Report: NBA Expects Return In June Under 'Best-Case Scenario'
BOSTON (CBS) -- In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the world of sports has obviously taken a backseat to much more important issues. That pause may last longer than many people think.
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that NBA executives are preparing for a return to game action in mid-June ... as the "best-case scenario."
As far as what might not be the best-case scenario, Wojanrowski reported that "fears exist of a season completely lost."
Considering the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended not having gatherings of more than 50 people for the next eight weeks, there certainly will not be any fans in attendance for any sporting events any time soon.
Wojnarowski reported that while the NBA has not yet communicated any such news to teams, executives are simply doing the math while looking at the state of the country and the pandemic.
In terms of actual planning, Wojnarowksi reported this:
For now, there's a working plan that games would return without fans, and teams have been told to search out arena dates well into August for the playoffs, sources said. Teams have been directed to give the league office potential dates at smaller nearby game venues, including team practice facilities, that could spare the use of empty, cavernous arenas and possibly provide backdrops to unique television viewing lines.
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Through it all, NBA commissioner Adam Silver is encouraging his league to be open to experimental ideas in every area -- scheduling format, venues, television -- on how to respond to an unprecedented crisis.
Of course, as with anything in this crisis, nobody knows anything for sure, and everything can change in a single moment. For now though, it feels safe to brace for a very long period without professional sports as we know them.
