Well, congratulations. Because if you’re reading this (which is much appreciated, by the way), you’ve made it through the first half of 2020. And with the calendar flipping to July, it means that we’re now in the month that the NBA is set to restart the 2019-20 campaign. Each of the 22 teams set to descend upon Orlando will play eight “placement” games, with the results being added to their current records, to establish seeding for the playoffs. And there’s another wrinkle to all of this: a play-in tournament for the eight seed in each conference would be required if a team (or teams) finishes within four games of that final playoff spot. In the East Orlando leads Washington by 5 1/2 games, and with there being questions regarding the Wizards roster the Magic appear to be in good shape when it comes to earning that final playoff spot.
(You can discuss this on the BSL Board here.)
Davis Bertans, who stands to receive a nice payday when free agency gets going at the end of the season, has already opted out of Orlando, and Bradley Beal has yet to make a decision regarding his status. It goes without saying that Beal deciding not to make the trip would be a serious blow for the Wizards to take, and would likely shift Scott Brooks’ team into the mode of playing the younger players as much as possible in preparation for next season.
The picture in the West is far lest clear, with Memphis leading Portland, New Orleans and Sacramento by 3 1/2 games and San Antonio by four. Phoenix, which trails Memphis by six games, will also be in Orlando but they’re a long shot and will also be without the injured Kelly Oubre. The Spurs won’t have LaMarcus Aldridge, which may be the final nail in the coffin when it comes to the franchise’s lengthy playoff streak. As for the other three teams, they all offer intrigue when it comes to chasing down the Grizzlies. The Blazers won’t have Trevor Ariza, who has opted out for family reasons, but they’re expected to welcome back Jusuf Nurkic as he’s set to return from the broken leg suffered during the 2018-19 season. New Orleans and Sacramento are close to full strength, although the Kings had three players (Buddy Hield, Jabari Parker and Alex Len) test positive for the coronavirus.
Parker has been cleared to end his period of self-isolation according to head coach Luke Walton, and Hield and Len are “doing much better” in their respective recoveries. Memphis’ rotation appears to be in good shape, but the reason why the NBA season has run this late is exactly why no one can afford to assume anything when it comes to its completion.
Multiple players, on contenders and playoff hopefuls alike, have tested positive for the coronavirus since the season came to a halt in March. Brooklyn’s DeAndre Jordan won’t be playing, and teammate Spencer Dinwiddie has yet to make a decision regarding his status after coming down with the virus. Add in others that have decided to opt out for family reasons (Ariza and Lakers guard Avery Bradley being two), and the desire to do more when it comes to social justice efforts, and this season has been unlike any other in league history. Indiana’s Victor Oladipo, who returned to action from a ruptured patellar tendon in late January, hasn’t decided whether or not he’ll play either due to concern that the time off could make him more susceptible to injury.
Oh, there’s another variable to consider: the handling of the coronavirus in Florida, which is where the NBA “bubble” will be located, as cases have spiked considerably since Governor Ron DeSantis made the decision to “reopen” the state. Even with a bubble, which really isn’t one since Disney employees will be allowed to leave the campus throughout the process, there’s no guarantee that all players/coaches/staffers will be able to get through this unscathed.
For example Major League Soccer, which will also have a bubble down in Orlando as it kicks off its season with a World Cup-style tournament, is dealing with an outbreak within the FC Dallas camp. A total of six players have tested positive for the coronavirus, two before the team arrived in Florida and four since. Since there’s still some time to go until the tournament begins, MLS appears to be willing to wait this out when it comes to FC Dallas. But what happens if there’s an outbreak within a team once the season begins? Should this happen to an NBA team, would it be removed from competition? and what about the other teams/players that may have come in contact with those infected individuals? The NBA has made its decision regarding a restart, from the location to the schedule, but there are still some major questions lingering over this.
On Tuesday, NBA commissioner Adam Silver said that it would take a “significant” spread of the virus within the Orlando campus to halt the season. The league can test its employees every day if it chose to do so, but what of those non-NBA employees who won’t be restricted to the bubble? Temperature checks can only tell you so much when it comes to the coronavrius, which doctors are learning more about every day. One thought early in the process was that a person can’t catch it twice, but it has been learned that this isn’t necessarily the case. So a player like Hield or Denver’s Nikola Jokic wouldn’t be out of the woods even if they fully recover. And the virus has impacted the respiratory function of some who have recovered, and that side effect would obviously be a major concern for an athlete competing at a high level.
Silver said that the wasn’t a “no risk” choice for the league but I disagree with that. The no risk option is to cancel the remainder of the season, but for financial reasons that won’t be happening. The desire to ensure that the league and its franchises get full value on their regular season TV money (from regional sports networks primarily) is why those eight placement games are being played, and a full postseason covers the league on the ESPN/TNT end. Add in the potential losses that players can incur in the case of a cancellation, which could also mean the scrapping of the current collective bargaining agreement, and it makes cents (pun intended) that the NBA would do whatever it can to get this season going again.
Resuming play may alleviate some of the financial cost, but you have to wonder if there are other hits that the NBA will take in the process. For the sake of all involved, hopefully this works out and everyone stays healthy. Because that would prove more costly than any dollar amount the NBA stands to lose, no matter how much some argue that we “need” a distraction.
BSL Analyst
Raphielle’s been writing about college sports for more than a decade, making the move to college basketball alone in 2013. Beginning his work with the former website CollegeHoops.net in 2003, Raphielle spent 3 years writing for NBCSports.com beginning 2013, covering CBB and the Olympics. In 2016, Raphielle joined Heavy.com. If there’s a game on, there’s a strong likelihood that he’s watching it.