NBA - The Re-Open: - Connaughton has Covid-19, pg. 94

[MickeyDavis]

This thread is about the possible resumption of the NBA season. Period. Some posts were removed not so much that they crossed a line but that they provoked others to cross the line. What one person considers "non political" another person takes and runs with it. Any questions PM ME. Or how about let's not turn this thread into the locked thread. I don't have time to babysit. Again. Thanks.

[MickeyDavis]

From Shams. This is what's being considered

— Advance directly to playoffs: (16 teams, four rounds, best-of-seven series) with postseason teams based on standings as of March 12

— A “Playoffs Plus” option: Expanding the number of teams with the opportunity to play, either through holding a play-in tournament to determine the final seed(s) in playoffs, to be played by “bubble teams” or replacing the first round of the playoffs with a group stage.

— If “Playoffs Plus” — how many teams should return to play: 18, 20, 22 or 24?

— Resume regular season with all 30 teams: All teams plays same number of games.

— Resume regular season with all 30 teams, plus play-in: All teams play same number of games, followed by play-in tournament for the final seed(s) and traditional playoffs.

— “Playoffs Plus” play-in format options: Play-in tournament featuring bubble teams for 8th seed; play-in tournament for 7th and 8th seed; or group stage that replaces first round of playoffs and all participating in groups (each team plays two games against each group opponent and top two teams from each group advances to traditional second round).

[FlagsFlyForever]

Definitely a false dichotomy but I would feel much safer playing basketball in a pandemic than playing in the NFL worrying about concussions.

Agreed. Sports are inherently dangerous. Everybody knows that NFL players are shortening their lives and giving themselves dementia when they play but people still watch. Every year, race car drivers die in crashes but people still watch motorsports.

Safety is a relative term. We don't need to wait for a vaccine to resume the NBA. We are improving treatment every day. Take HIV for example. It's nowhere near the death sentence it once was thanks to advancements in treatment. By the time next season rolls around, COVID-19 may be no deadlier than the flu. Or maybe not. Who knows. We're not at that point yet but it does seem like players are not at major risk. My biggest concern is that the league contributes to a greater spread in society. There is also concern for older coaches like D'Antoni, Popovich, Ron Adams. The NBA seems to be taking safety precautions seriously but it should be understood that people's safety cannot be guaranteed as long as basketball is being played.

[paulpressey25]

They'll do an expanded play-in tournament. That way they let the bottom ten go on with summer but get Zion on TV this summer with the Pels.

[Lippo]

How long til some low life like Marcus Smart contracts it 30 mins before game 1 and rubs and spits all over Giannis so they both get held out the next 14 days, or more likely Celts are down 3-0 and he does it to screw us in the next round cause he’s a soar loser...

Covid sniping, worse than flopping or provoking into a fight...

[chonestown]

You guys know the virus can cause irreparable lung damage, right? Not every case will be “Ok, you’ve sat out the mandatory two weeks & now you’re back to 100%.” Everyone who plays is risking a Chris Bosh/Mirza Teletovic future.

Everyone in the world is risking that every time someone goes to the grocery store.

It's true. I look forward to smothering man-on-man defense played at a distance of no less than six feet, while Carmelo Anthony barks out past its due date trash talk behind a plexi-glass shield.

Jesus, I want to see some hoop, but the on-court workplace is a lot closer to being like a meat packing plant than a grocery store.

[Ruben Quevedo]

You guys know the virus can cause irreparable lung damage, right? Not every case will be “Ok, you’ve sat out the mandatory two weeks & now you’re back to 100%.” Everyone who plays is risking a Chris Bosh/Mirza Teletovic future.

Everyone in the world is risking that every time someone goes to the grocery store.

It's true. I look forward to smothering man-on-man defense played at a distance of no less than six feet, while Carmelo Anthony barks out past its due date trash talk behind a plexi-glass shield.

Jesus, I want to see some hoop, but the on-court workplace is a lot closer to being like a meat packing plant than a grocery store.

Except when everyone reports to the bubble they will be tested. And then re-tested before games. And tested again and (probably) again. They can cough in each other’s faces for 48 minutes and no one’s getting that virus because (if they do this right) anyone with a positive test won’t be anywhere near the court.

[chonestown]

Everyone in the world is risking that every time someone goes to the grocery store.

It's true. I look forward to smothering man-on-man defense played at a distance of no less than six feet, while Carmelo Anthony barks out past its due date trash talk behind a plexi-glass shield.

Jesus, I want to see some hoop, but the on-court workplace is a lot closer to being like a meat packing plant than a grocery store.

Except when everyone reports to the bubble they will be tested. And then re-tested before games. And tested again and (probably) again. They can cough in each other’s faces for 48 minutes and no one’s getting that virus because (if they do this right) anyone with a positive test won’t be anywhere near the court.

I wouldn't make those assumptions save for the testing frequency.

[JayMKE]

The easiest and most logical thing to do is to just go to the playoffs so you only need to invite 16 teams, the 8th seeds lead by 3.5 and 5.5 games so that's unlikely to change with the additional games and just playing the games so the seeding can change a little bit maybe doesn't seem worth it.

[MrHoneycutt]

at this point I don't even care for the particulars. Just mainline it straight into my veins, and let's go get that trophy.

[WeekapaugGroove]

The easiest and most logical thing to do is to just go to the playoffs so you only need to invite 16 teams, the 8th seeds lead by 3.5 and 5.5 games so that's unlikely to change with the additional games and just playing the games so the seeding can change a little bit maybe doesn't seem worth it.

Yeah this is the most logical but I expect they expand it some simply because of money.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using RealGM mobile app

[Chuck Diesel]

Much better discussion on the general board for those interested.

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=1965864

[paulpressey25]

How long til some low life like Marcus Smart contracts it 30 mins before game 1 and rubs and spits all over Giannis so they both get held out the next 14 days, or more likely Celts are down 3-0 and he does it to screw us in the next round cause he’s a soar loser...

Covid sniping, worse than flopping or provoking into a fight...

Marcus Smart already has had it and recovered about two months ago. Said he really didn’t have symptoms.

[aboveAverage]

Are players going to be in shape by July? They’ve had a long time off. I assume they would need at least 3 weeks of training camp before the bubble playoffs start.

[MickeyDavis]

Are players going to be in shape by July? They’ve had a long time off. I assume they would need at least 3 weeks of training camp before the bubble playoffs start.

According to Shams there will be 2 weeks training camp at the local facility and 2 weeks on site in Orlando.

[MartyConlonOnTheRun]

Are players going to be in shape by July? They’ve had a long time off. I assume they would need at least 3 weeks of training camp before the bubble playoffs start.

According to Shams there will be 2 weeks training camp at the local facility and 2 weeks on site in Orlando.

Even Middleton should be in shape by the playoffs. Basically 8 full weeks and they only had 2 months off.

[BucksFanSD]

Embiid must be pretty heavy right about now.

[soxperry]

Embiid must be pretty heavy right about now.

Oh yeah... He's gotta be the easiest bet for "Who's going to come out of this looking like Shawn Kemp after lockout."

[soxperry]

As a Bucks fan... let me rephrase... as a fan of the team with the best overall regular season record... the class of the league.. the team with the reigning two time MVP... my biggest concern is that we are about to lose home court advantage.

I thought of a simple way to address and correct that:

Teams are seeded based on regular season records. At the beginning of the first two rounds, the team with the highest seed gets to pick their opponent. Then the next highest seed gets to pick. This continues until there are no more choices left. So for the first round of a 16 team playoff, the first 3 seeds would get to pick and then 4 would be stuck with the remaining team.

Now, as much as this could be an advantage for a high seeded team, the selection will be seen as a slight to the team that is picked and i expect them to come into game 1 pretty worked up.

If it were me, I would go Orlando first and then immediately go after Toronto in the second round. First off, I want to beat them on the road to the finals. Without a doubt that needs to happen. But i also dont want to play them in the ECF where their experience in huge games will mean more. Most importantly, i just dont think they are actually as good as Boston/Philly/Miami when the chips really fall. And only having to play one of that trio would be excellent.

[Chuck Diesel]

How long til some low life like Marcus Smart contracts it 30 mins before game 1 and rubs and spits all over Giannis so they both get held out the next 14 days, or more likely Celts are down 3-0 and he does it to screw us in the next round cause he’s a soar loser...

Covid sniping, worse than flopping or provoking into a fight...

Marcus Smart already has had it and recovered about two months ago. Said he really didn’t have symptoms.

Players who’ve experienced more serious symptoms have every incentive to keep it quiet. Agents and teams do too. Nothing like heading into free agency with the world knowing you have permanently damaged lungs. The league doesn’t want anything that would kill momentum for a reopen. If someone was really struggling we likely wouldn’t hear about it.