Silver update to Players

[gift]

IF....just one player gets sicks and kills his parents , aunt , uncle or grandparents ...over stupid basketball  .... then Silver and Lebron ( dying returning at all cost for HIS own legacy )   selfish Edited for profanity.  Please do not do it again.. , will have to live with consequences.

These are poor choices that will reflect badly in the long run.   

What is wrong with waiting for a vaccine ? Indoor major Sports is last thing people should be worried about .  I could see using social distancing in a major ball field , with every special seating , and drastically reduced attendance allowed.  Still being smart and waiting for a vaccine is the correct choice .

Imo Silver had a chance to ride this out as being the prescient one - the first to call for stoppage, clearly ahead of where the country was at that moment in time.   Now he’s scrounging for table scraps while putting players, coaches, and whoever else they’ll be sweating profusely near at completely unnecessary risk. 

And Shaq is correct - one traceable case to the NBA reopening would look bad and probably isn’t what anyone wants.   If the Lakers weren’t in the thick of this, would a return even be under consideration?

I agree that some information is flying out there every day and that's confusing. But the overall track of the pandemic and how to deal with it is much simpler.

Does anyone else find it odd that only a handful of nba players tested positive? Given the effective transmission of the virus and that these players travel together, share locker rooms together, sit on the bench together and play a physical, close proximity game to each other while breathing heavily, I would expect more infections. One possibility is that many more players have already tested positive than we were told.

There was a report a while back that a lot more players did test positive but chose not to disclose their information.

I must have missed that report. Fair to say the NBA is operating on some additional relevant info that none of us have as well.

[hpantazo]

They're gonna have to do daily covid-19 testing each day before they play

this may not be the panacea we hope it will be. if a false negative comes up on a test and a player infects everyone else on the team....what then?

Also, the testing right now has difficulty detecting COVID-19 during its very early stages.

I have read a wide range of estimates on the accuracy of testing that the depend upon the test itself, the person being tested, the stage of the virus, and more. testing is good, but not remotely fool proof.

so, what happens if (when?) 3, 4, 6, or 10 players on a team comes down with the virus?

i am saying here that the process of bringing back players may be a lot more complicated than the NBA is indicating right now.

From what we know of the virus, which is a lot more than we knew back when the NBA shut down, it is highly unlikely that any NBA player would suffer life threatening symptoms. They are all young, pro athletes with no obesity, cardiovascular disease, or diabetes (assuming no diabetes for the vast majority if not all of them). They will very likely be ok.

I'm sure all players , coaches and refs will be instructed to distance themselves from friends and family members until a few weeks after they finish play for the season.

The people who will be most at risk are the older coaches and refs. They could go strictly with younger refs, but you can't expect teams with older coaches to go ahead without their head coach. 

I would imagine if it starts spreading between players, it will reach a point of urgency around the time they get to the Conference or NBA Finals. Then they may hope for the best that the remaining 2-4 teams are not impacted much.

I keep hearing experts say that although we know more than we did in March, there is much unknown about Covid and it keeps throwing wrenches -- including what existing conditions increase the risk of complications.  But of some of the things we do know - high blood pressure, diabetes, asthma - I guarantee some NBA players have these conditions. There also always a few overweight players (Glenn Davis and Jared Sullinger come to mind) who would add that risk factor.  Additionally, there are likely other hidden conditions that players aren't even aware they have.

They should be thinking about maybe being back in October which is only 5 months from now for 20-21 -- and that could be premature even then.

I agree.  It was only weeks ago that we thought children were extraordinarily unlikely to die.  Now, we’re seeing Covid-related / Covid-adjacent syndromes killing kids in NY.

Yes, it’s billions of dollars, but scrap the season and get ready for next year.

So are you against the governments across the US opening up businesses? Because I am sure the NBA is much better positioned to handle re-opening than virtually every other business that requires in person interactions at the moment.

I think its obvious that states are opening up way too early, and people have thrown caution to the wind across the US. There's going to be a large second wave this summer imo. BUT, if anyone can manage reopening safely in a contained environment with proper testing, it's the NBA. They are positioned to set an example of how its done.

At the same time, the NBA is at about the very bottom in terms of essential businesses.  Opening up just takes resources away from others that need them.

Neither are hair salons, ice cream parlors, bowling alleys, etc. but they are all opening across the country anyway.

Also, they are not taking away any resources if they follow their proposed plan. They will generate more resources for everyone. They propose to donate a certain number of tests to the general public for every test they use themselves. They are also able to serve as role models for how to safely and properly reopen. The NBA leadership is very smart and very in-tune with health and safety issues as well as public perception. I think Silver and co. see this as an opportunity to lead the way by example for the rest of the US, which is all opening regardless.

Btw, you failed to answer my question of whether you are against business reopening across the US then? Should hair dressers, bowling alleys, etc , who have no expertise or resources to maintain safety reopen, but the NBA which is much more capable of establishing and executing safety procedures stay closed?

Don't forget that NBA remaining closed does not affect only the wealthy NBA players and owners. There are a lot of employees associated with each organization who are not wealthy that will suffer significantly from the league staying closed.

For example: 

''With no clear indication of when our businesses can fully reopen, we have made the difficult yet necessary decision to furlough a portion of our employees,'' Jim Olsen, the organization's president, said in a statement. The furloughs affect Jazz employees, workers at the team's arena, a chain of movie theatres and the Los Angeles Angels' minor league baseball affiliate in Salt Lake."

https://sports.yahoo.com/nba-teams-start-reopen-testing-plan-begins-emerging-221058807--nba.html

It's been mentioned, but in response to the bolded part, the NBA resuming this season will have almost no effect on the stadium employees. If all of the games are to take place in Vegas or WDW, those employees will still remain out of work. I suppose teams could make deals with the employees to pay them a percentage of the profits, but they will probably make more money being furloughed (with the bonus $600/wk) and it's not like there is going to be a great profit margin anyway. It seems to me, the only reason for resuming this season is to recoup some of the epic losses team are currently sustaining.

Sure, but arena workers are not the only team employees they are referring to. Each team has a fairly large staff that outside of players and coaches, from trainers to media relations and marketing etc.

Now, can teams afford to pay and keep those employees? Im sure they can, but I am certain most of them dont want to and would rather furlough or lay off these workers than take the additional loss.

[gift]

They're gonna have to do daily covid-19 testing each day before they play

this may not be the panacea we hope it will be. if a false negative comes up on a test and a player infects everyone else on the team....what then?

Also, the testing right now has difficulty detecting COVID-19 during its very early stages.

I have read a wide range of estimates on the accuracy of testing that the depend upon the test itself, the person being tested, the stage of the virus, and more. testing is good, but not remotely fool proof.

so, what happens if (when?) 3, 4, 6, or 10 players on a team comes down with the virus?

i am saying here that the process of bringing back players may be a lot more complicated than the NBA is indicating right now.

From what we know of the virus, which is a lot more than we knew back when the NBA shut down, it is highly unlikely that any NBA player would suffer life threatening symptoms. They are all young, pro athletes with no obesity, cardiovascular disease, or diabetes (assuming no diabetes for the vast majority if not all of them). They will very likely be ok.

I'm sure all players , coaches and refs will be instructed to distance themselves from friends and family members until a few weeks after they finish play for the season.

The people who will be most at risk are the older coaches and refs. They could go strictly with younger refs, but you can't expect teams with older coaches to go ahead without their head coach. 

I would imagine if it starts spreading between players, it will reach a point of urgency around the time they get to the Conference or NBA Finals. Then they may hope for the best that the remaining 2-4 teams are not impacted much.

I keep hearing experts say that although we know more than we did in March, there is much unknown about Covid and it keeps throwing wrenches -- including what existing conditions increase the risk of complications.  But of some of the things we do know - high blood pressure, diabetes, asthma - I guarantee some NBA players have these conditions. There also always a few overweight players (Glenn Davis and Jared Sullinger come to mind) who would add that risk factor.  Additionally, there are likely other hidden conditions that players aren't even aware they have.

They should be thinking about maybe being back in October which is only 5 months from now for 20-21 -- and that could be premature even then.

I agree.  It was only weeks ago that we thought children were extraordinarily unlikely to die.  Now, we’re seeing Covid-related / Covid-adjacent syndromes killing kids in NY.

Yes, it’s billions of dollars, but scrap the season and get ready for next year.

So are you against the governments across the US opening up businesses? Because I am sure the NBA is much better positioned to handle re-opening than virtually every other business that requires in person interactions at the moment.

I think its obvious that states are opening up way too early, and people have thrown caution to the wind across the US. There's going to be a large second wave this summer imo. BUT, if anyone can manage reopening safely in a contained environment with proper testing, it's the NBA. They are positioned to set an example of how its done.

At the same time, the NBA is at about the very bottom in terms of essential businesses.  Opening up just takes resources away from others that need them.

Neither are hair salons, ice cream parlors, bowling alleys, etc. but they are all opening across the country anyway.

Also, they are not taking away any resources if they follow their proposed plan. They will generate more resources for everyone. They propose to donate a certain number of tests to the general public for every test they use themselves. They are also able to serve as role models for how to safely and properly reopen. The NBA leadership is very smart and very in-tune with health and safety issues as well as public perception. I think Silver and co. see this as an opportunity to lead the way by example for the rest of the US, which is all opening regardless.

Btw, you failed to answer my question of whether you are against business reopening across the US then? Should hair dressers, bowling alleys, etc , who have no expertise or resources to maintain safety reopen, but the NBA which is much more capable of establishing and executing safety procedures stay closed?

Don't forget that NBA remaining closed does not affect only the wealthy NBA players and owners. There are a lot of employees associated with each organization who are not wealthy that will suffer significantly from the league staying closed.

For example: 

''With no clear indication of when our businesses can fully reopen, we have made the difficult yet necessary decision to furlough a portion of our employees,'' Jim Olsen, the organization's president, said in a statement. The furloughs affect Jazz employees, workers at the team's arena, a chain of movie theatres and the Los Angeles Angels' minor league baseball affiliate in Salt Lake."

https://sports.yahoo.com/nba-teams-start-reopen-testing-plan-begins-emerging-221058807--nba.html

It's been mentioned, but in response to the bolded part, the NBA resuming this season will have almost no effect on the stadium employees. If all of the games are to take place in Vegas or WDW, those employees will still remain out of work. I suppose teams could make deals with the employees to pay them a percentage of the profits, but they will probably make more money being furloughed (with the bonus $600/wk) and it's not like there is going to be a great profit margin anyway. It seems to me, the only reason for resuming this season is to recoup some of the epic losses team are currently sustaining.

Sure, but arena workers are not the only team employees they are referring to. Each team has a fairly large staff that outside of players and coaches, from trainers to media relations and marketing etc.

Now, can teams afford to pay and keep those employees? Im sure they can, but I am certain most of them dont want to and would rather furlough or lay off these workers than take the additional loss.

There are also media and other partners and their employees who are impacted.

[hwangjini_1]

They're gonna have to do daily covid-19 testing each day before they play

this may not be the panacea we hope it will be. if a false negative comes up on a test and a player infects everyone else on the team....what then?

Also, the testing right now has difficulty detecting COVID-19 during its very early stages.

I have read a wide range of estimates on the accuracy of testing that the depend upon the test itself, the person being tested, the stage of the virus, and more. testing is good, but not remotely fool proof.

so, what happens if (when?) 3, 4, 6, or 10 players on a team comes down with the virus?

i am saying here that the process of bringing back players may be a lot more complicated than the NBA is indicating right now.

From what we know of the virus, which is a lot more than we knew back when the NBA shut down, it is highly unlikely that any NBA player would suffer life threatening symptoms. They are all young, pro athletes with no obesity, cardiovascular disease, or diabetes (assuming no diabetes for the vast majority if not all of them). They will very likely be ok.

I'm sure all players , coaches and refs will be instructed to distance themselves from friends and family members until a few weeks after they finish play for the season.

The people who will be most at risk are the older coaches and refs. They could go strictly with younger refs, but you can't expect teams with older coaches to go ahead without their head coach. 

I would imagine if it starts spreading between players, it will reach a point of urgency around the time they get to the Conference or NBA Finals. Then they may hope for the best that the remaining 2-4 teams are not impacted much.

I keep hearing experts say that although we know more than we did in March, there is much unknown about Covid and it keeps throwing wrenches -- including what existing conditions increase the risk of complications.  But of some of the things we do know - high blood pressure, diabetes, asthma - I guarantee some NBA players have these conditions. There also always a few overweight players (Glenn Davis and Jared Sullinger come to mind) who would add that risk factor.  Additionally, there are likely other hidden conditions that players aren't even aware they have.

They should be thinking about maybe being back in October which is only 5 months from now for 20-21 -- and that could be premature even then.

I agree.  It was only weeks ago that we thought children were extraordinarily unlikely to die.  Now, we’re seeing Covid-related / Covid-adjacent syndromes killing kids in NY.

Yes, it’s billions of dollars, but scrap the season and get ready for next year.

also add that COVID-19 does other things beside killing people. a larger number of people are winding up with permanent damage to their lungs, livers, urinary system, heart, and more. the statistics on this are hard to find since everything is happening so quickly and it is all so new.

so little is known right now about the true damage being done by COVID-19. i agree with Roy above.

[gift]

They're gonna have to do daily covid-19 testing each day before they play

this may not be the panacea we hope it will be. if a false negative comes up on a test and a player infects everyone else on the team....what then?

Also, the testing right now has difficulty detecting COVID-19 during its very early stages.

I have read a wide range of estimates on the accuracy of testing that the depend upon the test itself, the person being tested, the stage of the virus, and more. testing is good, but not remotely fool proof.

so, what happens if (when?) 3, 4, 6, or 10 players on a team comes down with the virus?

i am saying here that the process of bringing back players may be a lot more complicated than the NBA is indicating right now.

From what we know of the virus, which is a lot more than we knew back when the NBA shut down, it is highly unlikely that any NBA player would suffer life threatening symptoms. They are all young, pro athletes with no obesity, cardiovascular disease, or diabetes (assuming no diabetes for the vast majority if not all of them). They will very likely be ok.

I'm sure all players , coaches and refs will be instructed to distance themselves from friends and family members until a few weeks after they finish play for the season.

The people who will be most at risk are the older coaches and refs. They could go strictly with younger refs, but you can't expect teams with older coaches to go ahead without their head coach. 

I would imagine if it starts spreading between players, it will reach a point of urgency around the time they get to the Conference or NBA Finals. Then they may hope for the best that the remaining 2-4 teams are not impacted much.

I keep hearing experts say that although we know more than we did in March, there is much unknown about Covid and it keeps throwing wrenches -- including what existing conditions increase the risk of complications.  But of some of the things we do know - high blood pressure, diabetes, asthma - I guarantee some NBA players have these conditions. There also always a few overweight players (Glenn Davis and Jared Sullinger come to mind) who would add that risk factor.  Additionally, there are likely other hidden conditions that players aren't even aware they have.

They should be thinking about maybe being back in October which is only 5 months from now for 20-21 -- and that could be premature even then.

I agree.  It was only weeks ago that we thought children were extraordinarily unlikely to die.  Now, we’re seeing Covid-related / Covid-adjacent syndromes killing kids in NY.

Yes, it’s billions of dollars, but scrap the season and get ready for next year.

also add that COVID-19 does other things beside killing people. a larger number of people are winding up with permanent damage to their lungs, livers, urinary system, heart, and more. the statistics on this are hard to find since everything is happening so quickly and it is all so new.

so little is known right now about the true damage being done by COVID-19. i agree with Roy above.

wow. incredible virus. i don't believe we've ever seen one that can do all of this in one.

[Roy H.]

They're gonna have to do daily covid-19 testing each day before they play

this may not be the panacea we hope it will be. if a false negative comes up on a test and a player infects everyone else on the team....what then?

Also, the testing right now has difficulty detecting COVID-19 during its very early stages.

I have read a wide range of estimates on the accuracy of testing that the depend upon the test itself, the person being tested, the stage of the virus, and more. testing is good, but not remotely fool proof.

so, what happens if (when?) 3, 4, 6, or 10 players on a team comes down with the virus?

i am saying here that the process of bringing back players may be a lot more complicated than the NBA is indicating right now.

From what we know of the virus, which is a lot more than we knew back when the NBA shut down, it is highly unlikely that any NBA player would suffer life threatening symptoms. They are all young, pro athletes with no obesity, cardiovascular disease, or diabetes (assuming no diabetes for the vast majority if not all of them). They will very likely be ok.

I'm sure all players , coaches and refs will be instructed to distance themselves from friends and family members until a few weeks after they finish play for the season.

The people who will be most at risk are the older coaches and refs. They could go strictly with younger refs, but you can't expect teams with older coaches to go ahead without their head coach. 

I would imagine if it starts spreading between players, it will reach a point of urgency around the time they get to the Conference or NBA Finals. Then they may hope for the best that the remaining 2-4 teams are not impacted much.

I keep hearing experts say that although we know more than we did in March, there is much unknown about Covid and it keeps throwing wrenches -- including what existing conditions increase the risk of complications.  But of some of the things we do know - high blood pressure, diabetes, asthma - I guarantee some NBA players have these conditions. There also always a few overweight players (Glenn Davis and Jared Sullinger come to mind) who would add that risk factor.  Additionally, there are likely other hidden conditions that players aren't even aware they have.

They should be thinking about maybe being back in October which is only 5 months from now for 20-21 -- and that could be premature even then.

I agree.  It was only weeks ago that we thought children were extraordinarily unlikely to die.  Now, we’re seeing Covid-related / Covid-adjacent syndromes killing kids in NY.

Yes, it’s billions of dollars, but scrap the season and get ready for next year.

So are you against the governments across the US opening up businesses? Because I am sure the NBA is much better positioned to handle re-opening than virtually every other business that requires in person interactions at the moment.

I think its obvious that states are opening up way too early, and people have thrown caution to the wind across the US. There's going to be a large second wave this summer imo. BUT, if anyone can manage reopening safely in a contained environment with proper testing, it's the NBA. They are positioned to set an example of how its done.

At the same time, the NBA is at about the very bottom in terms of essential businesses.  Opening up just takes resources away from others that need them.

Neither are hair salons, ice cream parlors, bowling alleys, etc. but they are all opening across the country anyway.

Also, they are not taking away any resources if they follow their proposed plan. They will generate more resources for everyone. They propose to donate a certain number of tests to the general public for every test they use themselves. They are also able to serve as role models for how to safely and properly reopen. The NBA leadership is very smart and very in-tune with health and safety issues as well as public perception. I think Silver and co. see this as an opportunity to lead the way by example for the rest of the US, which is all opening regardless.

Btw, you failed to answer my question of whether you are against business reopening across the US then? Should hair dressers, bowling alleys, etc , who have no expertise or resources to maintain safety reopen, but the NBA which is much more capable of establishing and executing safety procedures stay closed?

Don't forget that NBA remaining closed does not affect only the wealthy NBA players and owners. There are a lot of employees associated with each organization who are not wealthy that will suffer significantly from the league staying closed.

For example: 

''With no clear indication of when our businesses can fully reopen, we have made the difficult yet necessary decision to furlough a portion of our employees,'' Jim Olsen, the organization's president, said in a statement. The furloughs affect Jazz employees, workers at the team's arena, a chain of movie theatres and the Los Angeles Angels' minor league baseball affiliate in Salt Lake."

https://sports.yahoo.com/nba-teams-start-reopen-testing-plan-begins-emerging-221058807--nba.html

It's been mentioned, but in response to the bolded part, the NBA resuming this season will have almost no effect on the stadium employees. If all of the games are to take place in Vegas or WDW, those employees will still remain out of work. I suppose teams could make deals with the employees to pay them a percentage of the profits, but they will probably make more money being furloughed (with the bonus $600/wk) and it's not like there is going to be a great profit margin anyway. It seems to me, the only reason for resuming this season is to recoup some of the epic losses team are currently sustaining.

Sure, but arena workers are not the only team employees they are referring to. Each team has a fairly large staff that outside of players and coaches, from trainers to media relations and marketing etc.

Now, can teams afford to pay and keep those employees? Im sure they can, but I am certain most of them dont want to and would rather furlough or lay off these workers than take the additional loss.

There are also media and other partners and their employees who are impacted.

I’m curious what the plan there would be. Are all workers to be sequestered at the side of the games?  Do they get to bring their families with them? Do players?  What if one player gets sick?  Are his teammates / recent opponents quarantined for 2 weeks? 

I don’t think preventing the virus is as foolproof as suggested, which is probably why leagues haven’t started up yet.

[greg683x]

doesnt the players union need to agree with all of this before it can start? 

The MLB commish and owners are agreeing on a july 1st start date but it doesnt appear to be met well so far with the MLB players/players union, mainly regarding money and player safety.

i would imagine this would be the biggest hurdle for the NBA, unless im behind on the reporting.

I will say though, the NBA restart plan has plenty more safeguards than what the MLB is proposing

[hpantazo]

doesnt the players union need to agree with all of this before it can start? 

The MLB commish and owners are agreeing on a july 1st start date but it doesnt appear to be met well so far with the MLB players/players union, mainly regarding money and player safety.

i would imagine this would be the biggest hurdle for the NBA, unless im behind on the reporting.

I will say though, the NBA restart plan has plenty more safeguards than what the MLB is proposing

I don't trust MLB or the NFL to do this properly. I have much higher expectations for the NBA though.

[Androslav]

Play in one city, without fans, but for the fans!

Players, owners, coaches, executives, they have all been blessed with money, health, and medicinal experts by their side.
Fans, not as much.

[jambr380]

doesnt the players union need to agree with all of this before it can start? 

The MLB commish and owners are agreeing on a july 1st start date but it doesnt appear to be met well so far with the MLB players/players union, mainly regarding money and player safety.

i would imagine this would be the biggest hurdle for the NBA, unless im behind on the reporting.

I will say though, the NBA restart plan has plenty more safeguards than what the MLB is proposing

I don't trust MLB or the NFL to do this properly. I have much higher expectations for the NBA though.

The problem with the NBA, though, is that the season essentially ended two months ago, while the MLB/NFL have yet to begin. That means there can be a true consistency on how those leagues handle their seasons (whether or not it meets players expectations), while the NBA essentially needs to hold another training camp, play an abbreviated remaining of the season schedule, and then do a weird playoff format. It would seem to make much more sense to just call the season and then provide a framework for when next season begins - which is supposed to be in 4 1/2 months.

I understand the idea of trying to save the season and it would certainly help with some of the money issues the league is facing, but I am just not sure it is logistically (or emotionally) feasible.

[Surferdad]

doesnt the players union need to agree with all of this before it can start? 

The MLB commish and owners are agreeing on a july 1st start date but it doesnt appear to be met well so far with the MLB players/players union, mainly regarding money and player safety.

i would imagine this would be the biggest hurdle for the NBA, unless im behind on the reporting.

I will say though, the NBA restart plan has plenty more safeguards than what the MLB is proposing

I don't trust MLB or the NFL to do this properly. I have much higher expectations for the NBA though.

The problem with the NBA, though, is that the season essentially ended two months ago, while the MLB/NFL have yet to begin. That means there can be a true consistency on how those leagues handle their seasons (whether or not it meets players expectations), while the NBA essentially needs to hold another training camp, play an abbreviated remaining of the season schedule, and then do a weird playoff format. It would seem to make much more sense to just call the season and then provide a framework for when next season begins - which is supposed to be in 4 1/2 months.

I understand the idea of trying to save the season and it would certainly help with some of the money issues the league is facing, but I am just not sure it is logistically (or emotionally) feasible.

IMO, starting next season on time and in the normal format is very much in doubt.

[gift]

doesnt the players union need to agree with all of this before it can start? 

The MLB commish and owners are agreeing on a july 1st start date but it doesnt appear to be met well so far with the MLB players/players union, mainly regarding money and player safety.

i would imagine this would be the biggest hurdle for the NBA, unless im behind on the reporting.

I will say though, the NBA restart plan has plenty more safeguards than what the MLB is proposing

I don't trust MLB or the NFL to do this properly. I have much higher expectations for the NBA though.

The problem with the NBA, though, is that the season essentially ended two months ago, while the MLB/NFL have yet to begin. That means there can be a true consistency on how those leagues handle their seasons (whether or not it meets players expectations), while the NBA essentially needs to hold another training camp, play an abbreviated remaining of the season schedule, and then do a weird playoff format. It would seem to make much more sense to just call the season and then provide a framework for when next season begins - which is supposed to be in 4 1/2 months.

I understand the idea of trying to save the season and it would certainly help with some of the money issues the league is facing, but I am just not sure it is logistically (or emotionally) feasible.

IMO, starting next season on time and in the normal format is very much in doubt.

In some ways it might even be worse than playing this summer. Perhaps they could gamble and start around Christmas, but if for some reason things are shutdown then for another wave of virus spike, they'd really be in trouble, giving up essentially on two seasons.

[jambr380]

doesnt the players union need to agree with all of this before it can start? 

The MLB commish and owners are agreeing on a july 1st start date but it doesnt appear to be met well so far with the MLB players/players union, mainly regarding money and player safety.

i would imagine this would be the biggest hurdle for the NBA, unless im behind on the reporting.

I will say though, the NBA restart plan has plenty more safeguards than what the MLB is proposing

I don't trust MLB or the NFL to do this properly. I have much higher expectations for the NBA though.

The problem with the NBA, though, is that the season essentially ended two months ago, while the MLB/NFL have yet to begin. That means there can be a true consistency on how those leagues handle their seasons (whether or not it meets players expectations), while the NBA essentially needs to hold another training camp, play an abbreviated remaining of the season schedule, and then do a weird playoff format. It would seem to make much more sense to just call the season and then provide a framework for when next season begins - which is supposed to be in 4 1/2 months.

I understand the idea of trying to save the season and it would certainly help with some of the money issues the league is facing, but I am just not sure it is logistically (or emotionally) feasible.

IMO, starting next season on time and in the normal format is very much in doubt.

Oh, totally. I was just showing how truly close we already are to next season. If the plan is to postpone next season because they want to re-start this one, then they are probably better off just putting together a full season for 20-21 with a well-thought out format that works for everybody. The virus isn't going anywhere any time soon so that is going to need to happen regardless.

[Roy H.]

Some company needs to hurry up and perfect virtual reality, so that we get the exact feel of being in the Garden without actually being there. Teams could sell seats and everything. Ha ha.

[PhoSita]

When is it realistically plausible that the testing capacity of the country would be such that the NBA could test all the people involved on a daily basis without placing an undue strain on the overall testing supply?

Feels like we're a long way off from that.