Like the NHL, the National Basketball Association remains hopeful that they can restart the current season due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19). A couple of key developments happened last week. Check out our NBA update for info on those two developments. Keep reading to find out about those developments and updated NBA Odds.
NBA Coronavirus Update – May 4th Edition
2020 NBA Championship
- When: TBD
- Where: TBD
2020 NBA Championship Odds
- Los Angeles Lakers +200
- Milwaukee Bucks +225
- A. Clippers +300
- Houston Rockets +1500
- Boston Celtics +1500
- Toronto Raptors +1600
- Denver Nuggets +2000
- Philadelphia 76ers +2800
- Utah Jazz +3300
- Miami Heat +2800
- Dallas Mavericks +3500
- Indiana Pacers +8000
- New Orleans Pelicans +10000
- Portland Trail Blazers +2000
- Oklahoma City Thunder +10000
- Memphis Grizzlies +50000
- Brooklyn Nets +50000
- Orlando Magic +50000
- San Antonio Spurs +50000
- Phoenix Suns +100000
- Sacramento Kings +100000
NBA’s season restart likely with only essential personnel
NBA season restart talk has gained steam. Plenty of ideas have floated on how to restart the current season. The overarching idea is that the season starts without fans. Simply put, it’s hard to know how fans could follow current social distancing rules in stadiums.
Even when most of the U.S. and Canada opens, social distancing rules won’t cease. Arenas are built to pack in as many people as possible, which brings us to the next part of any NBA reopen.
The National Basketball Association, and this is a great thing, has discussed various venues. The MGM Grand in Las Vegas has offered up three hotels for the league to finish out the season. Makes a ton of sense because the MGM has plenty of empty hotel rooms.
The Aria, Bellagio, and Vdara are situated next to each other. If you look at a map of the Las Vegas Strip, you can see the T-Mobile Arena next to the New York New York, another MGM Grand Hotel. The NBA could work with the MGM to get this done.
Another idea? Playing at the Walt Disney Resort in Orlando. This is a possibility because the Walt Disney Resort has basketball courts and plenty of space.
The third idea is the first, play games at team practice facilities. This is the least likely idea because it could require too much travel.
A final idea is to play a “pod” schedule. The pod schedule might work. Put teams into two to four “pods” throughout the nation. Have a pod in the Southeast, the Midwest, the Southwest, and somewhere in California, probably Northern California since the pandemic hasn’t affected that region of the Golden State as much.
Then, teams play inside the pods. They don’t travel outside of the pod until an agreed upon site for the NBA Finals.
Any solution would require limited personnel. The National Basketball Association believes 30 to 35 people, including the players, might work.
Television crews would also be limited. Game broadcasts would happen off-site.
December start for 2020-2021 NBA Season
The second Coronavirus development has to do with the NBA Draft and a December start for the upcoming season. The league has yet to push the June NBA Draft. That appears to be the plan.
Then again, the NBA might want to consider the draft before restarting the season. That’s what the NHL has discussed. If the NBA does push the draft, college players who declared for the NBA, may want to reconsider.
Pushing the draft could mean canceling the draft. College players could go back to school and play the 2020-2021 College Basketball Season.
