Though the 2019-20 season has now been on pause for more than two months due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, the NBA finally appears to be making real progress on a return to play later this summer.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Wednesday that the league office is expected to issue guidelines around June 1 allowing teams to recall players who have left their markets. He referes to that as “a first step [by the NBA] toward a formal ramp-up for the season’s resumption.”
With regards to the Houston Rockets, this includes superstar guard and former MVP Russell Westbrook, who has spent his time during the COVID-19 hiatus with family at his offseason home of Los Angeles.
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Per Wojnarowski, teams expect a similar timeline from the league on when they can expand the individual workouts that are already underway with in-market players to include more team personnel. After going through several practice phases, games would resume at some point in July, though it is unclear whether some regular-season contests would be played or if the NBA would advance straight to the 2020 playoffs.
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In Wednesday’s NBA update, Wojnarowski writes:
The league is discussing a step-by-step plan for a resumption of the season that includes an initial two-week recall of players into team marketplaces for a period of quarantine, one to two weeks of individual workouts at team facilities, and a two- to three-week formal training camp, sources told ESPN.
Barring an unforeseen turn of events, many NBA owners, executives and National Basketball Players Association elders believe commissioner Adam Silver will green-light the return to play in June — with games expected to resume sometime before the end of July, sources said. The NBA is still considering a two-site format for the return of the season, including Orlando’s Walt Disney World and Las Vegas.
Sources: NBA teams expecting guidelines around June 1 for players' return https://t.co/vTugnAWlrJ
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 20, 2020
Earlier reports on Wednesday indicated that Houston is also in the mix as a potential NBA host site for games without fans. From the league’s perspective, holding games at one or two centralized sites would reduce potential exposure risks to the virus from constant travel logistics.
The 2019-20 year has been on hold since March 12 due to the pandemic. While the total stoppage could be in the range of four long months, the wheels do finally seem to be in motion for the season’s return.
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