Mavs Donuts: NBA Bubble 'Too Big To Fail' Take Is A False Security Blanket

Dallas Mavericks Donuts: NBA Bubble Is 'Too Big Too Fail,' Says Analyst - But ... Maybe We Should Examine What That Saying Means

DALLAS - Dallas Mavericks Donuts: The NBA Bubble Is 'Too Big Too Fail,' Says an ESPN Analyst - But ... Maybe We Should Examine What That Saying Means

DONUT 1: TOO BIG TO FAIL "This,'' ESPN analyst Brian Windhorst says of the NBA's plan to resume the season under a "bubble'' in Orlando, "is too big to fail.''

That sounds like a rosy proposition borne of optimism that comes from overseers like Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and Oklahoma City Thunder GM Sam Presti. And I have no problem with optimism.

I'm optimistic about avoiding a car accident today. But I'm still wearing my seatbelt, ya know?

DONUT 2: THE GOOD THAT CAN COME From Presti: "I think a lot of good can come out of playing basketball, as long as it's in the right conditions and the right setting. ..."And again, we've placed our trust in the NBA and the state officials in Florida.''

DONUT 3: ORLANDO EVEN SAFER? From Cuban: "I think the NBA and Disney are working with our doctors and scientists to do everything possible to keep (participants) safe. In fact, given the rise in cases in states, I have every reason to believe the setup we have in Orlando will be safer for our players and travel parties than staying in their respective cities.''

DONUT 4: NON-LINEAR THINKING Leave it to our own Tony Cubes to zig when the rest of the world is zagging ... but that doesn't mean he's wrong. The bubble could offer "players and travel parties'' the finest in medical care, diet, conditioning ... So yes, in theory, a player could be more safe there than in his own home.

In theory.

But that doesn't mean that any worries are unfounded. Today, players have a deadline to declare whether they'll play or sit out. They are required to notify their team. The fact that such a deadline exists at all speaks volumes.

DONUT 5: THE ORIGINAL MEANING So, "too big to fail.'' Right?

"Too big to fail'' is originally a concept that backs the idea of the U.S. government supporting banking firms. Why? As Federal Reserve Chair Ben Bernanke explained in 2010, "A too-big-to-fail firm is one whose size, complexity, interconnectedness, and critical functions are such that, should the firm go unexpectedly into liquidation, the rest of the financial system and the economy would face severe adverse consequences."

That's a lotta fancy bankin' talk. But I think we get it.

DONUT 6: A NEW MEANING But if you're not a fancy banker, "too big to fail'' has taken on a more sardonic meaning of late, in part thanks to the HBO film of the same name, an award-winning drama starring Paul Giamatti as Bernanke. 

The slogan now raises questions about the morality of a bank (or, now, an airline or any other major company) knowing it is too essential to fail ... and therefore, arguably, so essential to the United States that it'll always get rescued, no matter what.

"We're too big to fail'' now rings of a certain arrogance. 

DONUT 7: MEANWHILE, IN FLORIDA ... As my colleague Eric Gee writes from OKC, "The state of Florida posted a record-high number of COVID-19 cases for the third straight day on Saturday. This news along with race relations being what they are in America have some in the NBA wondering if this reboot should go on as scheduled.

"In seven of the last 10 days, Florida has set records for single-day cases. According to ESPN, Florida is approaching 94,000 infections, and much like Texas and Arizona is becoming a national hot spot.''

DONUT 8: NO POLITICS HERE I am picking and choosing my times to "be political'' and the subject of COVID-19 cases isn't one of them. "Florida is becoming a hot spot'' and "the NBA is moving to Florida.'' Those aren't political takes; those are medical takes.

DONUT 9: QUOTABLE XXXXXX

DONUT 10: SECURITY BLANKET? While I think I'm buying Cuban's view that the NBA will be attempting to make things even "more safe than normal'' (my words) for its players ... "Too big to fail''? For the Mavs and the other 21 teams involved in the re-start in Orlando, this sounds like a security blanket - but maybe a false one.

With all due respect to Windhorst, if I'm a player, and I hear that message, it sounds like a "sales pitch'' rather than a "news report.'' And it doesn't soothe me. Rather, it adds to my trepidation.

DONUT 11: 'THE SMARTEST GUYS IN THE ROOM' A few years before the "Too Big To Fail'' film came a movie that, in my as a viewer, was sort of its "older brother.'' 

This 2005 documentary was about Enron and its leaders' belief that the energy company was, well, in a sense, too big to fail. The scandal that ensued resulted in an Academy Award-nominated film called "The Smartest Guys in The Room.''

DONUT 12: THE FINAL WORD And again, as once being "the smartest guys in the room'' came with in a flattering connotation, it's now more of a cautionary one. 

And an executive producer of "Enron: The Smartest Guys In The Room''? None other than Mark Cuban, who we can promise you does not take for granted that the NBA bubble concept is "too big to fail.''