The NBA seems to understand that without a vaccine, bubbles are the only way sports can happen. Here’s how it might look for next season.
The NBA announced on Wednesday that it had its second straight week without a positive test in the Disney bubble, once again indicating that their testing quarantine protocols for those entering the bubble have been successful. While there is still a ways to go, it’s a good start, but given the problems facing Major League Baseball with the Miami Marlins outbreak, it is hard to see a path to a normal sports season until a vaccine is available nationwide. As such, this week marked the first time that a prominent figure publicly noted the potential need for a bubble for the 2020-21 season, even if just for the start. NBPA executive director Michele Roberts noted on Tuesday that, if things remain as they are now, she doesn’t see a path towards a 2020-21 season that isn’t in a bubble of some sort. That shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone paying attention, but it is notable in that it indicates the league and players association recognize that fact, which is not always a given considering how other leagues are operating. While there’s hope for a vaccine to arrive in late 2020 or early 2021, the plan cannot be to start a season in December with the expectation of a widely available vaccine that would allow fans in arenas (or even travel from city to city) to be safe. It’s possible the league could push their season start back in hopes of a vaccine, but if starting in December is what they insist upon, alternative plans must be discussed. As ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski elaborated on Wednesday, all options are on the table (which, again, not a surprise) including the potential for regional pod bubbles. NBA’s priority remains to get fans into arenas next season. Regional pods for extended periods are among brainstorms, but preference would be that those are finite in length, sources said. For example: A month or two inside, a month out. Early in planning; everything’s on table. https://t.co/fkuSyy1TwG Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 29, 2020 This is a concept that I’ve put a reasonable amount of thought into over the past few weeks as I’ve failed to see a path to a regular season outside of bubbles until a vaccine is available. As such, I want to lay out how I think this plan may work, with the disclaimer that this is purely my personal concept. There are a couple paths the league could take with regards to the size of their bubbles, from two 15-team bubbles for each conference to six divisional bubbles to break things down even further, with pros and cons for each.
