Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said on Monday morning that everything is on the table when it comes to how the NBA can eventually resume the regular season following the coronavirus outbreak.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver suspended the regular season until further notice on March 11 after Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for the coronavirus. As many as 13 other players or members of teams have tested positive for COVID-19 since the initial result from Gobert.
Silver detailed the criteria the league will consider for when play could resume, including playing in empty arenas, playing in front of fans and a possible exhibition game to benefit charity. Silver did not believe in canceling the season and said the league will consider all possible options.
Speaking on the Dan Patrick Show on Monday, Cuban said he believes things regarding the coronavirus will turn out better than most think and it will happen sooner than most think. Cuban even surmised that a clearer picture of where the league stands could happen in six weeks.
“Talking to the people I know, I think we really start to come out of this in six weeks,” Cuban said. “That’s where instead of not leaving your house, you leave your house and instead of gatherings limited to 10 people, you can go to 25 people and that gives us a chance to play a game probably without fans but that said, if there is one thing that is going to bring the country back to some level of normalcy and get people’s blood going again in a positive way and get people excited, it’s going to be sports.
“The NBA is incredibly well-positioned to be the sport that drives the recovery. I think the Commissioner is looking for us to lead and to set an example and to be that league that gets people excited again.”
A report surfaced last week stating that the growing belief around the NBA is June would be the earliest play could resume after the CDC recommended against gatherings of 10 or more people in order to slow the spread of the virus.
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