NBA may outline return-to-play framework today
The framework of the NBA’s near-term future could emerge Friday when the league office holds a call with the board of governors.
The NBA, which was scheduled to hold a call with general managers on Thursday, could offer its recommendation for resuming the season to owners during Friday’s call, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. It’s also possible the league, which suspended its season March 11 amid the coronavirus pandemic, won’t issue any proposals since it has not operated under a specific timetable for a return to play.
Mavericks owner Mark Cuban expects the timeline to be pushed out to next week before “big” format decisions are made, according to Marc Stein of the New York Times.
During Thursday’s call with GMs, commissioner Adam Silver confirmed that Friday’s call would not include a formal vote on a proposal, Wojnarowski reported.
Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic, reported Wednesday the league was leaning toward opening market-specific training camps in July, followed by more camp work and scrimmages in Orlando before restarting the regular-season schedule at ESPN Wide World of Sports on Disney World property in late July or early August.
The league announced it has engaged in exploratory talks with Disney to use the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex to complete the season.
Of course, all plans and proposals remain tentative as the NBA continues to monitor data related to the pandemic and speaks with health officials.
The National Women’s Soccer League, meanwhile, announced Wednesday that its season will start June 27. The league will be the first professional team sport in the U.S. to return to play amid the pandemic. The NWSL season had yet to start because of the COVID-19 shutdown.
In the meantime, the NBA continues to sort out how its season will look if it resumes.
When play was halted on March 11, most teams had between 15 and 17 games remaining, with some at 18 or 19. The Magic
and Heat, for example, had 17 apiece left, while the Lakers still had 19 games to play.
It seems unlikely the regular season will be played out to its 82-game entirety, and the league reportedly is considering a 72-game threshold, which means a team like the Hawks would only have five games remaining. The discrepancy in the number of remaining games could be a factor in what the league proposes.
Other possible scenarios include pushing teams directly to the playoffs, but that format also remains in flux.
The return-to-play landscape reportedly has no clear path among teams and executives. Wojnarowski reports the idea of bringing in all 30 teams has “lost momentum.” Some young, rebuilding teams aren’t keen on absorbing a nine-month layoff before next season begins. Those teams would prefer to resume the current season.
Conversely, the league must gauge the possibility of subpar basketball. Some teams have expressed reluctance to play out the season, especially if they have no path to the playoffs. Trail Blazers All-Star guard Damian Lillard said earlier this week that he likely would sit out if his team has no shot to make the playoffs.
Silver is aware the absence of star players such as Lillard combined with a long layoff could lead to a dip in the level of play and create a “bad television spectacle,” according to Wojnarowski. Player safety remains a priority for the league, so finding the right balance will be a challenge. On that front, one benefit to playing out the season as Disney is the Magic’s partnership with AdventHealth.
While the NBA continues its methodical approach, it appears players are anxious for specific information. National Basketball Players Association executive director Michele Roberts told ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne earlier this week that players overwhelmingly want to play, but they need more details. Roberts said during an interview on HBO’s “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel” players have recently raised concerns about relatively new complications found in children who test positive for COVID-19.
In addition, there appears to be a growing concern among impending free agents that their stock potentially could drop if they don’t play well during what could be a brief closing stretch to the season for most teams. According to ESPN reports, agents have passed along that message to general managers.