The NBA suspended their season for a month, with plans to reassess where things stood with the nation’s response to the coronavirus at that time.
However, according to a new report, the league may be bracing for a much longer postponement than that.
Sources to ESPN NBA reporter Adrian Wojnarowski say that league owners and executives believe that the league will not be able to resume play until mid-to-late June, at best.
“Fears exist of a season completely lost, especially based on what some experts see as the slow response of the United States to flatten the curve of the coronavirus and make testing available on a widespread basis,” Wojnarowski writes. “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a recommendation on Sunday night that no events or gatherings should include more than 50 people for the next eight weeks.
“The league office has given teams no guidance yet on a timeline for a resumption of play, but organizations themselves are preparing for the possibility of a long hiatus based upon the facts surrounding the coronavirus outbreak.”
The availability and issuing of testing kits has become a lightning rod for debate in the political discussion surrounding the handling of the virus. Though, it’s important to note, the availability of testing kits would do nothing to flatten the curve of a virus that is already out of the containment stage and spreading.
The fact remains there is no vaccine for the coronavirus. So a positive test would result in the doctor giving a patient the same direction he would give to someone who merely had the flu or some other common sickness: Go home and isolate yourself. Flattening the curve would require preventative measures such as social distancing, proper hygiene, and other measures which the federal government has already repeatedly advised people to do.
Still, the NBA is not merely concerned with the physical health of its players and fans, they’re also concerned about their financial health.
“NBA owners are awaiting the league’s financial projections on lost revenues, which are expected to be shared with them soon, sources said. J.B. Lockhart, the NBA’s chief financial officer, has been leading the effort to deliver owners what all expect to be challenging financial projections on a short-term future that is thick with uncertainty and volatility,” Wojnarowski explains.
“The NBA likely will provide projections on three primary scenarios: the financial costs of shutting down the season, restarting with no fans in the arena, or playing playoff games with fans. Those losses will be reflected in next season’s salary cap and the players’ share of basketball-related income.”
The league has preliminary plans to play games without fans, and has directed their teams to make preparations for playing games at alternate locations as late as August. Another issue compounding the financial difficulty for the league and specifically their owners, is the large number of concerts and other events that NBA arenas play host to which will also be canceled during the league’s suspension.
The NBA’s new, elongated hiatus also begs the question of whether baseball will also be forced to reevaluate the length of their self-imposed suspension. Major League Baseball had initially suspended spring training and pushed their March 26th start date back two weeks. Though, with the CDC’s new recommended ban on crowds of over 50, that would obviously push MLB’s projected start date for the regular season past their original two week projection.
Follow Dylan Gwinn on Twitter @themightygwinn
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