NBA Approves Restart of 2019-20 Season

The NBA Board of Governors widely approved a proposal to resume the season with games commencing on July 31.  According to Adrian Wojnarowski, Senior NBA Insider for ESPN the vote taken earlier today (Thursday) was approved 29-1. The only dissenting vote came from the Portland Trail Blazers.

Under the plan according to ESPN.com the season would run from July to October 31.  After a brief break the NBA would begin its 2020-21 season on December 1 with training camps opening on November 10.

As reported yesterday there will be 13 teams from the Western Conference and nine Eastern Conference teams.  They will play eight regular-season games plus a potential play-in competition.  These games will be held at the Walt Disney World Resort.

Included when play resumes will be the top 16 teams in both the Eastern and Western conferences and in addition eight teams who are currently within six games of eighth place in the two conferences.

Training to resume the season will start on or around July 9.  According to Wojnarowski's report numerous safety procedures will be followed.  These include daily testing for the Coronavirus. In addition employees at the Disney resort will be required to maintain social distancing, hallways in the players and staff residences will be carefully monitored to limit people in there at one time.  No staff members will be allowed to enter players rooms.

With the plan approved today and subsequent moving forward plans to resume play by the NHL Major League Baseball is being left behind.  In any other season baseball would be heating up for the July 4 holiday.  By then the NBA and NHL would be done and baseball would take center stage.  With no agreement between the owners and players in baseball they are handing over the anticipation and excitement to the other sports. It makes is seem like the NBA and NHL are better operated.