A) No bubble(s), but likely MLB-like series. Even a year ago I could have thought up reasons for why series seem unnecessary, but I'd tell then-me that's all nostalgia talking. Series sound awesome for basketball; more importantly, they sound healthy for human life right now.

B) Some fans are going to be allowed in some capacity. I'm editorializing here, but someone is going to get sick, and the NBA will likely lose a lot of the "common sense" image it earned this past summer.

C) If anyone was handwringing about their enjoyment of the bubble NBA despite their awareness of the economic disparity that allowed the bubble to happen, this should all sound like a horrible idea.

D) I agree with those that argue the bubble title comes with no asterisk, that environment had to be (relatively) difficult - but what if we get something truly weird like a Blazers/Pacers Final due to a mix of rust, fatigue and familiarity?

E) When LeBron sits out most games until, say, MLK Day, who gets to be mad about that?



~~~~~~~~~
"This is the streets, and I am the trap." � Jay Bilas
http://www.popmatters.com/pm/archive/contributor/517
Hip Hop Handbook: http://tinyurl.com/ll4kzz

shams
https://theathletic.com/2182573/2020/11/06/nba-start-date-tentatively-set-details-from-nbpas-call-with-players/

woj
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/30264861/nbpa-reps-approve-dec-22-start-date-72-game-regular-season

www.engadgethd.com - the other stuff i'm looking at

Starting the season a months after the draft and free agency without a good window for a “summer league” or training camp seems risky, but hey it’s all risky at this point .

At this rate Olympics ‘21 may not really happen either despite what Japan is saying.

Lost in all the election coverage is that the U.S. is consistently hitting 100,000 new cases a day. And that's before it's actually flu season. Any owmner or league thinking that letting in thousands of fans in closed arenas in going to fly in most of these states is fooling themselves.

Said in the other post, it might happen in places like Florida, but Wisconsin, Minnesota, Chicago, and anywhere on the West Coast and Northeast? Nah, man.

They want to commence the season at the start of winter, right in the middle of cold and flu season, and they want to do it without a bubble?

Not bright all.

We all know what the NBA looks like without a bubble during the pandemic. The NBA had to immediately shut down this past spring, and quarantine two teams because several players contracted Covid. And they want to let fans in on top of that?

Basketball is the most intimate team sport, where players are sweating and breathing on each other. Plus they play games every other day or back to back. What are they going to do it an entire roster comes down with Covid?

Football plays every week and have huge rosters, so games can be postponed for two weeks, and players can easily replace infected players. Same thing with baseball teams and their deep rosters.

The right thing to do is to wait until the spring. Go with a spring schedule until it is 100 percent safe to return to a normal schedule.

But still.

Seems dangerous.

I get it, and as a fan I'd be happy to have it back in 2 months but...yikes.

The NBA has sent its 30 teams a memo with protocols for eligible markets to host fans, requiring people within 30 feet of court to register negative coronavirus test two days prior to game or rapid test on day of game, sources tell
@TheAthleticNBA


All fans are required to wear masks (above age of 2), socially distance, undergo symptom surveys. Food and beverage are not allowed for those within 30 feet of court. Teams would have option to install a plexiglass behind benches.

For arena suites at 25% capacity or less, testing would not be required for fans. Teams would be permitted for 50% if all fans were tested or if local county's positivity rate is three percent or below and seven-day average of new cases per 100K residents is 10 or fewer.