The NBA will resume play on July 30,
2020. This is after more than four months
of no games because of COVID-19. As stakeholders of the NBA game—fans, players
and owners have missed NBA action. But the players and owners have also lost millions
of dollars during the pandemic. During
the stoppage, however, this country has experienced unprecedented social unrest.
And because so many folks are working remotely, or even worse, unemployed, millions
of folks have had more time to pay attention to what is going on around
us. Before the NBA’s (players and
owners) collective decision to return to the court, members of the media,
leaders and folks from all walks of life expressed opinions on whether the NBA
should restart its season. On the one side are people who believe
restarting the NBA season will slow the progress we (Black people and allies)
have made in dismantling systemic discrimination, which certainly includes
pervasive police brutality. On the other side are folks who believe resuming
NBA basketball is a sound decision.
George Floyd. Breonna
Taylor. Ahmaud Arbery. Say these names aloud. These are the names of three African American
citizens who were murdered at the hands of law enforcement officers and/or by
racist, gun-toting individuals who have a misplaced belief that their “right”
to protect their neighborhoods (e.g., George Zimmerman) are more important than
a person’s right to be free (and alive!). In the wake of these untimely
murders, big businesses have professed support for the Black Lives Matter
movement. Politicians have commissioned the
painting of murals and removal of statues of known racists. Some people
now all of a sudden understand why Colin Kaepernick chose to exercise his First
Amendment Right to kneel as a silent protest against police brutality, not as
an act to somehow disrespect a flag. Some
folks believe that this “movement” in the right direction should not be interrupted
by resuming NBA basketball.
Livelihood. Living
check-to-check. Collective Bargaining Agreement. NBA players
are one of the most well-paid collectives in the country. However, just because a person makes a lot of
money does not mean that he is wealthy.
The sad reality is that many of these players are living paycheck to
paycheck, just like most non-NBA citizens. Believe it or not, many of
these young men need play to resume, so they can maintain their lifestyles and
responsibilities. Does anyone have the right to tell a man that he should
be a martyr for any group? Can I tell you that you should quit your job,
neglect your responsibilities, so that a group you belong to can have more
leverage? I think not. That Colin Kaepernick was willing to “die on
the vine” for his beliefs, in the face of serious backlash is admirable.
It put him in the same group with Black men before him who “died on the vine”
so to speak, e.g., Craig Hodges, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf and many other athletes who
opposed unjust practices or symbols. The bottom-line is: Making a
decision that will impact your ability to make a living is personal to each individual.
In May 2020, the NBA and the Player’s
Union agreed to extend the window in which the NBA can terminate the Collective
Bargaining Agreement in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic. That said, shortly after the NBA season ends,
the parties will begin negotiations regarding a litany of financial issues,
including salary caps, and luxury cap thresholds. The owners have lost a lot of revenue during the
pandemic. They will be looking to offset some of these losses onto the
players. So, had the players
collectively decided not to play, there is no doubt that the owners would have taken
an even harder position during upcoming negotiations. As it stands, the NBA Players’ Union has been
able to negotiate at arm’s length with the NBA owners. But the upcoming
negotiations will likely be very challenging.
The current NBA salary cap is one of the best in professional sports because
of the amount of “guaranteed” money included in many contracts. So, the players decision to resume play or
not will likely have a large effect on their lives well past this NBA season. Players are far more than athletes; they have
strong representation and know what is on the line.
The NBA has invested millions of
dollars into the “bubble” model. Essentially, the NBA required NBA
players and staffers to submit to COVID-19 testing before resuming the season in
Orlando, FL. The NBA has reserved
multiple resorts to serve as the players living quarters. Players will be
unable to leave the bubble without explicit permission from the NBA. Should
a player leave the bubble for any reason, he will have to submit to additional
COVID-19 testing. Although on a smaller scale, we saw the “bubble” model
work well for The Basketball Tournament (“TBT”). This was a nice test
case for the larger-scale NBA bubble. It worked well although fans could
not attend games, we could watch the games of the television. If you have
ever played basketball, this gave me AAU vibes. At this point, sports
fans miss live sports and are desperate for a return. Most of us will take the NBA games, in any
form, over the absence of live basketball.
I see a number of issues to consider
when choosing an eventual champion. Fans will not be allowed at the
games. So why does this matter? Well, it means that none of the playoff
teams will have “home court advantage.” For teams (and individual players)
that feed on the emotion and passion of their fans, this could be problematic.
Which players stayed in shape during the layoff? For those who did not
maintain optimal health, will they be able to turn it on during a quick ramp up
period? Which teams will quickly find their collective rhythm? Because
no team will have home court advantage, the seedings may not matter nearly as
much. Which star players have the mental fortitude to carry a team, while
dealing with not seeing family or friends for months? And as much as I
hate to even utter these words, injuries are part of the game. Will any
major stars or contributors be injured? Afterall, playoff basketball is
far more intense than regular season basketball and these players have been
away from competitive NBA basketball for more than four months. There are other issues, but for the sake of
brevity, I will stop here.
I’m a Lebron James fan, so I want to
see the Lakers win the Championship. I believe they are well-positioned
to do so, but they are far from a lock. Avery Bradley’s decision to skip
the restart is more important than some might think. Although he is not a
star player, he brings toughness to every game. Either way, Lebron and
Anthony Davis will have to carry this team. And they will need a consistent
third scorer (paging Kyle Kuzma!) every game. The Clippers are tailor
made for a deep playoff run. They have a fantastic coach. They have
scorers on the first and second units. And they have gritty players who
bring energy and grit to every game. Assuming no major injuries (or untimely
COVID-19 positive tests), the Clippers are the only team that can beat the
Lakers four of seven games in a series. I do not believe in the Bucks. And I believe there are other teams that can
potentially beat them in the Eastern Conference.
Regardless of who wins the championship,
I believe this will be a very exciting postseason. It will give us all a reprieve from the monotony
of day-to-day life “DC” (During COVID).
Peace
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