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LATEST ON CORONA: There isn’t much new to report on the coronavirus front as it pertains to the NBA, except for the fact that the league plans to have a remote meeting (over the phone) with the Board of Governors later today to discuss the latest information on the pandemic, as well as to make some important decisions. What those will be is tough to surmise, but after president Donald Trump said yesterday that the new advice from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention was for people to gather in groups no bigger than 10 and that the current state of affairs could be the U.S.’s new normal until July or August, if not longer, then maybe the league will have to make some tough decisions on the viability of a return this season at all.
Perhaps a return with no fans is still on the table for some point this summer, but if people aren’t going to be allowed to meet in groups bigger than 10 until July or August, then we have to be realistic about what the chances are we see another NBA game prior to the 2020-21 season.
Apart from that, the league and Players’ Association agreed to cut off drug testing during the NBA’s hiatus, a move pretty much unheard of until now. For those thinking this could be the first step in the legalization of marijuana use for NBA players by the league, don’t get your hopes up: This agreement is only temporary.
Other stuff to soothe the mind…
MVP RANKINGS: In what could be our final MVP rankings of the season, Giannis Antetokounmpo came out No. 1, despite the media- and fan-driven narratives on LeBron’s candidacy. The numbers just don’t lie.
FRESH POD: Jason Richardson joined our Alex Kennedy to discuss the famed We-Believe Warriors, being a part of “The Process” in Philadelphia and much more.
NOT READY: Even though the league might be on hiatus until late June, that still won’t give Kevin Durant enough time to return for Brooklyn this season, says Rich Kleiman, his manager.
A GIFT FROM ESPN? Remember that incredible looking 1998 Bulls documentary that ESPN was teasing, which wasn’t supposed to come out until June? Well, the release date might be sooner than that, just as long as they can finish up editing it.