Since March 11, the NBA has been navigating through uncharted waters as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) that has impacted the entire world.
During this time, there have been numerous contingency plans such as playing in a centralized location (Las Vegas) with rapid testing available.
As commissioner Adam Silver recently stated a decision on the 2019-20 NBA season will not be made until at least May, he provided another update.
After meeting with the Board of Governors, Silver acknowledged the league is in no position to make any decisions, via Shams Charania of The Athletic:
NBA commissioner Adam Silver says Board of Governors are in agreement that safety is paramount: “We are not in any position to make any decisions and it’s unclear when we will be.”
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 17, 2020
Along with this, Silver shared the league is currently looking at data instead of dates for a potential return, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN:
On a conference call, NBA commissioner Adam Silver says the league is looking at data, not dates. The league is not even to a place where if A, B, C were to happen, there would be a path to return. Many “bubble like concepts” have been proposed but “we’ve only listened.”
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) April 17, 2020
Despite the circumstances, Silver is not ready to set a date on when the season has to resume, according to Tim Macmahon of ESPN:
Adam Silver says NBA is not ready to set a date when a decision has to be made on resuming the season. "I would just say everything is on the table," including moving back the start of next season.
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) April 17, 2020
While sports are missed and would provide much-needed entertainment, health and safety are the only priorities for the NBA and the entire world.
At this current time, it appears the best-case scenario is starting around Fourth of July and pushing the 2020-21 season to Christmas Day now.
Along with this, the league is reportedly looking at a 25-day program as part of a potential return plan to get players into game shape and avoid injuries.
