PHOENIX SUNS
Jared Dudley believes NBA will still finish season despite suspension
Mar 12, 2020, 5:57 PM | Updated: Mar 13, 2020, 2:56 pm
(Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
(Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
Sports in the United States are in limbo for the foreseeable future as COVID-19 forced the likes of the NBA, MLB, NHL, NCAA and more to cancel or suspend play.
The NBA will suspend operations for at least 30 days, which will continue to increase the difficulty of logistically finishing the season.
On top of potentially pushing the league calendar back, such as the NBA Draft and free agency, having to lock down the space and resources to hold the games will be a tall, tall task.
Despite those hurdles, Los Angeles Lakers forward and former Phoenix Sun Jared Dudley believes the NBA will still get the 2019-20 campaign completed based on what he’s been hearing.
“What I do know, and this is through stuff we’ve had — it’s on the table that the owners want to finish the regular season and [playoffs],” he told Arizona Sports’ Burns & Gambo Thursday.
“I got confirmation that they have no problem going late into the summer to finish it up.”
That, however, would have the games interfere with the schedule of the Summer Olympics in Tokyo. But Dudley said he’s hearing that those are getting pushed back.
“That’s the word I think the NBA is getting that they’re gonna postpone it till 2021,” he said.
Dudley is on a team that has higher stakes than most for this season. The Lakers are at the top of the Western Conference at 49-14. With 35-year-old LeBron James at the helm, every opportunity at a championship is meaningful.
Like everyone else at the moment, though, they are restricted by the spread of the virus and want everyone to be safe.
“There’s a lot of stuff that’s kind of day-by-day,” he said. “But for sure, we’ve been on a roll and we’ve been playing at such a high level.
“Obviously your health is first, your family is first but I think every player wants to finish this season.”
