The NBA is willing to wait quite a while to get the season restarted.
Of course, the current campaign is on pause amid the COVID-19 outbreak, but slowly *some* normalcy is beginning to resume. Teams are able to reopen their facilities on a limited basis if it complies with state requirements, and commissioner Adam Silver has started talking to the players’ association about possible restart plans.
But things remain plenty uncertain, which is little surprise given the impact and unpredictability of the pandemic.
And while Labor Day initially was named as a time frame for the current season to be completed by, it appears it could be even later than that. Los Angeles Lakers forward Jared Dudley indicated on Twitter that the league might be willing to wait until October to crown a champion.
Oct was the latest I’ve heard.. The Thinking is the longer it takes to finish the longer they can push back the start of next season until December or January. Then giving the league a possible chance for fans if a vaccine or treatment comes available https://t.co/twmU7KXcy9
— Jared Dudley (@JaredDudley619) May 9, 2020
Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix then added a little more insight as to why a January 2021 start for next season could be agreeable.
To @JaredDudley619’s point: No reason the NBA shouldn’t consider pushing the start of next season into January. If fan-based revenue is 40% of league rev—as Adam Silver reportedly said on the players call—the longer the league delays, the better the chances of crowds returning.
— Chris Mannix (@SIChrisMannix) May 9, 2020
Silver indicated that the league is in no rush to restart the season, so it could be weeks before we see some semblance of a concrete plan.
