By Marcos Perales | Big Stick Editor |
When all of us were told that we were going to be in quarantine back in March, some of us thought this whole thing was going to blow over. Little by little, things started shutting down, including sports. Sports were probably among the top things people were looking forward to watching on TV, but they got shut down along with the rest of the production of movies and TV shows.
The NBA introduced the idea of “the NBA bubble” back in the summer of 2020. This was located in Orlando, Florida, where everything NBA-related resided for the 2019-20 season.
No players were allowed in or out of the bubble. This was so they could keep the cases within the NBA more contained, and COVID tests were conducted throughout the season.
Back in the summer, players complained about the idea of not being able to see some of their family while they were in the bubble. Others liked the idea of not traveling and getting plenty of sleep before games. While there were both sides voicing their opinions, there were absolutely no problems with the coronavirus invading the only court all teams played on. It was only a few teams though, as some didn’t qualify for the playoffs so managing it was much easier. The season continued in a somewhat normal fashion and the Los Angeles Lakers were crowned as champions.
Now it’s 2021, with the 2020-21 season in session, but with no bubble. This is not the way to go.
Traveling was revived again for the players for this season, which is one of the top activities experts warn people not to do during this time. That’s where things start to get a little messy. The NBA wanted to make a push this past year to try to get back to the normal schedule. It starts around October and ends as summer is about to begin every year. This past season actually ended in October and started
back up in December of last year. I get the feeling this was not done with the safety of the players as a top priority. Since last summer there have been over 100 players who have tested positive. Those players are required to quarantine themselves before they can make it back on the court.
There doesn’t seem to be a penalty from the point of view of the individual players at first glance. When they are quarantined, they are clearly hurting the rest of the team. About 7 games have been postponed this past week because of a shortage of players. A team such as the Celtics have had about 3 of their games postponed due to lack of availability. How the team will make up for it in the future for their record, I don’t know because there has not been any rescheduling thus far for any games. By the time the playoffs come, or if they come, the regular season records will probably not be fair or accurate. Unless the NBA is looking to make more strict rules this season regarding the virus, I think the season should stop altogether.
