Should the NBA come back this year?
Should the NBA come back this year?
It's the billion-dollar question that hangs over the basketball world right now. While NBA players and owners are working to find a solution to get basketball back this year, the question needs to be asked if a season even makes sense this year.
On the one hand, it's basketball, and some entertainment to help the world get through these monotonous days would be greatly appreciated right now. Having games to look forward to would make the days go by easier and allow fans to escape the realities of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Financially, it's almost a must for the league. The NBA, its players, and rights holders all have a vested interest in bringing games back because there are billions of dollars on the line for everyone involved.
Then there's the other side. Safety is obviously a concern. Like everything right now, there's a risk associated with returning to work and that's something players have to decide on their own. The league has reportedly decided if a player were to test positive for COVID-19, it would not shut down like it did last time, but instead continue along as though it were any other injury.
Shaquille O'Neal recently told USA Today he thinks the league should just end the season and restart it next year when things are under control.
"I think we should scrap the season," he said. "Everybody go home, get healthy, come back next year. Just scrap the season. Just scrap it. To try and come back now and do a rush playoffs as a player? Any team that wins this year, there’s an asterisk."
There's no doubt that a playoffs this year is going to look completely different. While the league is hoping to maintain the best-of-seven format, games will almost certainly be played in bubble cities without any fans. In Toronto, there'd be no Jurassic Park, no stranger high-fiving, and barroom hugs. Instead, like everything else right now, there'd be isolation, maybe a high-five with family, a brief celebration, then silence.
Part of sports fandom is about being together, cheering among and against friends for our teams. Right now, being together is the exact opposite of what we need.
I want sports back as much as the next person, but I wonder, is now the right time?
Aaron Rose covers the Toronto Raptors for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter @aaronbenrose or on Facebook @AllRaptors.
