The 2019-2020 National Basketball Association (NBA) season is officially done and plans are in the works for the opening of the new one. Earlier reports said the league is targeting to open on Dec. 22, but was moved by year-end, only with a maximum of 72 games. The season will end in early July before the start of the Tokyo Olympics, which would allow players to compete in the 2021 games.
The NBA informed teams that the season will not begin before Christmas and chances are, the games won’t be held in a bubble again for financial reasons. The NBA Draft will be virtually held on Nov. 18 and training camps, if the proposed schedule will be followed, will open early December. Free agency follows shortly.
The league and the players’ union are discussing a plan among others, to adapt a format used by major league baseball where teams play with each other for a mini-series to limit travel time. For example, the Oklahoma City Thunder will travel to New York and play two road games against the Knicks and the Brooklyn Nets.
With the rise in coronavirus cases in the United States, the league is concerned with at least five big market teams located in states with high infection rates and medical experts are warning of a surge especially that winter is nearing.
California has the greatest number of confirmed cases in the US and is home to the Sacramento Kings, the Golden State Warriors, the Los Angeles Clippers and the Lakers. It is followed by Texas (San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets) and Florida (Orlando Magic and Miami Heat).
There is a good chance that some teams will be relocated from their home markets to play in what the league calls regional bubbles or pods, which was also part of the discussion. COVID is making things difficult again for the league. Unless some protective protocols will be strictly implemented, I doubt if fans will be allowed inside arenas in the early stages of the season./PN
