Coronavirus outbreak could force NBA to permanently change schedule, Adam Silver suggests
The NBA suspended their season last week with no indication of when it will return. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver comments on how the pandemic may have altered the league’s calendar permanently.
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Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James has made it clear that it would be a bad idea if the NBA were to go straight to postseason play once the season was to resume amid the coronavirus pandemic.
James joined former Cleveland Cavaliers teammates Richard Jefferson and Channing Frye this week on Uninterrupted’s “Road Trippin’ Podcast” and voiced his opinion on the situation.
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“One thing you can’t just do is go straight to the playoffs,” James said, according to ESPN. “Because it discredits the 60-plus games that guys had fighting for that position.”
James also talked about his concern about the layoff negatively affecting the body. He believes one possible scenario could revolve around playing between 5-10 games to get players’ bodies acclimated to NBA games.
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“When you’ve been building six months of conditioning and preparation and then [it’s gone], the narrative that I don’t like [is], ‘Well, now guys get so much rest.’ Or, like, ‘LeBron, he’s 35, he’s got so many minutes on his body, now he gets so much rest,'” James said.
“It’s actually the opposite for me because my body, when we stopped playing, was asking me, like, ‘What the hell are you doing?’ My body was like, ‘Hey man, what the hell is going on? It’s March 13th, you’re getting ready for the playoffs, why are you shutting down right now?’ And I was right there turning the corner, like, I felt like I was rounding third base, getting ready for the postseason. So the rest factor, I think it’s a little bit [overblown]. Especially when you’re in the full swing of things.”
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The NBA owners and players seem to be on board with saving the season.
Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban expressed optimism Monday that the NBA could return to action in May after the league suspended its season due to coronavirus concerns.
“Hopefully by the middle of May, we're starting to get back to normal and the NBA is playing games,” Cuban told WFAA-TV. “Maybe not with fans, but we're playing it because sports plays such an important role. You know, people want something to cheer for, people want something to rally around, people want something to be excited about.”
Fox News' Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.