As the NBA season moves towards possibly starting up again, the number of positive coronavirus tests continues to pile up as well. It’s not lost on the higher-ups at the NBA, though, that the restart of the 2019-20 season could potentially get shut down in the pandemic grows any larger.
Although NBA commissioner Adam Silver is “pretty confident” that everything has been done to combat the spread of coronavirus in the Orlando bubble, he does acknowledge that things will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis.
“Never full steam ahead no matter what,” said Silver. “One thing we are learning about this virus is much (is) unpredictable, and we and our players together with their union look at the data on a daily basis. If there were something to change that was outside of the scope of what we are playing for, certainly, we would revisit our plans.
“We are testing daily. We haven’t put a precise number on it, but if we were to see a large number of cases and see spread in our community, that would, of course, be a cause to stop as well.”
Uncertain Terms
Silver isn’t sure what would exactly cause another shutdown to the season. In fact, the league will be working with several different scientists, doctors, and experts.
“We are going to see as we go,” Silver said. “Certainly if cases are isolated, that’s one thing. A lot of the determination will be our understanding of how our community became infected. That will be part of our judgment in terms of whether we should continue. But certainly, if we had a lot of cases, we are going to stop. You cannot run from this virus.
“I am absolutely convinced that it will be safer on this campus than off this campus because there aren’t many situations that I am aware of where there is mass testing of asymptomatic employees,” Silver said of the NBA’s plan to resume play at Walt Disney World Resort. “In some ways, this is maybe a model for how other industries can ultimately open. But I am only going to say we will be responsible and watch what is happening, but the biggest indicator will be if we begin to see a spread in our community.”
Optimistic Outlook
Meanwhile, the commissioner and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban are optimistic about the NBA returning to play under a heavily protected Walt Disney World Resort.
“It hasn’t really increased at all,” Cuban said when asked if the concern has increased about resuming the season with cases surging in Florida. “There’s obviously risk, but each and every day, the science improves, and the medical response has gotten smarter.
“Look, the number of cases just goes to show you that you need to be quarantined, you need to be safe, you need to be diligent, we need to wear our masks and to take the necessary precautions, and that’s exactly what we’ll do.
“If the general population in all of these cities, including Dallas, had followed those same precautions and hadn’t gotten overly confident that this was behind us, we wouldn’t be experiencing what we are today. So I think the bubble will actually make our players safer.”
For bettors, it is becoming a constant struggle of whether to believe the NBA season will stay intact. After all, there are a lot of futures bets that could be affected because of this. Not to mention, that would end up creating a much larger problem for casinos and sportsbooks alike at some point if things aren’t resolved.
