The confident season of NBA Commissioner Adam Silver can be safely held

New York – The NBA found a way to get through last season amid a pandemic. Adam Silver sees no reason why the same can’t be true again this season.

Silver, NBA Commissioner, said Monday – one day before the start of the new season – that he is confident that league health and safety protocols will allow teams to get through their regular 72-game season slate even as the coronavirus problem crossing the country and the world. He warned, however, that he expected the virus to cause some problems along the way.

“I think we are ready for remote issues; in fact, based on what we saw in the preseason, based on watching other leagues work outside of a bubble, unfortunately, it looks a bit inevitable, ”said Silver. “We are ready for all casualties.”

Games could be postponed or postponed along the way, and Silver said if the league encounters uncontrollable issues what is covered in the health and safety protocols that suspend the season – just like it was back on March 11, when the 2019- 20 seasons were suspended for 4½ months – this will be possible again.

But the league, Silver vowed, awaits its chance to vaccinate players and others within the NBA against the crown.

“We won’t jump the line in any shape or form,” Silver said.

Silver spoke on the eve of the opening double of the season – Golden State visiting Brooklyn and the Los Angeles Clippers playing against defending champion Los Angeles Lakers. He said if the league did not believe in his plans, the season would not just begin.

“We expect there to be bumps along the way,” said Silver.

Teams will play 10 fewer games than a typical 82-game slate. The season starts two months longer than usual and the playoffs are set to stretch into July, all with players and coaches being tested every day and with nearly 60 players having lost some time with the their teams during training camp and the preseason due to advanced COVID -19 tests.

And as things stood at Disney, social justice campaigns remain top priorities for the league, Silver said. Efforts will be different now – for example, “Black Lives Matter” is no longer painted on game courts, a change from what was in the bubble case. The commissioner bought that fighting racial inequality is less important now than it was then.

“I think there has also been a new awakening among league players in terms of the potential impact they can have when they use their platforms to speak out. on issues that matter to them, ”said Silver. “So I think it’s a combination of the general activity that the league brings together with their players and coaches, and in addition players realize the great reach that they have with it. their voices. ”

Toronto guard Kyle Lowry said last week that he expects the league to continue to drive a conversation about the need for social change.

“For me, it’s about action. It’s about doing it, ”said Lowry. “He may not say it on the court or he may not say it on our jerseys or on the backs of the jerseys, but it is relaxing when you are doing things in your communities, to enhance your communities and to elevate others. So that’s a big deal, following yourself, to make it important. ”

The NBA currently expects only six of its 30 teams to open the season with fans in the stands, and no field is expected to have more than 4,000 ticketholders in the sets. at this point. Less attendance means less revenue, and the league lost its revenue forecast by around $ 1.5 billion last season – largely due to a lot of games were postponed and the bubble games, including the playoffs, were played without fans in the sets.

Silver said playing another season without fans would mean NBA revenues would plummet about 40%.

“Tens of thousands of people depend on our league and related businesses for their livelihood,” Silver said. “We also feel a sense of responsibility for our fans. People continue to view sport as a break from the challenges of the pandemic and as a small reminder of what life was like before COVID-19. … It’s a piece of life I feel we can get back to, right now. “