, although it would force a shift in offseason activities such as the draft, summer league and free agency.
While the Bucks would certainly welcome an opportunity to earn a championship over the summer, this altered schedule would force some difficult decisions unique to Milwaukee.
Fiserv Forum is scheduled to host the Democratic National Convention from July 13-16, meaning the Bucks' home arena may not be available for use. Prior to the coronavirus outbreak, the Democratic National Committee had planned to take over control of the arena no later than June 21 had the Bucks advanced to Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
Whether the NBA season resumes or the DNC takes place are yet to be determined, but if both events occur simultaneously, there's no way the playoffs and convention could take place in the same building. Even if shifting one event down the street to the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena became be an option, it would be logistically difficult.
There are no certainties as to what will come next. The Bucks and the NBA are not in control of their future.
The variables are many but one thing has become clear: Don't expect the resumption of the Bucks' fantastic season in the near future.