With every passing day, there are new reports, insights and rumors which attempt to predict whether the NBA will complete its 2019-20 season after the league suspended competition on March 11.
On Tuesday, there were a few interesting reports from reputable sources which seemed to paint an inconsistent picture about the communication that has been going on behind the scenes within the NBA commissioner’s office, board of governors and front offices, as well as within the NBA Players Union.
Toward the end of the day on Tuesday, it was reported by Yahoo! Sports’ Chris Haynes that a large contingent of the league’s superstars held a conference call where they “formed a united front to resume the 2019-20 season.”
The report in and of itself would be considered good news for those who have an interest in seeing the crowning of a 2020 NBA Champion, however, over the past couple of weeks, there seems to have been mixed feelings among league personnel as to whether the league should do that.
Most notably, there was a report from CNBC last week that stated that the commissioner’s office was coming under pressure from within the ranks of some front offices and those within the agent community to cancel the remainder of the season.
Meanwhile, Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry went on the record as saying that the league was potentially gearing up for a return to play over the summer, while LeBron James himself took to Twitter to refute the notion that those thoughts represented anything near a popular opinion.
At this point, most people seem to believe that the league will return to complete the 2019-20 season; it’s just a matter of when. But few have asked a more important question: how many players actually want to complete the season? The assumption has been that nearly all would be in favor of such a move, but on Tuesday, that notion was dashed.
Reporting for the Los Angeles Times, Broderick Turner writes that one player estimates to him that about 30% of the league’s players would be in favor of hanging up their sneakers until the 2020-21 season was ready to commence — and that might not be until December.
The report came after ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the NBA Players Union was conducting an informal poll of the players asking whether they wanted the season to resume or not. The union provided The Athletic’s Shams Charania with a statement that refuted that, but Turner’s report in the Los Angeles Times is consistent with Wojnarowski’s report.
Turner’s report, though, mentions that a large contingent of players might not feel safe returning to play this season, which obviously complicates matters.
At least some of the league’s players received a group text Tuesday from representatives of the National Basketball Players Assn., asking how they felt about completing a season that has been suspended since the middle of March because of the COVID-19 pandemic…
One player estimated about seven out of 10 players want to finish the season.
Turner’s report, though, does include a quote from an anonymous player who advocates for a return so long as proper precautions are in place to ensure the players’ safety.
“…30% is a big number,” the player added. “And what do you say to somebody who says, ‘You know what, I just don’t feel safe’? It’s hard to argue that. But there are reasons to argue that because I know the NBA would be one of the safest places to be at. That thing would be tight, clean, protocol, all that.”
Despite the inconsistencies presented on Tuesday, the prevailing sentiment is that the league will find a way to complete its season, with both Las Vegas and Orlando continuing to be mentioned as probable host cities for competition.
What’s most interesting, however, is that a fair number of the league’s players may not be in favor of suiting up again anytime soon.