The NBA is reportedly considering where to play its next season if a cure or a vaccine for COVID-19 is still not available for everyone.
The NBA is just four months away from the next season. However, the plans for it haven’t been polished. Just like any other person in the world, the people over in the NBA still don’t know when the pandemic will subside. Some countries are just waiting for the vaccine silver bullet to fix their economic and social problems. Some have taken a stronger stance.
Be that as it may, businesses and lives around the world are affected. Fortunately, the NBA has enough resources to keep its business going artificially. As to how long it can do, it will depend on the willingness of the entire league to cooperate.
NBA considers Las Vegas or Orlando
The bubble in Orlando is doing so far, so good. No one tested positive in the league for two consecutive weeks. In other words, the experiment and gamble of the NBA paid off. Unfortunately, the reality is they may not be able to keep this success up for next season.
Instead of housing 22 teams inside the bubble, they will have to manage 30 teams. That could easily be an additional 200 people inside the compound. Also, instead of just playing for four months, they will have to stay inside for an entire season. Despite having such a big space, cabin fever can settle quickly.
As such, the NBA is reportedly considering starting separate regional hubs for the next season. The two places the league is considering are Orlando and Las Vegas. The bubble in Orlando is already working. They’ll just have to mirror the same protocols to ensure safety. While in In Las Vegas, they will have to find a suitable place to hold the games and provide lodging for the players.
Regional hubs system
No one can say for sure how next the season will play out. It’s scheduled to start in December. However, with the way things are going in the United States, some analysts expect the season to be pushed back to March.
Nevertheless, all possible plans are on the table. As of the moment, the regional hubs seem to be most plausible. In this setup, select teams will be asked to travel to a bubble to play a certain number of games. It will last for a month or so. After this, they can go home to their families for one to two weeks.
After the rest, they’ll have to fly again to another bubble to play games with a different set of teams. This will go on until they complete a target number of games. The logistics for this setup will be a nightmare. Also, the days off could be time for the players to contract the virus.
As such, it’s not a perfect plan, but any plan is a good plan considering the gravity of the situation. The NBA just has to play its cards right to keep the business going.
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