The NBA Could Possibly Return At Disney

Due to the coronavirus, the NBA has now been suspended for 10 weeks. They are looking for ways to finish the season before it becomes too late. Each day that goes by, the league gets closer to the scheduled starting date of the 2020-21 season.
There is a possibility that they can still get in the 2020 postseason. They are now debating the “bubble” concept. All games would happen in one central location.
The host would be Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Fla. An NBA spokesperson has revealed that they are in conversations about how this could happen.
The complex is on 220 acres and has three arenas. Plenty of hotel arrangements would be available to the players.
“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 NBA 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,” NBA spokesman Mike Bass said.
Testing has become key to the return. Commissioner Adam Silver has said they will be following the CDC guidelines and information provided by health professionals. The NBA is working with labs to generate tests for the league. They could need up to 15,000 tests to return.
“I do think it would be disturbing to many if there was massive testing that was available to a sports league at a time when people who are in high-risk situations were still having a difficult time getting access to testing,” said Dr. Vivek Murthy, a former surgeon general.
Experts differ in their thoughts on how much testing should occur. Some believe weekly, while others think it should happen every day.
How Long Would It Take?
There are a lot of things that would have to happen for this to take place. Players still don’t have all of the information on how long this would take.
“There are so many layers that would have to come into play for (a bubble) to even happen,” Chris Paul, president of the National Basketball Players Association, said last week. “We would have to know exactly what that would look like. There’s a lot of hypotheticals out there.”
One big question is how long the players would need to get back in shape. It’s not possible to begin play immediately after quarantine. These athletes have not been able to play or practice with teammates in months.
The NBA is also trying to make this happen with as few people as possible. To reduce the chances of the virus spreading, they will limit the number of people involved.
The only other complex that has been debated other than Disney is the MGM Grand. Las Vegas already hosts the summer league for recently drafted players.
If the playoffs are going to happen, this might be the only possible solution to limit travel.