NBA Lays Out 25-Day Return Plan for Whenever Coronavirus Shutdown is Lifted

The NBA suspended the regular season, and we are in the second month of the suspension. The league office has yet to announce a target return date for the season. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver is working on the NBA return and their plan can easily work.

The NBA is currently working on a 25-day, “back-to-basketball plan” as confirmed ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.  Individual workouts would take about 11 days under the new plan. Windhorst notes that NBA teams would then be able to take part in a 14-day training camp. If parts of the nation re-open now, the league may start off a four-week program to resume the regular season.

“In talking to executives and trainers around the league, what they’re looking at is a 25-day return to basketball window,” Windhorst said on ESPN on Sunday. “An 11-day series of individual workouts. …and then hopefully, if the clearance comes that they can play five-on-five basketball, a 14-day training camp. So as you hope for the country to heal and the virus to get better, look for at least about a three-and-a-half to four-week return date before you’d ever get back to games.”

The NBA plans a return

The league has reportedly gone through numerous plans for resuming games. They also discussed potential quarantined playoffs in Las Vegas. The NBA could also change its schedule upon a return to play, leaving a possibility of a canceled regular season and shortened playoffs. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Labor Day weekend is the NBA’s preferred end date for the 2019-20 season.

Things took an unexpected turn when Rudy Gobert from the Utah Jazz tested positive for COVID-19. His teammate Donovan Mitchell has the virus too. Silver and Co. could in no way delay the decision. The nation struggles with a terrible pandemic. Suspending the regular season was the only option they had at that point. NBA players stay home with their families. Social distancing is of great help at this point in the pandemic, and it can save our lives.

Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James approves the Las Vegas idea. But, he will have to wait for an official statement just like everyone else.