With the 2019-20 NBA season on hold, more and more questions have begun to arise as there is a legitimate worry that it may not resume given the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis.
This is an unprecedented event that has forced the league to scramble for solutions despite all the uncertainty that comes with the situation. Although players have started to clear the virus and become symptom-free, there are still numerous logistical hurdles to overcome.
One of those issues is how much time is afforded to teams to get back up to speed as they can not simply jump back into playing high-level basketball.
In a recent appearance on Spectrum SportsNet, head coach Frank Vogel gave his thoughts on how the league should proceed:
“That’s a difficult one as well because I think the longer the amount of time that goes by, the more time you’re actually going to need to get back to being in game shape. Obviously, it’s not gonna end today, but if it were to end today and we were only out for two weeks, you could probably get back in a few days to up to a week. If it goes two… three months, maybe you need a little more than two to three weeks. It’s really one of those, ‘Let’s wait and see how much time has gone by and see what feels right and what makes the most sense.'”
Despite the circumstances, Vogel had praise for the league office and placed his faith in them to figure things out:
“I think our league does a great job of having a common-sense approach and they’re gonna do things that are in the best interest of our players and our fans and obviously within the guidelines of being socially responsible.”
Three-fourths of the season had already passed and the 2020 NBA playoffs were right around the corner, so getting players ample time to work themselves back into game shape should be a major priority. Inadequate conditioning could lead to major injuries and that is, of course, something everyone will want to avoid.
However, it is a challenging problem because there is no set timetable for a return, which means it is difficult to gauge how much time needs to be set aside for practices and games. Not only that, but there is also the issue of figuring out where to play as venues have other events they need to reschedule as well.