League leads the way in response to coronavirus
By Mark Murphy
Danilo Gallinari grew up in Lodi, a small city 30 miles south of Milan with an enchanting center/piazza that hasn’t changed much since the 15th century.
A number of old friends and youth coaches have made the trip over to visit the Thunder star for the last 10 years, including Luca Mallamaci and Pietro Della Noce, who timed their trip this year to follow the trade deadline.
Both are ardent Celtics supporters, and have long wished for a Gallinari trade to Boston, dating back to his earliest years as a Knick. But he’s in Oklahoma City, and very worried about what has happened in his country.
Luca’s town, outside Lodi, was immediately redzoned during Italy’s initial COVID-19 shutdown. Greater Lodi, where Pietro lives, was still in the yellow zone when Gallinari and the Thunder beat the Celtics last Sunday. Gallinari shook his head. “Lodi will be red, too,” he said like a sage, for the next day all of Italy was shut off from the world.
This is also how quickly the American sports landscape, and for these purposes
Adam Silver, NBA commissioner the NBA, has been overtaken by the pandemic.
The NBA was the first American sports league to take action by suspending its season – leagues in Europe, and Italy in particular, had already taken action – and did well to get as far ahead of the outbreak as possible.
Teams were contacted in the first week of March about strategies and preparation, including player testing. Judging from the NBA’s actions when first
Rudy Gobert and then Utah teammate Donovan Mitchell had positive tests last week, the league was far better prepared than most organizations.
Now for a few takeaways from the most jarring, surreal week in the history of the league. last week of why he remains the most progressive, forward-thinking commissioner in the sports world.
He acted quickly and remains open-minded about saving what’s left of the season.
“This was a split-second decision,” Silver said during a TNT interview of suspending play, instead of ending the season entirely. “My thinking was, even if we’re out for a month, even if we’re out for six weeks, it’s way premature.”
And now, he says, be prepared for the Finals in late July. Or, if as many believe, the pandemic has only begun to spread — be prepared for one of the most exciting seasons in recent memory to never conclude.
At least Silver’s leadership has prepared the public for just about anything.