There’s a growing sense around the NBA that the season can be salvaged, Sam Amick of The Athletic reports.
Resuming play in one neutral site, likely Las Vegas, remains the most feasible scenario, Amick continues. However, other scenarios in which teams could play in various locations are also being discussed. In any case, the games would have to be conducted without fans.
Commissioner Adam Silver said on April 6 that no decision regarding the resumption of play this season would be made until at least May 1. There had been growing pessimism prior to Silver’s announcement.
The biggest obstacle would be to procure enough quick-turnaround tests for the coronavirus to ensure the safety of players, coaches, staff members and everyone else necessary to play those games and broadcast them to the general public. Routine testing would have to be conducted throughout the restart process, which would include an approximate month to get players ready for game action.
If the league is willing to push the season back until the late summer, it’s more reasonable to believe it can resume, Amick adds. In a scenario put forth by one team owner, players could start training in early June with the regular season restarting in July and the Finals conducted in late October. An abridged regular season or shortened playoff format could help speed up the process as well.
Interesting to see how that October timeline will affect the 2021 season. The draft and free agency can’t occur until the season is played out.
I hear that regular season 2021 will begin in December
Just do testing now and play in June. Let’s get this over with already.
Glad to hear there is some possibility of resuming the season!
Let’s just have the players determine the remainder of the season and playoffs virtually on NBA2k. That would require the same asterisk and would be safer.