Sam Presti: "You Can't Plan Yourself Into a Pretzel" Could the NBA Play in a Bubble Next Season?
"It's probably a once in a lifetime environment" that is how Sam Presti described the experience of the NBA bubble. Not to insult the Talking Heads, but what if the bubble isn't a once in a lifetime event?
What does the NBA do in December if COVID-19 cases continue to spike? As dire as it might sound, this is a question that needs to be asked not just by fans but by Adam Silver, the board of governors and the players' association.
More importantly, there needs to be an answer to said question. Presti states, "There's definitely not going to be a 22-team bubble."...." I would lean on the league for what their plans are in the event we are in a situation where we need to do a more isolated competition."
There are over four-million confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United States, with 148-thousand deaths. According to the Atlantic, there are 27 vaccines already being tested on humans.
NBC says we could still be six months away from "widespread inoculations." and that doesn't help the league's timeline. Presti points out that the NBA has shown it can problem solve at a high level."
He doesn't believe that, if the association has to play without fans at the beginning of next season, the bubble will be in one location. "We ruled out the idea of having 30 teams here [Orlando]."
"You can't plan yourself into a pretzel."... "You have to wait for things to evolve and see where things are at season's end and make our future decisions from there."..."We don't understand or have a better handle on where the virus will be; we don't know how the bubble experiment will go."... "We just know it's going well to this point."
Last week the league tested 322 players and reported zero positives, but we are just now starting scrimmages. There is still the chance that someone will go rouge and wonder off-campus, but if those incidents can stay at a minimum, any hiccups that may occur can be more easily controlled.
As for next year, the NBA is at the mercy of our best scientists and doctors; let's just hope they are as clutch as Chris Paul in the fourth quarter.
Abdel Nader Update
The Oklahoma City Thunder announced today that forward Abdel Nader sustained a concussion during last night's scrimmage vs. the Boston Celtics. He has been placed in the NBA's concussion protocol.
"Per the NBA’s Concussion Policy, Nader will now begin the NBA-mandated Return-to-Participation Protocol." ..."This process includes a series of steps designed to ensure an athlete exhibits symptom-free behavior before resuming basketball activities."..." There is no timetable to complete the protocol."
In 48 games (five starts) this season, Nader is averaging 6.0 points and 1.9 rebounds in 15.8 minutes per game.
Have you signed up for the Inside the Thunder Community Board? We are trying to create a place to share posts and have intriguing and fun conversations about all things related to the Oklahoma City Thunder! Once you sign up, feel free to post as you'd like.
With more than 20 years of experience hosting local and national radio shows, Erik Gee is a fixture of Oklahoma sports media. He has covered the Oklahoma City Thunder for the past six seasons. He is also the co-host of the Pat Jones show on 97.1 The Sports Animal in Tulsa.
