Silver ‘anxious’ but confident for NBA restart
On the eve of his league’s return after a 20-week hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, NBA commissioner Adam Silver maintained confidence in the restart plan while also admitting he was “anxious.”
“Obviously, we’re seeing what’s happening in baseball with the
Marlins so it’s some- thing we continue to track very closely,” Silver said Wednesday on “Good Morning America.”
“Having said that, we have confidence in the protocol that we designed.”
The New Orleans Pelicans and Utah Jazz square off in the first game of the restart Thursday at 6:30 p.m. ET inside of the “bubble” at Disney’s Wide World of Sports complex and surrounding resorts.
Silver said that the surge of cases in Florida, a coronavirus hot spot, is being monitored by the league. He also reiterated the NBA is testing everyone on the campus daily.
“Jokingly, and it may not be so funny, we say ‘The safest place in the world might be on this campus at Disney right now,’” Silver said.
As for whether there is a plan in place to respond to an outbreak, such as what the Marlins experienced, Silver responded: “We do, but it’s not an exact science because nobody’s ever done this before. I think we have plans in place where we might pause, similar to what baseball is doing now. Probably, if we had any significant spread is immediately stop. One thing we’d try do is try to track those cases to determine where they’re coming from and whether there had been spread on campus.
“Ultimately, I think we would cease completely if we saw that it was spreading around the campus and something more than an isolated case was happening.”
Pausing wouldn’t be ideal for anyone, but Silver said the league’s guidepost throughout the planning process has revolved around health and safety primarily.
Aside from health concerns, players advocating for social justice has already been prevalent throughout training camp and scrimmages in Florida. Silver specifically mentioned that the killing of George Floyd in May nearly derailed plans for the restart.
Jones to see what these guys can do in an attempt to make the playoffs. It is a small sample size, but could help them see where they need to upgrade the roster to try to make a true push for the postseason – always a big challenge in the Western Conference – next season.” – Tim Bontemps, NBA writer, ESPN. Twitter: @TimBontemps.
Oubre Jr. hasn’t been officially ruled out of playing as he’s been rehabbing his right knee that underwent surgery March 3, but the explosive wing talent, who was having a career year, didn’t participate in the three scrimmages.
Bridges has been the Suns’ best player in the restart as he averaged a team-high 18.6 points in the scrimmages and is coming off a 26-point performance against Toronto.
Still, Phoenix will miss Oubre Jr. if he’s doesn’t play, but did finish 2-1 in the scrimmages without him.
“The Suns are in the unique position in Orlando where the playoffs seem almost entirely out of the question (too many teams to jump in too short of a time). But with a full roster, there’s no reason why Phoenix can’t be one of the peskier opponents in the bubble. They’re in Florida to ball, nothing more, nothing less. There’s a freedom in that, I think, and if they play with that freedom, maybe they end some playoff dreams for someone else and build momentum for whatever next season looks like.” – Dan Woike, National NBA writer, Los Angeles Times. Twitter: @DanWoikeSports
The Suns lost to Boston, but beat Utah and the defending NBA champion Raptors in the scrimmages.
“I think the Suns are going to compete. I was impressed with how well they played together against the Celtics, but losing Oubre is going to hurt. They miss his defense. Booker has to be more efficient.” – Gary Washburn, National NBA writer, Boston Globe. Twitter: @GwashburnGlobe.
While Phoenix will mostly likely fail to make the playoffs, this experience is more about their future than present.
“I think this will bode well for the 2020-21 season more than anything. They’ll add another draft pick, have a healthy and improving Kelly Oubre, and probably take a more serious approach to the regular season, with an understanding that every game has a purpose if they’re going to reach their ultimate goal. – Michael Lee.