USA TODAY International Edition
NBA will not rush decision on season
Whether optimistic, pessimistic or realistic about the NBA finishing the 2019- 20 season, the league – even at the highest level – doesn’t know what will happen and isn’t making firm plans.
Maybe you are optimistic after hearing NBA owners Mark Cuban of the Dallas Mavericks and Marc Lasry of the Milwaukee Bucks express optimism on CNN and CNBC that the league will resume season.
Maybe you are pessimistic after reading a CNBC report that some team executives are calling for NBA Commissioner Adam Silver to cancel the season.
Or maybe you’re a realist who can conceptualize playing later in the summer but understands the massive – and perhaps insurmountable – obstacles required to make that happen.
People want answers, I get it. For many reasons for many people, this time with coronavirus has been difficult. Millions of basketball fans would love to see the NBA resume its season. The idea of Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks vs. LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals would be a wonderful way to bring some joy.
Whether the NBA is back will play out over the next few months, but one thing is for certain in the face of a CNBC report that said some unnamed team executives and agents are calling for the league to cancel the 2019- 20 season: That’s not going to happen. Not now.
It’s an off- base suggestions for several reasons, none more important than the league isn’t in position to make that call.
Silver said on April 17 in a conference call with reporters, “All I can say is we’re still at a point where we don’t have enough information to make a decision,” and that comment, according to a person familiar the situation, still stands. The person requested anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the situation.
The CNBC story prompted LeBron James to respond via Twitter: “Nobody I know saying anything like that. As soon as it’s safe, we could like to finish our season. I’m ready and our team is ready. Nobody should be canceling anything.”
Will there be a push and perhaps even public pressure to resume as the country begins to re- open? Yes. But NBA teams and Silver won’t be swayed by that if they continue to operate under the overriding premise that player, staff and fan health and safety come first. Silver is rational even as he considers significant financial ramifications for many people.
“Obviously there’s a huge void right now and we’re all trying to figure out how this story ends and what to do next,” said NBA agent Bernie Lee, who represents Jimmy Butler. “The smartest thing we can do is trust the leadership, shut up and get the hell out of the way. The next mistake of any kind the leadership of the NBA and NBPA make will be the first one so they’ve earned some trust and good will.
“Will they possibly have to sit down and make a decision? Yes. Are we there yet? No. They’re going to factor all the information and make a pragmatic choice.”
Each time a bit of encouraging news comes up – the NBA is looking at reopening practice facilities or that Disney World could serve as a bubble site to finish the season or NBA owners saying they are cautiously optimistic about finishing season – a tiny bit of hope emerges.
But that hope is also met with gloom. One seasoned front- office team executive expressed his doubt the season will resume, and another longtime NBA coach plugged into his team’s upper management said the NBA is also looking at ways to salvage a majority of the 2020- 21 season.
Both people requested anonymity so that they could speak openly about the sensitive nature of the topic.
All you have do to is listen to Silver’s press conference two weeks ago. While he indicated he is not signaling whether there will be a conclusion to the season, he listed the many challenges the league faces.
Even opening up the practice facilities for no more than four players at a time requires a massive amount of safety and health precautions and cleaning. Now, just multiply that times 12 players on 16 playoff teams and add the necessary support staff needed to play a game.
Is there enough testing? Can you successfully quarantine players, coaches, referees and essential game- day staff? What happens if a player tests positive?
Even the intriguing idea of a playing games at a so- called bubble site such as Disney World in Orlando or at hotels in Las Vegas is premature right now, said the person familiar the situation.
The NBA is doing more listening than anything – to government officials, infectious disease experts, internal and external health officials. There’s still so much experts don’t know about the virus, and new details emerge regularly.
No concrete decisions are being made.
It remains a learn- and- see situation for the NBA.