Woj: Some NBA execs believe June return, no fans is best-case scenario
Mar 15, 2020, 6:37 PM | Updated: 6:40 pm
(AP Photo/Matt York)
The growing belief throughout the NBA is that the 30-day game postponement will be extended, ESPN reporter Adrian Wojnarowski tweeted.
Team owners and executives “increasingly believe a best case scenario is a mid-to-late June return to play — with no fans,” he tweeted.
CDC recommendation of no events of 50-plus people for next two months comes as a number of NBA owners and executives increasingly believe a best case scenario is a mid-to-late June return to play — with no fans. League's scouting for possible arena dates all the way thru August.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 15, 2020
After league play was suspended following the positive coronavirus test of Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert Wednesday, commissioner Adam Silver placed a postponement on NBA games of at least 30 days.
Since, the United States has issued serious precautions and laws regarding the virus, including a travel ban to 26 European countries and a recommendation Sunday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advising against gatherings of 50 or more people for eight weeks.
Between Wednesday and Sunday, more NBA executives have come to believe the postponement could last for about three months.
This is a notable change in attitude since Wednesday afternoon, when the league was considering continuing the planned league schedule but playing without fans in attendance.
The Golden State Warriors had announced fans would not be allowed at home games. They did not play a game between that announcement and the NBA’s suspension of play.
As of Sunday night, three NBA players had tested positive for the coronavirus.
The season was scheduled to end April 15 and the playoffs would start three days later. The NBA Finals typically go through mid-June; last year’s six-game NBA Finals ended June 13.
If that were the case, the NBA would have to decide whether to play more regular season games or jump straight to the playoffs.
The 2020-21 season schedule would also likely be altered. The most recent precedent to that would be the 66-game 2011-12 season following the NBA lockout, in which the first game was played on Dec. 25.
If the remainder of regular season games were to be canceled, the Phoenix Suns would end their year with a record of 26-39 in 65 games.