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Necessary steps the NBA should take as COVID-19 outbreaks threaten the season

Things are coming undone in the NBA. COVID-19 is, once again, on the rise and it’s beginning to do more damage to the league than ever before.

The Chicago Bulls were the first team to get a postponement of games. Brooklyn just eeked out enough available bodies to play in its Tuesday overtime thriller against the Toronto Raptors and seemingly more teams are canceling practice each day due to health and safety protocols.

With things trending in the wrong direction, it’s time for commissioner Adam Silver to step in and re-route the season. Here’s how he can get the season back heading down the right path.

Reduce Arena Capacity

I am one of the millions who are delighted to be tuning into NBA games and seeing fans back in seats. They bring an energy that enhances the viewer experience, and certainly the experience of the players who are actually on the court competing. While it’s great, the “return to normalcy” needs work.

First: Bring back the branded seat coverings. It’s an eyesore, but those large, logo-filled, custom-fabric coverings kept a healthy distance between fans and players.

Second: Remove the courtside fans. It doesn’t get better than a Spike Lee sighting on-court at MSG, and you don’t get the Pete Davidson photobomb without celebrities taking in the games from near the bench. Obviously, celebrities aren’t exclusively the ones occupying floor seats, they’re just the easiest to highlight.

Third: The desperation heave here would be to remove the fans completely. It would be unpopular, but a necessary move as we’re still dealing with this pandemic.

The point is that the league should do all it can to keep players from being potentially being exposed. Distancing non-NBA people from the players and organization members would diminish the chances of the potential virus spreading.

Leading to my next suggestion…

Reintroducing the 2020-21 Protocol Guide

Remember that 134-page protocol guide from the 2020-21 season? Well, it worked, and the NBA should at least revisit some of its content if they’re planning on sticking with the 82-game schedule. Here are a few I suggest:

  • “Team traveling parties will be limited to 45 people, including 17 players, as they make their way around the country to play a home-and-road schedule in NBA arenas.”
  • “While in their team’s home market, team personnel will be prohibited from going to bars, lounges or clubs, from attending live entertainment or sports events, from using gyms, spas or pools, or from participating in social gatherings with more than 15 people.”
  • “On the road, players, coaches and staff will be permitted to dine outside their hotels if the restaurants provide outdoor dining, have fully privatized indoor rooms, or have met requirements to be formally approved by the league and the players’ union. The NBA and NBPA will work to provide a list of at least three approved restaurants in each market.”

These are a tough sell to the players. A lot of their freedoms would be rolled back and their mental health would be tested. However, it’s a reinforcement of protocols worth taking a look at.

Pause the Season

The NBA has reached a point in which something needs to change. I’m in favor of another pause in the action. A pause, coinciding with a quarantine, lowers the possibility of any further spreading of the virus.

A 10-15 day pause seems necessary. Ten days makes for enough time to potentially stop any additional spread of the virus before the big Christmas Day slate of high-profile games. Fifteen takes us into the new calendar year with better health.

It’s no coincidence that cases have jumped over the past month, given the time of year. Folks are attending large gatherings with friends and family to celebrate the holidays. Perhaps the spread throughout the NBA will slow once the holiday season is in the rearview, but that’s mere hope. A plan of action should be in place.

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