The National Basketball Association has rightly made participation in the restart of the 2019–20 season voluntary. With the novel coronavirus still spreading — and evidently with greater frequency in Florida, where the competition is slated to resume — and safety concerns giving otherwise-healthy quarters pause, the league has made it a point to give them all the information and time they need to make a decision with which they will be happy. Needless to say, it aimed for complete attendance, but acknowledged the goal to be a pipe dream in the face of all the uncertainty.
Already, seven players have opted out of joining their teams in the bubble environment at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, and more will likely follow suit. Avery Bradley (Lakers), Wilson Chandler (Nets), and Thabo Sefolosha (Rockets) have begged off as a preventive measure, while DeAndre Jordan (Nets) thought best to stay away after testing positive for the virus. Meanwhile, Trevor Ariza (Blazers) chose not to forego a one-month visitation period with his son, would-be free agent Davis Bertrans (Wizards) weighed against risking a big payday in the coming offseason given his history of injury and the long odds of making the playoffs, and Willie Cauley-Stein (Mavericks) instead figured on being around his family when his wife gives birth later this month.
The wariness extends to franchise staff, although it bears noting that all the head coaches are bent on making the trip to Walt Disney World. In particular, Alvin Gentry, Mike D’Antoni, and Rick Carlisle have underscored their desire to keep pacing the sidelines for the Pelicans, Rockets, and Mavericks, respectively, despite their being 65, 69, and 60; they had to push back against talk that senior citizens would be barred from joining the bubble contingent, prompting the NBA to assure them that age alone would not lead to disqualification.
Significantly, commissioner Adam Silver pointed out that “much [is] unpredictable, and we and our players together with their union look at the data on a daily basis. If there were something to change that was outside of the scope of what we are playing for, certainly we would revisit our plans.” Which is to say the NBA is as prepared as can be, but is likewise ready to shut down the season should infections rise to an alarming level. That there will be positive tests inside the bubble environment, however heavily controlled, is inevitable. The question is how many, and how confident the NBA is in containing the spread of the virus.
At this point, the league believes no place is completely shielded from danger, and that its guarded complex will actually be safest. Medical experts agree, and although history is replete with examples of practice being far from theory, there can be no doubting it has done its job. The rest is up to the players, heading into, and, more importantly, while inside, the bubble.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and Human Resources management, corporate communications, and business development.
