Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here… highlighting the big storyline. Because there’s nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.
Against the backdrop of a global pandemic, NBA owners and executives are bracing for the possibility of mid-to-late June as a best-case scenario for the league’s return, sources told ESPN on Sunday.
The NBA likely will provide projections on three primary scenarios: the financial costs of shutting down the season, restarting with no fans in the arena, or playing playoff games with fans. Those losses will be reflected in next season’s salary cap and the players’ share of basketball-related income.
For now, there’s a working plan that games would return without fans, and teams have been told to search out arena dates well into August for the playoffs, sources said. Teams have been directed to give the league office potential dates at smaller nearby game venues, including team practice facilities, that could spare the use of empty, cavernous arenas and possibly provide backdrops to unique television viewing lines.
I’ll be honest, with every passing hour, it’s getting harder to envision the return of the NBA. It appears the best-case scenario is we start the playoffs in the summer. This would have a drastic impact on the schedule for next season.
There are a few other developments, the league is permitting players to travel out of their market, and there’s a report the drug-testing program will pause while the league is on hiatus. Smoke ’em if you got’em.
In the new Locked On Celtics podcast, John and I discussed the league news and took a deep-dive into Jayson Tatum’s breakout season.
[protected-iframe id=”d44ae1ef0e116ecd5fa8a2f98bab6d2d-142507471-54426440″ info=”https://playlist.megaphone.fm/?e=LKN4476100788″ width=”100%” height=”232″ frameborder=”0″ scrolling=”no”]Be well, everyone. Listen to Tacko:
https://twitter.com/celtics/status/1239291970180300800?s=20
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