As more and more franchises shut down due to positive COVID-19 cases and with national figures still increasing, the NBA finds itself blazing through a crossroads. At the same time as more and more states have begun re-applying restrictions that were previously rolled back, the NBA has shown no signs of slowing down its plan to restart the NBA in Orlando at month’s end.
But while the league hasn’t wavered that its restart plan will work, its players aren’t expressing the same confidence.
“I’m not that confident about that,” Brandon Ingram said on Monday when asked if he thought the NBA’s restart plan would work. “It looks like everything’s going to be going through Orlando but, like you said, new cases are coming up. Different things are happening. I’m not very confident but they have us going to Orlando on the 8th, so we’ll see.”
Over the 4th of July weekend, Florida set a state record for most new cases in a single day on Saturday with 11,458 cases as part of a weekend that saw 31,005 total new cases. The MLS, which is also hosting a tournament at Disney in Orlando, saw one of its teams, FC Dallas, pull out of the tournament on Tuesday afternoon after 10 players and one coach tested positive last week prior to traveling to Florida.
While few players have outright said they’re not confident in the NBA’s restart plan, many have spoken about uncertainties but have equally expressed a desire to not let teammates down.
“I think it’s going to be a day by day thing,” Lonzo Ball also said on Monday during his media availability. “Obviously, nothing’s going to be perfect. It’s something that’s never been done before. There’s still a lot of question marks. Like I said, I think it’s going to be day-by-day. As much as we try to [abide] to the rules, I think that’s going to help get us through the season.
“But I can’t really tell you whether it’s going to work or not. I don’t know how I feel about it. I’m just happy to see my teammates and at least go out there as a team and win for the organization.”
Ball’s mindset is how many players have approached the restart. The uncertainty was always going to be pervasive amongst teams, as many television and Spotify commercials have reminded everyone in recent months. But those fears have increased as America continues to struggle and lose the fight against the virus.
The silver lining of the restart plan would be that, if all goes to plan, the players would likely be safer in the bubble than anywhere else in the world. But having already seen both MLS and NWSL teams have to pull out of their respective competitions due to positive test results, expecting everyone to abide by the guidelines is unlikely.
Watching how the restart plays out in the coming months will prove to be a fascinating case-study not just for the NBA but for leagues across the country.
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