On Friday, Adam Silver and NBPA executive director Michele Roberts addressed the league’s players in an informative conference call that provided some detailed insight as to what the commissioner believed the immediate road ahead for the league would look like.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski published a detailed report on the call which both provides renewed hope that the league will be able to complete its 2019-20 season but one that also acknowledges that the league still has some fairly significant hurdles to overcome before things will go back to the way they were prior to March 12.
Silver confirmed that both Las Vegas and Orlando are being considered as being “pod” sites for the NBA to complete the current season and hold its playoffs, which the commissioner hopes can still feature seven-game series in all rounds. He did, however, acknowledge two important facts.
Sources: Silver told players that he still hoped that the playoffs would include a 7-game series in every round. He told players that those series could move faster without the need for travel, staying in a single site. Orlando and Vegas still tops.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 8, 2020
First, there is no timetable for an expected resumption of play, however, the league has put guidance in place that would allow teams to have asymptomatic players tested. The ability to proactively test players who are not showing symptoms of COVID-19 would be a game-changing scenario for the league.
Second is the fact that the beginning of next season is all but certain to be delayed until December. And when the 2020-21 season does begin, it is quite likely that fans will not be in attendance.
Silver told players that he believes each of his 30 owners wants to play again this season — despite suggestion made to him on call of short-term financial advantages for some teams not to resume season. He called his owners, "Competitors."
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 8, 2020
Before thinking about next season, however, the league is focused on safely resuming play this season. No decision, however, is expected to be made before some time in June, according to Wojnarowski’s report.
Silver said returning to play this season at one or two potential sites — including Orlando and Las Vegas — made the most sense, and that no decision on the league season needed to be made before June…
Silver expressed a desire that the NBA complete its season with a traditional playoff structure that includes seven-game series in each round of the playoffs… Silver also told players that the start of next season could be pushed until December, regardless of whether this season was completed or not.
All things considered, the address from the commissioner — as well as the fact that the Cleveland Cavaliers and Portland Trail Blazers each reopened their training facilities on Friday — was good news. But it is obvious that the league still has a long way to go before resuming its business in any way that remotely resembles its norm.