KBL Cancels Season, CBA Delays Resumption
The Korean Basketball League, which has been suspended since February 29 as a result of the coronavirus crisis, has decided to cancel the rest of its 2019/20 season, writes Jonathan Givony of ESPN.
As Givony details, the KBL had initially hoped to resume play on March 29, but there are still safety concerns related to COVID-19, despite South Korea’s relative success in containing the virus.
Elsewhere in Asia, the Chinese Basketball Association – which had been aiming to resume play on April 15 – has pushed back its projected start date to May, having failed to secure government approval, says ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.
Failed restarts in Japan and South Korea played a role in the CBA’s decision, as did the postponement of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, sources tell Windhorst.
It’s a discouraging development for the league, which initially shut down in late January. However, the CBA is still encouraging foreign players to return to China as soon as possible so they can do a 14-day self-quarantine before the season restarts, per Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. Marcus Georges-Hunt is among the latest American players to report back to China, Carchia notes (via Twitter).
Several American players are angry and frustrated by the idea of having to remain in China until July or August to finish the CBA season and not being paid for their extra time, sources tell ESPN’s Jonathan Givony.
The cancellations and postponements for Asian leagues aren’t exactly promising signs for the NBA, which hopes to resume its 2019/20 season in the spring or early summer. It’s not clear whether that will be possible, with the league prioritizing the safety of its players, coaches, and the rest of its members.
And-Ones: Blazers, Chandler, Magic, Grizzlies
The Trail Blazers have started a COVID-19 emergency relief fund to support local non-profits which serve the community, as the team announced on its website. To date, more than $35MM has been raised by NBA and WNBA teams and players to combat organizations impacted by the coronavirus.
As we wait to see when the pandemic will subside and the NBA will return to action, let’s take a look at some basketball notes from around the league:
- Wilson Chandler was experiencing a late-season surge with the Nets before the coronavirus forced the league to suspend the season, Brian Lewis of the New York Post writes. Chandler will be a free agent come the offseason.
- Josh Robbins of The Athletic breaks down the Magic‘s improved offense prior to the suspended season, exploring what it might mean going forward. Aaron Gordon spending the majority of his minutes at the four, which is his natural position, played a major role in the team excelling.
- Regardless of how and when the season resumes (or doesn’t), the Grizzlies showed enough progress to be optimistic about their future, Michael Wallace of NBA.com contends. Memphis is in the playoff picture and No. 2 overall Ja Morant looks like a future star.
Coronavirus Notes: Resuming Season, Lost Revenue, More
While many NBA observers don’t expect the league to be able to resume play until at least June, if at all, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban is holding out hope that it will happen earlier than that. As Mike Leslie of WFAA details, Cuban said that if the over/under on a return to action is June 1, he’s “taking the under” (hat tip to Kurt Helin of NBC Sports).
“Hopefully by the middle of May, we’re starting to get back to normal and the NBA is playing games,” Cuban said. “Maybe not with fans, but we’re playing it because sports plays such an important role. You know, people want something to cheer for, people want something to rally around, people want something to be excited about.”
Cuban acknowledged that there will be plenty of hurdles to overcome to meet such an aggressive timeline, but expressed optimism that it’s possible as scientists and medical professionals continue to learn more about COVID-19.
“Once we have a medical light at the end of the tunnel, where we know what the worst case is, then we can start venturing outside and being in groups of 10 and instead of being by ourselves right and then groups of 25 and then 50 and go from there,” Cuban said. “So I think that that’s the first step. And I think that’s gonna happen a little bit faster than we originally expected.”
Here’s more on the coronavirus and the NBA’s hiatus:
- ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski provides an interesting inside look at how NBA teams are handling the layoff and the closure of training facilities. “We are seeking answers that no one knows,” Warriors president of basketball operations Bob Myers said. “In a lot of ways, it’s simply, ‘What’s the least-worst thing to do?’ It’s hard to find the best thing, but it isn’t stopping us all from trying.”
- Within his story, Wojnarowski said the “loosest of drop-dead dates” for completing the NBA Finals is the Labor Day weekend in September. However, no one in the NBA wants to be tied to that date, since they’d likely be willing to play deeper into September if it’s necessary to salvage the 2019/20 season and postseason. We posted a story on Monday on the possibility of the season being played into September.
- What might a resumed 2019/20 season look like? John Hollinger of The Athletic offers some interesting suggestions for an abridged regular season, a brief play-in tournament for the postseason, and a shortened playoffs. Hollinger also estimates that the league would need about an 80-day window from when practices resume to the completion of the NBA Finals.
- Ben Golliver of The Washington Post estimates the NBA may end up missing out on a total of $1 billion (or more) in revenue in 2019/20 due to the league’s coronavirus-related hiatus and its China controversy.
And-Ones: P. Gasol, Draft, Barkley, 2K League
Veteran NBA big man Pau Gasol talked a couple times in February about the possibility of suiting up for the 2020 Olympics and potentially making an NBA comeback next season. However, with the Olympics being pushed back to 2021 and the NBA currently in a state of flux, Gasol’s comeback efforts are up in the air too.
Speaking to Spanish outlet El Pais, Gasol acknowledged that retirement is an option he continues to consider, given the current global basketball situation and his own recovery from a foot injury.
“With this recovery process and the injury that I have been dealing with for more than a year, it’s undoubtedly inevitable to think about retirement,” Gasol said, per Keith Smith of NBC Sports. “Also, taking into account that I will be 40 years old in a few months. So, it’s definitely on my mind.”
Gasol says he’s focusing on the Gasol Foundation and his other off-court projects for the time being, while he continues to recover. A decision on his next professional step will come at a later date, according to the 39-year-old Spaniard, who adds that right now “the priority is to overcome this pandemic.”
Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- The NCAA intends to work with the NBA to adapt to any changes to the 2020 draft calendar, NCAA senior VP of basketball Dan Gavitt said on Monday (Twitter link via Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports). For now, with the draft still tentatively scheduled for June 25, NCAA early entrants have until the end of the day on April 26 to declare for the draft, and can withdraw at any time up until June 3 while maintaining their college eligibility.
- Former NBA star and current TNT analyst Charles Barkley announced on Monday that he tested negative for COVID-19, as Marc Stein of The New York Times relays (via Twitter). Barkley was tested earlier in March after exhibiting some possible coronavirus symptoms.
- Starting this Friday, the NBA 2K League will be hosting a completely online tournament called the Three For All Showdown, which will give fans, influencers, and top female 2K players an opportunity to challenge NBA 2K League teams. Arda Ocal of ESPN has the details on the tournament, which was created in response to the 2K League postponing its season due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Tokyo Olympics Officially Postponed To 2021
The 2020 Tokyo Olympics have officially been postponed to 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic, the International Olympic Committee and the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee announced this morning in a joint statement.
The exact dates for the rescheduled event haven’t yet been determined. Today’s announcement indicated that the Olympics will happen at “a date beyond 2020 but not later than summer 2021.” Given that these are the Summer Games, pushing them back by about a full year seems like the most probable outcome. They were previously scheduled to begin on July 24, 2020.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Tuesday that he had asked IOC president Thomas Bach for a one-year delay and he agreed “100%,” per Motoko Rich, Matt Futterman, and Tariq Panja of The New York Times. The formal announcement comes less than 24 hours after IOC member Dick Pound said in an interview that the Tokyo Games would be postponed.
As noted in the New York Times report and in a story by Nancy Armour and Tom Schad of USA Today, postponing the 2020 Olympics will be a massive undertaking with a series of logistical challenges, including adjusting TV broadcasting deals, working around world championship events in certain sports, and dealing with venue and hotel availability.
It remains to be seen how the postponement will affect the basketball portion of the Olympics. It’s safe to say that the qualifying tournaments scheduled to take place this June to determine the last four teams in the men’s tournament will also be pushed back. But with the new dates undetermined and the calendars for the 2019/20 and 2020/21 NBA seasons also up in the air, there’s no guarantee that NBA players will be free to participate in those qualifying tournaments — or even in the Olympics themselves.
International Notes: FIBA, Italy, Greece, Belgian-Dutch League
FIBA remains hopeful of resuming some competitions but only if the conditions allow for it, according to a statement on its website. Decisions will be made regarding the Basketball Champions League, the Basketball Champions League Americas and the Basketball Africa League in the coming weeks after consultation with the respective leagues and clubs. The same applies to our international competitions suspended at sub-Zone level, the statement from FIBA president Hamane Niang and Secretary General Andreas Zagklis adds.
We have more from around the basketball world:
- Italy’s LNP has entered a request to resume play in the Serie A2 league in May and June but only if government allows all the teams to travel, practice and play in front of spectators, Emiliano Carchia of Sportando writes. The Serie A2 Italian Cup has already been canceled. LNP asked the Italian Basketball Federation to cancel Serie B, a lower-tier league.
- The 14 teams of the Greek Basket League have agreed to end their season, Carchia relays in another post. No decision has been made regarding final standings or if there will be a champion crowned.
- The Belgian Pro Basketball League and Dutch Basketball League clubs are taking steps to create a BeNeLeague for the 2021/2022 season, Nicola Lupo of Sportando writes. The final decision by clubs of both countries will be made in the fourth quarter of 2020. If the league is a go, it would begin in mid-September 2021.
NBA Season Could Stretch Into September
The NBA season could be extended into September in order to determine a winner, rather than cancelling it, several ESPN analysts suggest.
While there’s been talk the league could play into August, this is the first time we’ve heard of potentially playing to the end of summer or even the start of fall.
Appearing on Outside the Lines, Ramona Shelburne declares the league will do all it can to have a team hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy (Video link).
“This is a general sense among owners and players that no matter what they want to salvage the season, if that’s in July, if that’s in August, if that’s in September, so be it,” she said. “I don’t think anyone wants to start a new season without crowning a champion from this season.”
Former NBA player Jalen Rose said players could get ready physically to resume the season fairly quickly and doesn’t see competition with other sports as an issue (video link).
“The NBA could start in mid-June, mid-July, the NBA could start in August,” he said on ESPN’s morning show Get Up. “This idea that you can’t play basketball in September because you don’t want to compete with the NFL is absurd.”
Brian Windhorst echoed Rose’s comments on the same program.
“I think they’ll do whatever it takes, whatever it is on the calendar,” he said. “I don’t think I would rule out September basketball at all.”
Pound: IOC To Postpone 2020 Olympics
The 2020 Tokyo Olympics won’t be held as scheduled, International Olympic Committee member Dick Pound tells Christine Brennan of USA Today. According to Pound, the coronavirus pandemic will cause the Games to be postponed, likely until 2021, with many of the details expected to be worked out in the coming weeks.
“On the basis of the information the IOC has, postponement has been decided,” Pound told USA Today. “The parameters going forward have not been determined, but the Games are not going to start on July 24, that much I know.”
The IOC has yet to make any official announcements regarding the 2020 Olympics, having suggested over the weekend for the first time that a postponement was being considered. Pound tells Brennan that he believes formal announcements are coming soon.
“It will come in stages,” he said. “We will postpone this and begin to deal with all the ramifications of moving this, which are immense.”
The Canadian and Australian Olympic Committees have issued statements suggesting they won’t participate in the 2020 Olympics unless they’re postponed, and Brennan notes that Germany, Brazil, Norway, and other countries have publicly urged the IOC to delay the Games.
Assuming the IOC does officially push back the 2020 Olympics, it’s unclear exactly how the basketball portion of the event might be affected. Eight of 12 teams in the men’s basketball tournament have been decided, with four spots still up for grabs. Qualifying tournaments for those last four spots were scheduled to be held in June, but they’ll presumably be postponed as well.
Depending on when the rescheduled qualifiers and Olympics take place and how the NBA ultimately handles its own postponed season, it’s possible the two calendars will overlap, limiting NBA players’ ability to participate in the Games.
Western Notes: Blazers, Dubljevic, Oubre, Thunder, Mavs
Montenegrin big man Bojan Dubljevic has signed a long-term extension with Spain’s Valencia Basket, reaching a deal that will add three years and a fourth-year team option to his current contract (hat tip to Sportando).
Dubljevic’s NBA rights belong to the Trail Blazers, who acquired them from Minnesota in the Jake Layman sign-and-trade last summer. Although he’s still just 28 years old, Dubljevic’s new extension with Valencia further reduces the odds that he’ll ever suit up for an NBA team. Portland seems more likely to eventually flip the veteran’s rights in another trade than to actually sign him.
Here’s more from around the Western Conference:
- Veteran agent Torrel Harris of Unique Sports Management has signed Suns forward Kelly Oubre to a management contract, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Harris’ son is Sixers forward Tobias Harris, who is his father’s most recognizable client.
- The Thunder became one of the last NBA teams to announce a plan to assist their arena workers financially, indicating in a press release that they’ll provide aid to part-time employees for games that would have worked the team’s final seven home games.
- The Mavericks, whose training facility has been closed since March 12, have shifted their focus from basketball to community outreach amidst the coronavirus pandemic. Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News has the story and the details.
Canada, Australia Won’t Participate In Olympics Without Postponement
MARCH 23: The Australian National Committee has told its athletes to prepare for the Olympics to be postponed by a year, indicating in its announcement that an Australian Team can’t be assembled for 2020. Unlike Canada, Australia is one of eight teams that has already qualified for the basketball tournament at the Tokyo Olympics.
MARCH 22: The Canadian Olympic Committee will not send its athletes, including the basketball team, to the Tokyo Olympics unless the event is postponed, the CBC News tweets. The Summer Olympics are scheduled to begin on July 24.
In a statement, the committee urges the International Olympic Committee and World Health Organization to postpone the Games for one year. The committee also pledges its full support to help the IOC navigate the complexities created by such a postponement.
Team Canada’s basketball team is coached by Raptors coach Nick Nurse and includes numerous NBA players. Canada isn’t yet guaranteed a spot in the Tokyo Olympics, but was scheduled to host and compete in a qualifying tournament this June.
The IOC has stated that “cancellation is not on the agenda,” but the organization suggests delaying the 2020 Games is on the table. However, its president Thomas Bach says that it’s too early to make a final decision about the date of the Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Earlier this week, USA Track and Field called for the Summer Olympics to be postponed.