It has been nearly two months since commissioner Adam Silver made the immediate call to suspend the 2019-20 NBA season due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak and so far he and the league office have been hard at work to find a way to salvage the remainder of the season.
There is significant interest from both the NBA and players to resume play, but there are hurdles to getting that done. It would be irresponsible to restart games without proper testing protocols and a big enough venue to house everyone involved with games.
While the league has been searching for answers, players have been doing their best to stay in game shape in their comfort of their homes. However, this in itself is a challenge without the guidance of trainers and the state-of-the-art equipment they are accustomed to using.
Although these are not optical conditions, the hiatus does provide an unexpected opportunity for the athletes to rest their bodies. In an appearance on ESPN’s Mason & Ireland Show, Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey said the break is good for teams like his and the Los Angeles Lakers:
“This time will help us more than others. It might help the Lakers, too. I think the more veteran teams, they’re going to have more professional guys during this period to keep themselves ready. We’re the oldest team, and time off can, in a relative sense, help more veteran, older teams.”
The rest afforded to the players is an unexpected gift as older teams like the Lakers could use it after all the minutes and miles on their bodies. Los Angeles was ramping up their play before the season got put on hold, so in theory they should be more refreshed for any futures games that might be played.
On the contrary, though, is that the break came at a time when the purple and gold had found their rhythm on both ends of the floor and built momentum heading into the final stretch before the postseason.
That kind of progress would be impossible to recreate whenever the season does continue, so it could be argued that the break is doing more harm than good for the Lakers’ title hopes.
Regardless, there is nothing that can be done until the league finds a solution that works for them and the players. The only thing anyone can do is wait and see how the situation develops in the coming weeks.