Dallas Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban Has "No Idea" When NBA Season Might Return
DALLAS (CBADFW.COM) - Since the NBA shut down last month, Dallas Mavericks fans have been looking for good news on when play might start back up. Unfortunately for them, owner Mark Cuban doesn't sound optimistic about the season starting anytime soon.
Cuban appeared on ESPN's 'Get Up' this morning and said he has "no idea" when the NBA season might return.
"I have no idea [when the NBA will return]. The only thing I know is we are going to put safety first, and we are not going to take any chances. We are not going to do anything that risks the health and safety of our players, our fans, our staff, the whole organization." Cuban said. "So right now I really don't have anything new to say."
Adding, "All the experts have got to say it will be absolutely safe. We can not put anything ahead of the health and safety of our players and staff. That's it, and it's such a moving target. Nobody really has specifics. I haven't had any conversations where anybody's even discussed an actual date at this point."
The NBA world was stunned March 12th when the league was suspended, which came after Utah Jazz player Rudy Golbert had tested positive for COVID-19. Several other players including Donvan Mitchell and Keven Durant had tested positive since, however, most have recovered at this point. "This is people's lives at stake. This isn't about basketball, this isn't about the Mavericks... this is a pandemic, a global pandemic where people's lives are at stake. I'm a lot more worried about my kids and my mom who's 82 years old and talking to her and telling her to stay in the house than I am about when we play our next game," Cuban said at the time of the suspension.
The MLB and NHL quickly followed the NBA's decision and have also suspended their seasons. Many NHL executives including the Dallas Stars' Jim Nill have taken pay cuts to cope with the suspension, and the MLB is currently talking about radical changes including starting the season without fans and wearing masks. The NFL has yet to alter their season in any way, however, organized team activities that would normally be taking place in the offseason have been canceled.
The Chinese Basketball Association had announced they were going to return to play on April 15th after halting its season in late January due to COVID-19, but after not receiving approval from the government to continue playing, the league decided to delay its return even further to May.
