There has been plenty of speculation regarding which of the various playoff formats the league will choose as part of the expected return of the 2019-20 NBA season.
Of course, the NBA will first need to determine how it will finish out the remainder of the regular season, if at all. Reports indicate that the league is hoping to reach a target goal of 72 total games for each team.
That not only would allow for players to find their rhythm but also create some level of uniformity. Walt Disney World in Orlando has already been pegged as the centralized location that will likely serve as the host for the remaining games as well as the playoffs.
It appears the league already has an idea of when a resume to action will take place. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, it is possible that the season will start back up again in August instead of the initial hope of July:
In fact, there’s a possibility the first games played in Orlando could be in August, not July, sources said.
That possibility was corroborated by Shams Charania of The Athletic, who additionally outlined rough estimates for training camps and exhibition games:
Sources: The NBA is working on multi-phase medical/safety protocols toward restart of play. Current projections have in-market training camps in July, then camps/scrimmages in Orlando, then resume play late July/early August.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 27, 2020
Although there are still a number of factors to consider before targeting a specific date, it is encouraging to see that a timetable has at least been set. The fact that owners feel they are able to push back the start date indicates that they plan on taking their time with the decision-making process.
After all, it had already been deemed a foregone conclusion that the initial timeline of this year’s events would be pushed back significantly due to the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Reports suggest that teams are already teams are preparing for the 2020 NBA Draft to happen in September with free agency starting soon after in October.
Not surprisingly, it has been difficult for all 30 teams to come to a consensus on how the rest of the year should play out given the varying situations around the league. Fortunately, it appears all sides are on the same page when it comes to ensuring that teams have enough time to make the necessary preparations.