I have been avoiding to write a post about the corona virus and its effect on sports. What do I blog about now? I started this blog to talk about sports and specifically basketball a few weeks ago. I need basketball back. March Madness is my favorite time of the year and it was taken from us. But forget March Madness for a second.
The way the virus is spreading it may take the NBA season away. I was listening to the Pull Up podcast hosted by C.J. McCollum, the shooting guard for the Portland Trail Blazers. He and his guest, Carmelo Anthony were discussing how they would handle games without fans, the season being postponed, and more. C.J. talked about how if the season is postponed for more than two weeks his body will almost be in off season mode. He went on to say that if he is thrown into an NBA game after more than two weeks off there is a serious risk of injury. His guest Carmelo, agreed but was saddened at the thought of cancelling the season outright.
The NBA obviously did the right thing in postponing the season. Numerous NBA players have the corona virus and would be a serious threat to others catching it if the season continued. But what now? The implications of NBA legacies are at risk. Would Lebron James capture his first title in LA? Would Giannis Antetokounmpo rally the Bucks to his first finals victory? Would Kawhi repeat, win his 3rd title for a third different organization, and the Clippers first title? The players health is the most important thing here, I know. But think about that! This was such an exciting time for the NBA. Luka Doncic, guard for the Dallas Mavericks, would be in the playoffs for the first time. What if the Trail Blazers have made the playoffs as the 8 seed? What would it be like for Carmelo Anthony to play against his best friend, Lebron James, in a 1-8 match up. Would Zion have made the playoffs on a young exciting Pelican team? Stephen Curry just made it back from injury and was showing flashes of his flame throwing three point shot. Would small ball, and the Russell Westbrook trade work in Houston?
This was supposed to be a season of celebrating Kobe Bryant, who recently passed away. His former team where he played 20 seasons is first in the western conference and the favorite to win the title. What would L.A. look like if the Lakers won a title for Kobe?
We need basketball for these moments. So where do we go from here? The virus isn’t slowing down and day by day players are getting more out of shape. Sure, players are practicing still. But not with the team in real game pressure packed moments. Any baller knows being in shape is different than being in basketball shape. In takes months to get ready for the playoffs. Then, the business side of things. What is the league going to do? All the sudden were going to pick up where we left off? Adrian Wojnarsowski tweeted they could postpone for three months. But then what? How do you make sure the players are in shape? How do you make sure the quality of play isn’t brutal? Remember, these guys aren’t allowed to practice together. For the time being, all NBA teams are banned from practicing together indefinitely, according to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps. While select teams have been permitted to open their team’s facility doors for players, everybody who attends is only allowed to participate in individualized workouts.
Prepare for the worst. I really don’t see any way they can continue the season in a way that is the usual NBA playoff structure. They may decrease games in the early rounds or make it a single elimination playoff scenario in some rounds. But would players even want that? The NBA is looking at these options and more. The reason is a few months from now is June. The finals are always in June and the players then take time off. I can’t see the NBA risking injuries, rushing players back, and pushing next season to start the year in December. One thing is eye opening though. You can tell how much the NBA wants the season to continue. Cancelling all play and cutting off all team activity as soon as Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz caught it was quick.
Oh, and there is a potential LA Lakers vs LA Clippers match up waiting to be potentially played in the western conference finals. That series could potentially be worth $100 million dollars. The remaining 260 games or so are worth about $500 million that could be lost. That does not include the playoffs. C.J. McCollum of Blazers in the same podcast I mentioned before referenced the loss of revenue. He said, “The collective bargaining agreement and the BRI (basketball-related income) are about to change drastically especially if there’s no playoffs,” McCollum said. “If there’s playoffs, the amount of money—they said a Lakers-Clippers conference finals could generate $100 million for the NBA. There could be no playoffs. Let alone the Finals, that generates beaucoup money.”
Let us hope we can get to see these two in the playoffs. Keep the doctors and nurses of our country in your thoughts and prayers. May we hope to see a fast and safe recovery soon for basketball and the world in general.
Tom Doyle Blog 