NEW YORK — If the NBA wants to salvage its season, it may not be able to wait on China’s plan of action. The league may need to pave its own path to resuming play amid the coronavirus pandemic that has rocked the United States harder than any country on the planet.
If the NBA keeps looking to China for guidance, it could kick the can down the road — a road that leads into next year.
The Chinese Basketball Association initially targeted a return in the first week of April. Then the date was pushed to April 15. The CBA failed to get government approval to resume activity, so the start date was subsequently pushed to May.
In a new development, China’s basketball season now won’t be on track to resume until “at least July,” according to ESPN. At this rate, it could be 2021 before things restart across the globe.
This is a byproduct of a global viral outbreak the likes of which this generation has never seen. There are more than 600,000 confirmed cases in the United States, including more than 25,000 deaths, about 11,000 of which have been reported in New York alone.
There is still no COVID-19 vaccine or cure and government mandates in most cities for residents to stay home remain in effect. It is not yet known how long those social distancing guidelines will last.
As the NBA hits day 34 of what was initially a 30-day hiatus, it runs the risk of losing this season altogether. There is only but so far the league can drag this out before punting the ball to next year makes more sense.
NBA owners and players want to salvage what’s left of this season. And for good reason. Between LeBron James’ Lakers, Kawhi Leonard’s Clippers and Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Milwaukee Bucks, the race to a championship was as wide-open as it’s ever been. Other teams out West like the Jazz, Rockets and Nuggets threw their hats into the ring, as well.
Parity finally existed in an NBA that had been dominated by super teams for years.
But resuming this season shouldn’t come at the expense of the players’ health. If China can’t find a way to get it right, it’s on the NBA to be a pioneer in pro sports — as they have been over the years.
The CBA had a good idea: moving teams into two bubble cities and playing games in those cities alone. The CBA reportedly floated the idea of playing warm-weather cities with low coronavirus cases: Dongguan and Qingdao. The NBA has flirted with the idea of playing in Las Vegas or the Bahamas. They have even discussed moving to a college campus in the Midwest, where there are low coronavirus cases, according to ESPN.
Players want basketball to resume. The last thing they want is to be home, without access to team practice facilities. Some players have the luxury of a basketball court in their home. Most, however, do not.
The NBA has resorted to airing video game tournaments on national TV. It is currently in the middle of a H-O-R-S-E competition that has proven more underwhelming than most imagined.
But until the COVID-19 pandemic is clear in the United States, they’ll have no choice but to stay home — unless the NBA finds a way to restart its season in an environment safe for all parties involved.
That would have to include frequent player testing and games without fans at minimum. It also could mean salvaging this season is an unrealistic feat.
There is no product without players and there are no players if people can’t gather in groups. The NBA is in an unenviable spot, as are most businesses whose employees are self isolating and social distancing at home.
If the league wants to resume its season, the NBA is going to have to figure it out itself. Otherwise, its dream of picking this season up where it left off could become a nightmare.
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