The National Basketball Association (NBA) remains on hold and no actual date of possibly resuming basketball action has been given. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown no signs of slowing down and cases are mounting. Just the same, league officials are looking at different scenarios - including potentially shutting down the 2019-20 season.
Of course, this is something most do not want to see. Rather than end the season abruptly, tweaks to the remaining regular-season games and the playoff format have been suggested. But like most leagues, that brings them back to their initial question - when can action safely restart without affecting lives?
According to a report from SNY.tv, the league is reportedly angling to set up a deal to end the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The players union and the league are now in talks about it, allegedly filled with pessimism.
"Now they don't have to do that yet, and the way they're negotiating they're leaving themselves an option either way, but they're not having talks about how to restart the league, they're having financial talks about what would happen if the season shuts down, and I think there is a significant amount of pessimism right now," Brian Windhorst of ESPN said.
If the NBA does end up calling off the season, it is like opening a can of worms. Upcoming free agents may not be offered the expected big paydays due to lost revenue from broadcasting rights and gate receipts. And if the season does end, does this mean the team with the best record would be declared the champion? If so, this means that the Milwaukee Bucks win it by a technicality.
Digging deeper, how will this affect the future of some NBA stars? LeBron James hopes of delivering an NBA title to Los Angeles that could hit a snag. Giannis Antentokounmpo of the Bucks is having a fine season but winning an NBA title due to a virus is something he is unlikely to cherish.
A league that the NBA is likely keeping tabs with is the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). The Chinese league had originally planned to restart games by Apr. 15 but ended up moving it to a later date. The COVID-19 issue has not made it safe to hold games and there is no certainty on when they can resume games. Like the NBA, the CBA too is forced to think about wrapping up the season abruptly.
The sporting calendar has been deeply affected and adjustments need to be made. That includes the 2020 NBA Draft which will depend on the settlement of CBA issues tied up to the current season.
