Adam Silver says "Large Number of Cases" Could Stop Season
The NBA season is officially one month off, and teams around the league are getting ready to — hopefully — finish the season in Orlando.
An influx of positive coronavirus tests has swept the league in recent days, forcing players to opt-out of the restart and some teams, including the Denver Nuggets, to close their practice facilities entirely.
The spike has raised some concern among fans that the season may not be completed, and it seems as though their fears are legitimate. In an interview on Time 100 Talks (h/t ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk), NBA Commissioner Adam Silver spoke about what it would take to stop the season once again.
"We are testing daily," Silver said. "We haven't put a precise number on it, but if we were to see a large number of cases and see spread in our community, that would of course be a cause to stop as well."
Silver also added that the virus is "unpredictable", but implied that the season would continue on so long as cases are isolated.
The Brooklyn Nets, one of the LA Clippers' upcoming opponents during the seeding games, have been hit hard by the virus in the last few days. Both Spencer Dinwiddie and DeAndre Jordan have tested positive this week, and there's a chance that both players end up sitting out.
As the season draws closer and teams begin to travel to Florida, expect the NBA to keep a close eye on its players. If even more test positive in the weeks ahead, the plug could be pulled on the rest of the 2019-20 season before it even resumes.
