On Friday, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported the NBA was eyeing July 31 as its return date to finish the season that was halted on March 11 because of the coronavirus pandemic, and that between 20-22 teams could be welcomed to the bubble site of Orlando’s Walt Disney World Resort to finish the campaign.
It appears some of the clubs on the outside of the playoff picture want to be part of the action, if only for a couple of weeks.
On Monday, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Zach Lowe reported that Oklahoma City Thunder owner Clay Bennett has campaigned for all 30 teams to be involved in the season’s resumption due to the financial difficulties small-market clubs have faced since the middle of March.
Wojnarowski and Lowe added the NBA is considering having non-playoff clubs participate in summer training camp sessions and potentially a fall league that would prevent those sides from being out of action from March 11 through the start of December.
Owners understandably want their teams to play as many games as possible in any season. However, convincing players to participate in what they deem to be meaningless games during a pandemic may prove to be a difficult task.
In late April, Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said he and his players were in “offseason mode” after beginning the basketball hiatus with the NBA’s worst record.
Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard made headlines last week when he told Yahoo Sports he wouldn’t participate in a summer season resumption unless the Trail Blazers had a realistic chance to make some version of the playoffs.
Owners are expected to approve the proposal submitted by NBA commissioner Adam Silver on Thursday.
