Knicks and Nets fans may have to wait three months – or more – before they can see their teams back on the court.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said on Tuesday that the 2020-21 season is likely to start in January.
“We said a week ago or so that the earliest we would start is Christmas of this year. But the more I’m learning even listening to Dr. Fauci this morning, I continue to believe that we’re going to be better off getting into January,” Silver said on Citizen CNN Tuesday.
Silver said that a January start to next season was his "best guess" at the moment. The commissioner still hopes to play 82 games with a traditional postseason next year.
“And further, the goal would be to play games in home arenas in front of fans, but there’s still a lot that we need to learn in terms of rapid testing for example. Would that be a means of getting fans into our buildings, will there be other protections?” Silver said in the CNN interview with Bob Costas. “Some of the things we’re learning down in Orlando currently on the campus down there and also clearly learning a lot from other sports - what baseball is currently doing, what football is doing sort of as college sports has begun playing – (is instructive).
“So, there’s a lot of new information out there in the marketplace that we’re looking to absorb. But the goal is to play a standard season.”
The 2020 NBA Finals will finish next month and the NBA Draft is tentatively scheduled for Nov. 18. Free agency is scheduled to open on Nov. 20. So it would make sense for the league to take a month off between the draft/free agency and the following season.
Pushing the 2020-21 season also gives the league a chance to play more games in front of fans. Silver has said repeatedly that playing in front of fans is a priority. The NBA – and all other businesses impacted by the pandemic – is looking to recoup revenue lost from playing games without fans.
The NBA’s playoff bubble has been a success thus far, as they've kept positive cases at bay. However, a traditional bubble can't be in effect when all teams are back in the mix again. And compared to the NFL and MLB, NBA games are obviously played indoors instead of outside, where social distancing can be practiced much easier.
Silver also said in the interview that he didn’t the players to continue to protest against systemic racism in the exact same ways they have during the bubble in Orlando. And he discussed the league’s relationship with China, which has come under scrutiny amid the country’s human rights violations and an imbroglio between the league and the country after Houston Rockets GM Daryl Morey sent out a pro-democracy tweet prior to the league’s games in China last year. Here is a clip to the interview, which includes Silver’s full thoughts on both issues.