As the NBA evaluates its options to resume the 2019-20 season, it’s conceivable the outline of a plan could be in place within 10 days.
Though several formats are being considered -- including closing the regular season and restarting with the postseason -- it is evident that Orlando is the most probable site to finish the season.
“The NBA, in conjunction with the National Basketball Players Association, is engaged in exploratory conversations with The Walt Disney Company about restarting the 2019-20 season in late July at Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Florida as a single site for an NBA campus for games, practices and housing,” Mike Bass, the league’s top communications executive, said in the statement on Saturday.
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“Our priority continues to be the health and safety of all involved, and we are working with public health experts and government officials on a comprehensive set of guidelines to ensure that appropriate medical protocols and protections are in place.”
Though the Warriors, with the worst record (15-50) in the league, have expressed a lack of enthusiasm about resuming the season, the feeling within the franchise is that a brief period of workouts, practices and games could serve a useful purpose.
The general belief within the organization is that a few weeks of activity this summer could serve as something of a minicamp that could provide a running start toward 2020-21.
For as the coronavirus pandemic continues to ravage the planet, with the United States crippled by its inadequate response, it’s almost certain the league will not have a typical 82-game schedule next season.
Golden State Warriors
The hope remains that the 2020-21 season starts around Christmas, in which case teams would reconvene shortly after Thanksgiving.
If the playoffs were to begin in, say, August, they’d go deep into September. The sense is that the offseason, which normally ranges from 14 weeks to 22 weeks, depending on whether a team participates in the playoffs, would be closer to eight weeks.
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Though all feasible options continue to be explored, keep in mind that a number of key agreements -- mostly with financial implications -- must be reached between the National Basketball Players Association and the league’s Board of Governors before any plan can move forward.
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