There’s a darn good chance that the 2020-21 NBA season will not start until December due to the current season still being suspended amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Realistically, the Association can’t finish up this season and expect to turn around and start next season in October. It just can’t happen from a logistical perspective.
The idea now is that the current season will resume at some point in July and last through September. It would force back the start of the 2020-21 campaign to Christmas Day.
It’s something I have been advocating for. Not just for next season, but moving forward. It seems that outspoken Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban is in agreement.
Cuban took to “Pardon My Take” Friday morning and addressed a ton of different pandemic-related things involving the NBA. The biggest takeaway here is that Mr. Cuban noted that he’s been pushing the Association for a Christmas Day start date for the past 15 years.
“I have been saying that for the past 15 years,” Cuban said about a holiday start.” And the reason I have been shot down is that there’s a thing called HUT (household using television). During the summer that drops. A lot fewer people are watching television because they could be outside. In the past that was a big deal. You wanted to end by June when you can maximize people watching TV. But as you guys know as well as anybody, TV has changed.”
The Christmas start model would include the season ending sometime in September, right around the start of the NFL season. It just makes too much sense.
As it relates to Cuban’s stance on the remainder of the 2019-20 season, he provided some interesting points.
- The owner specifically mentioned Las Vegas as a bubble city to resume the season. Players, personnel and their families would be quarantined in a resort like Mandalay Bay.
- Testing has been an issue for Cuban. He noted that widespread testing would be the first step to resume the season. Though, players in quarantine would not have to be tested on a daily basis, according to the owner.
- Cuban also said that he believes some regular season games would have to be played in order to help players get into shape. Starting with the playoffs is not an option according to him.
- Interestingly enough, Cuban also said some sort of reality television show behind the scenes could be in the cards. A “Big Brother” type look at what’s transpiring off the court with teams getting evicted from the resort once eliminated, either in the regular season or playoffs.
Either way, Cuban remains one of the most high-profile owners in the NBA. He has some sway. His opinions should be taken seriously when looking at both the remainder of the 2019-20 season and moving forward.