Astrange newnormal

Lots of questions surround Spurs as they prepare to return next month

The Spurs walked out of the AT&T Center on the night of March 10 and into an uncertain new world.

They had just scored a rousing victory over Dallas, beating the Mavericks 119-109 to breathe a hint of life into their flagging — and ultimately failed — playoff hopes.

It was the Spurs’ last game in their home arena for eight months and counting.

One night later, the COVID-19 pandemic hit home in the NBA when Utah’s Rudy Gobert tested positive, and the league did not resume play until August in an Orlando, Fla., bubble.

Perhaps it is a sign of progress — or at least begrudging resignation that the coronavirus is not going to miraculously disappear anytime soon — that the Spurs might return soon to the old barn off Houston Street.

The NBA and National Basketball Players Association have agreed to a plan to begin a 72-game 2020-21 season on Dec. 22.

There is no bubble in the works. Teams will play in their home markets, with the possible exception of the Toronto Raptors, who might temporarily relocate to the United States because of Canada’s restrictions on international travel.

In all likelihood, it will be longer before fans are allowed at NBA arenas, including the AT&T Center. Many NBA cities have limitations on crowd sizes.

The league likewise is aware the coronavirus numbers are headed the wrong way in the U.S., with more

daily cases today than when the NBA commenced its ambitious bubble project last summer. It could be spring before the league will consider playing in front of fans.

With or without a crowd, it is unclear how the quick turnaround from the 2019-20 season might affect a team like the

Spurs.

For the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat, who just finished playing for an NBA title in October, a December restart is not preferable. What is typically a months-long offseason, even for teams that make the Finals, has been shrunk to a matter of weeks.

The Spurs, meanwhile, have not played since Aug. 13. A Dec. 1 start date for training camps, as the league has proposed, would put their break more in line with a traditional NBA offseason.

It is worth noting that the eight teams not invited to the NBA restart in Orlando have not played since March. Those teams will be itching to get back on the floor.

There were good reasons for players to agree to the December restart. The NBA has estimated a schedule that includes its marquee nationally televised Christmas Day slate and ends in midJuly before the start of the Summer Olympics could be worth $500 million to $1 billion for the league and players.

It is a necessary boon considering the losses the NBA has taken during the coronavirus pandemic. But that schedule pushes the typical NBA calendar into hyperdrive.

The draft has been scheduled for Nov. 18, with free agency expected to commence days after. There will be no summer league equivalent for incoming rookies. When training camps will begin, some rosters might still be in flux.

In a recent roundtable discussion with ESPN.com, former Spurs front office staffer Kirk Goldsberry said the hectic time between now and the start of training camp “could be bonkers” for those charged with piecing together rosters.

“Normally the time between the playoffs and summer league is the wildest time of year for a front office,” Goldsberry said. “By racing to a pre-Christmas start, front offices will be scrambling.”

Such a fast-forwarded schedule would seem to favor teams keeping the status quo, relatively speaking. Roster continuity could be key for teams once play resumes.

The Spurs — maybe — would fall into this category.

There has been speculation the Spurs might choose to speed up their rebuilding process by trying to trade one or both of high-dollar veterans LaMarcus Aldridge and DeMar DeRozan.

The truncated offseason, however, would give the Spurs less time to put together such a deal.

Most league observers expect DeRozan will opt into the final year of his contract, worth $27.7 million.

With the NBA’s salary cap projected to remain flat this offseason at $109 million, DeRozan is unlikely to find the kind of deal he wants on the free agent market.

The 31-year-old All-Star could become a trade target on draft day if the Spurs aim to move up from No. 11. If DeRozan remains with the Spurs after the draft, the abbreviated offseason would make it more difficult for the club to put together a sign-and-trade deal.

The tweak to the NBA schedule that might benefit the Spurs the most is still a matter of negotiation.

In Orlando, the league used a play-in style format to decide the final 2020 playoff seeds in each conference. Reportedly, the NBA is considering expanding to a play-in tournament involving the seventh-, eighth-, ninth- and 10th-place teams to determine final playoff teams in 2021.

That would work to the advantage of a rebuilding team such as the Spurs, who should find reaching 10th place in the Western Conference easier than rising all the way to eighth.

The details of that plan haven’t been finalized.

For now, the Spurs appear on track to return to the AT&T Center in December after their longest break from the building since it opened in 2002.

That’s the first step, and the most necessary one.

John Munson / Associated Press In a quote that easily could have been uttered by Gregg Popovich, Pats coach Bill Belichick said last week that “this year we have less to work with. It’s not an excuse. It’s just the facts.”

TomReel / Staff photographer The Spurs could try to ride LaMarcus Aldridge and DeMar DeRozan back to the playoffs, or they could explore trading the aging stars to fast-track their rebuilding process.

Kevin C. Cox / Associated Press If the Spurs are to exceed expectations this season, LonnieWalker IV and the team’s other young players will have to step up as they did this summer in the NBA bubble.