It looks like the NBA is inching closer and closer to resuming the 2019-20 season, as plans and contingencies are being put together.
One plan has to do with keeping teams insulated once they return to normal basketball activities to protect them from the novel coronavirus.
Jared Dudley says that his Los Angeles Lakers will go above and beyond the league’s guidelines.
“Bron (LeBron James), AD (Anthony Davis) and all the top guys we have, we’ll be wrapping them in a bubble and not letting them go anywhere,” Dudley said in a video conference call with reporters on Wednesday. “You’ll have that be a team rule. Now, it won’t be a league, an NBA rule, but you’d want to say, ‘Listen, guys, we’ve come too far. We’re going to put our family on hold.'”
The NBA is considering hosting all teams and players in at least one of two sites for the duration of the resumption of play. The two sites being considered are Las Vegas, Nev. and Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla.
It appears there will be frequent, rigorous testing of players and other members of each team’s organization to prevent any infections.
The NBA still has to figure out the logistics of what a resumption would look like, especially in terms of ramping up activity through a second training camp. It will also have to decide whether to stage any regular season games before beginning the playoffs, and whether the playoffs would retain their standard format.
