On March 11, the NBA suspended the 2019-20 season after Utah Jazz star Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19. Some, like Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, believed the pause might only last a month or two. But others, like ESPN analyst Jeff Van Gundy, have been much more skeptical about an early return to action.
Two-and-a-half months later, the NBA is slowly gearing up to resume play. But the league still is waiting for the approval of an official plan.
And unfortunately for basketball fans, a plan won’t be agreed upon this week.
Though the Board of Governors will meet Friday, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski they will not vote on any sort of return-to-play structure. NBA commissioner Adam Silver reportedly confirmed this during a call Thursday with NBA general managers.
Talks about the plan, however, will continue over the weekend.
On a call with the NBA GM's this afternoon, Adam Silver confirmed that Friday's meeting of the Board of Governors would not include a formal vote on a return-to-play plan, sources tell ESPN. Talks on a plan will continue into the weekend.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 28, 2020
We know this isn’t the news fans wanted to hear, but it isn’t the worst news, either. The board might not be voting on the issue this week, but the league’s reported ongoing talks should offer some hope for fans eager to see sports return.
At this point, a mid-July return to play is optimistic considering players will need at least three-to-four weeks to get back into game shape. If the Board of Governors approved a plan next Friday, league play likely wouldn’t even begin until July 10 at the absolute earliest. But a late-July or early-August return appears more likely at the moment.
When exactly will a plan be revealed and voted on, though? Only time will tell.
