The NBA Is Starting in December!

Author: Jack Gordon

Editor: Aaron Mesco

The NBA is starting up again on December 22, a very quick turnaround from the end of last season. Think about it- it was only Oct. 10, 2020 that LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers were surrounded by confetti and smoking cigars in post-game interviews. Oct. 10. That was last month. And two months later, they’re expected to suit up again?

Now to preface, it has to be acknowledged that there are a million moving parts to be dealt with. The coronavirus pandemic has turned the sports world upside down, and has forced every organization in the world to reconsider how they operate. Not only are the players’ safety and health at risk, but employees and teams face the possibility of losing significant revenue, in addition to enormous pressure from broadcasting stations and sponsors.

There are a lot of people to please, and to his credit, Adam Silver did by far the most successful and effective job last season at restarting the season than any other sports commissioner. He created an unprecedented bubble that resulted in zero positive cases throughout three months, allowed his players to put a spotlight on racial justice, fit in enough games to satisfy broadcasting contracts, and ultimately produced a champion when it all came down to it.

Silver has earned himself lots of trust moving forward, so this is not to say that the plan for the December 22 season opener is a bad option, or even that there is a better one.

But it just sucks for the players.

The NBA season is a grind - 82 games over the span of six months, with plenty of back-to-backs and traveling - and that's not even including the playoffs. Normally, even the teams that make it all the way to the NBA Finals have four months to work with in the offseason to rest, recharge, and gear up when the next season begins. This time is crucial for the players, first and foremost, as it lets their bodies get some much needed rest.

On top of this, free agency is another big part of the offseason, allowing players to have time to make decisions and become well-acquainted with their new squads.

Even under normal circumstances, players need every bit of those four to six months to gear up for what will be yet another six-to-eight-month grind.

This year, because of the pandemic, the season ended in October rather than June. And with the approved Dec. 22 restart, players from teams like the Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers will have merely two months to prepare themselves for another season, which would likely be around 70 games.

Many of these players that just played in the bubble were gone from their families for months, confined to a small area, unable to leave. This type of constraint is something that could be frustrating and exhausting, not to mention the increased and reasonable mental health concerns that could’ve come as a result.

Now they are out of the bubble, but the mental and physical toll of such an unprecedented situation is not one that can be taken lightly. LeBron James joked that he would be cherry picking the first half of the season, and it's not impossible to understand where he and others are coming from. Two months is a very quick turnaround, and it seems unfair to players who gave up so much in order for the league to restart and give the fans what they wanted, only to be asked to play once again almost immediately.

This turnaround is also concerning for the physical health of the players. One of the reasons the season is coming back is so fans can have their basketball back by Christmas, but what fans definitely don’t want is for all of their favorite players to get injured because of the lack of rest they were alloted in the offseason. Expect the debate around load management this season to increase, especially with the stars who spent significant time in the bubble in Orlando.

And finally, this restart is tough for players joining new teams - that means rookies, free agents, and players who have been traded. With a severely limited training camp, players have little to no time to become acquainted with their new teams and teammates, and rookies have a particularly challenging first season ahead of them with the cancellation of summer league.

And none of this covers all of the other potential problems with the prospect of NBA players traveling this upcoming season, potentially undoing the amazing work that the league did last year to prevent any active players from getting COVID.

Again, Adam Silver has proven himself time and time again as a commissioner that makes the right decisions for both the league and players, and there is no reason to think that he will be careless with the health of the athletes.

But this is a really difficult situation for the players, with the potential to come across the same issues that the NFL, MLB, and MLS have had with cancelled games and sick players. It will be interesting to see how the NBA details its plans for the upcoming season, and if the players will even be ready to play by the time Christmas rolls around.

SPORTS ARE OUR UNIVERSE