Here are three things to keep an eye on as the New Orleans Pelicans try to play their way into the playoffs at NBA Disney.
The New Orleans Pelicans will be one of 22 teams who kick off a re-start to the 2019-20 season in Orlando.
There are still a lot of details to iron out, such as schedules, how many games per day will be played, and how exactly the NBA is going to keep everyone safe.
This will be the strangest ending to an NBA season ever, as players will battle for a title at Disney World with no fans in attendance while a pandemic still threatens the country.
This is not your average NBA season.
The New Orleans Pelicans have a lot to gain by playing well, as they can earn a playoff bid and get some valuable big game reps for their youngsters.
It’s going to be an engaging couple of months, with storylines changing daily, but here are a couple of things to watch as the NBA re-starts its season.
How is the NBA Going to Keep Everyone Safe?
Lost in all of the excitement and debate about a possible re-start, people forgot to ask the question, “Should the NBA be doing this?”
It’s going to take hundreds of staff and personnel to put on these games, plenty of healthcare workers and every player is going to be tested for COVID-19 before and after every game.
That’s a whole lot of resources just to put on some basketball games, which while welcome, still aren’t something anyone considers essential.
With some cities and hospital still struggling for masks and tests, how is it that the NBA has endless resources to play games? This is perhaps a larger topic, but one the NBA will have to answer if the pandemic continues to spike during the re-start.
Another question is what happens if one or more of the players test positive? What if 5-6 guys on one team contract the virus? Is the season cancelled? Will that team have to forfeit? There are so many questions remaining about player and staff health and eventually the NBA is going to have to answer them.
While we are hoping for the best, this pandemic is not over and the NBA is putting a lot on the line for what will look a cynical money grab if several players get ill unnecessarily.