The current state of the NBA has left much in peril and question with not only the league but the world in a situation never before experienced in our lifetimes. With regards to the NBA season and its fate, all sorts of potential solutions have been tossed out, ranging from continuing the season from the spot it was paused to forgoing the remaining weeks of the regular season to starting back up with the playoffs.
None of that factors into the fate of the NBA Draft, which also has its future up the air as well. While some expect the Draft to be held without in-person interviews, individual workouts or even the combine, the date of the draft is still uncertain.
During the Pelicans Playback social show on Saturday, Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin gave some insight into the league’s thinking.
“With everything changing so quickly, everything is in a state of flux that I think it would be premature for the NBA to say what it ultimately looks like. I do know unequivocally that the league is very mindful of the idea of getting back to playing. The idea of canceling a season is not all on their minds, and we’re modeling every possible thing we can for how we can deliver a product to the fans. Quite frankly, we’re all going to need a diversion in the future. (But) until we can get to a point where we think we’ve got containment of (the coronavirus), we’re going to continue to stay locked down. Hopefully we’ll get to a point where we can come back sooner rather than later.”
If the league is adamant at continuing this season, it likely means drastic changes to the NBA schedule that would be permanent. Many have called for a change in the schedule to push it further back so it is competing with baseball during the summer versus football in the winter.
The options are endless, but the fact the NBA is focused on bringing this season back could spell good things for Pelicans squad that was closing in on the playoffs in the final weeks before the suspension.