NBA commissioner Adam Silver wants to play next season with fans in arenas.
Of course, that might not be feasible amid the coronavirus pandemic.
So, the league is discussing other options – like regional bubbles… or maybe another bubble like the one just completed at Disney World.
It’s unclear how seriously any of these plans are. The league has time before beginning next season. Many formats should be considered.
The bubble worked great to finish last season. The setup kept coronavirus out, allowing the league to play games and earn revenue. Everyone involved learned lessons on how to make it operate even more smoothly.
But next season would prevent even greater challenges. There’d be all 30 teams playing (rather than just 22). More significantly, a full season and playoffs lie ahead (rather than just eight seeding games and the playoffs).
Maybe advances in a vaccine, testing or treatment would make playing next season normally feasible at some point. But the unknown of when a breakthrough will happen is chilling for anyone who’d enter a bubble that could last for an indefinite length of time.
Or perhaps even a single bubble would come with breaks. But that’d create different complications, re-quarantining everyone upon return.
Like many things amid the coronavirus pandemic, there are no good options.
