N.B.A. Owners Set a July 31 Restart, All in Florida

The league’s return-to-play plan, approved on what would have been the first day of the finals for this season, will next be reviewed by the players’ union, which has scheduled a virtual meeting for its executive committee and individual team representatives on Friday, according to three people with knowledge of the timetable who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly. The league has been hopeful that the close working relationship that Oklahoma City’s Chris Paul, the union president, maintains with Silver — as well as its ongoing talks with Michele Roberts, the union’s executive director, and other players on the board — is indicative of the players’ desire to approve the plan.

“While the Covid-19 pandemic presents formidable challenges, we are hopeful of finishing the season in a safe and responsible manner based on strict protocols now being finalized with public health officials and medical experts,” Silver said in a statement. “We also recognize that as we prepare to resume play, our society is reeling from recent tragedies of racial violence and injustice, and we will continue to work closely with our teams and players to use our collective resources and influence to address these issues in very real and concrete ways.”

To earn one of the 22 invitations to Disney World, teams had to be within six games of a playoff berth as of March 11, when the N.B.A. abruptly suspended the season in response to the coronavirus outbreak. Joining the 16 teams that occupied playoff spots on March 11 are five teams from the West (Portland, New Orleans, Sacramento, San Antonio and Phoenix) and Washington from the East.

The season is thus over for Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Golden State, Minnesota and the Knicks — teams that may wind up enduring a nearly nine-month wait for their next competitive game. The N.B.A. revealed Thursday that it was considering opening the 2020-21 season on Dec. 1 rather than its usual start in October.

After it ruled out inviting all 30 teams, the N.B.A. settled on 22 to build a competitive field while also reducing the number of people entering its planned safety bubble in Florida. The league spent much of May looking for a compromise ranging from 20 to 24 teams after deciding that proceeding straight into the playoffs with a 16-team field was not only unfair to the handful of teams within close range of a playoff berth when play was suspended, but that it was also potentially damaging to the overall quality of play.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/04/sports/basketball/coronavirus-nba-disney-world-restart.html