We have no idea exactly when the NBA will finish up its 2019-2020 season, but we won’t have a decision anytime soon. Adam Silver said a decision won’t be made on its return before May at best.
Even when the decision is made, games won’t be played immediately, according to a report from ESPN’s Baxter Holmes. Players are losing their game shape with team facilities locked down.
Teams would need to take at least a month to whip players back into game shape. That could entail having another training camp and playing another another mini-preseason to get players back up to speed, according to the report.
These teams would need at least a month to prepare, which could be broken down into one week of training camp, one week of exhibition games and two weeks of, say, regular-season games — the layout was as specific as he could be given the current uncertainty and lack of parameters.
It sounds like a lot, but this isn’t an impossible scenario to pull off. This situation is similar to the 2011 NBA lockout where players couldn’t workout or use team facilities to maintain their basketball playing shape.
The players ended up having a mini training camp and playing two exhibition games before diving into the league’s 66 game regular season on Christmas day.
There is one big difference, however. The players could use each other’s workout facilities then. Right now they aren’t allowed any contact. And that’s a big step back. Jared Dudley talked about it in an interview with Michael Lee of The Athletic.
At least with the lockout, and I was a part of that, they locked us out. It started July 1, you weren’t allowed to use any of their facilities. We had a league. John Wall. Steph Curry. Chauncey Billups. Stephen Jackson. You had Tayshaun Prince. You had over 100 NBA players, where you could go work out.
That’s not the only wrinkle the league will have to worry about. There’s also the not-so-simple matter of player safety. They have to house them players and keep them isolated as they play actual basketball games.
So, while it’s not impossible, the current situation is definitely a tougher hole to climb out of. It almost makes you wonder if it’s even worth trying to pull off.
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