Since the 2019-20 NBA season was suspended on March 11, commissioner Adam Silver and company are navigating through unchartered waters.
With the coronavirus recently declared a pandemic, the league went from almost playing games without fans to at least a 30-day suspension now.
As the situation remains fluid, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has made a recommendation that will impact the NBA and events.
With no events of 50-plus people for the next eight weeks, owners have a best-case scenario in mind, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN:
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
While finishing the NBA season is the goal, the same cannot be said for the G League soon, according to Wojnarowski and Malika Andrews of ESPN:
Reporting with @malika_andrews: NBA teams operating G League franchises expect rest of the minor-league season will soon be cancelled, sources tell ESPN. Regular season runs thru end of March, playoffs into April. Players have been informed they’ll be paid thru end of schedule.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 15, 2020
Based on the CDC’s recommendation, less than 50 people at an NBA game adds up pretty quickly without fans, according to Zach Lowe of ESPN:
Add up players, coaches, training staff, referees, etc., and you get toward 50 people for an NBA game with 0 fans pretty fast. https://t.co/ACyZlN69fW
— Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_NBA) March 15, 2020
With an everchanging landscape, the immediate concern is obviously if the season will even resume. If May 11 is the earliest date for a return at best, the regular season and playoffs will likely extend into mid-to-late June.
If all goes well during this time, it appears both owners and players want to finish out the season. However, there are way too many variables right now.