NBA
NBA Teams Most Impacted by the 2020 Season Suspension
Some teams will be impacted by this suspension for a while
Melissa Majchrzak/Getty Images
Over the past few weeks, the Coronavirus global pandemic has hit the sports world hard with virtually all events cancelled or postponed. From the 146th running of the Kentucky Derby and annual March Madness tournament to three of the major sports leagues – NBA, NHL, MLB – all suspending or delaying their seasons. Next on the chopping block could be the NBA Draft Lottery, Combine, Summer League, and other offseason events.
As of today, the Lottery is still scheduled for May 19 in Chicago. The Combine would follow from May 21-24. Speculation remains that the rest of the 2019-2020 NBA season could be scrapped and the Playoffs held with seeding as of March 11. A complete cancellation is still a possibility, but after a call with the President of the United States, the NBA is assessing options of resuming play in the near future with rapid-response testing devices that can generate results within minutes.
There’s no denying that all teams (and people) have felt the impact of this global pandemic, but these five squads in the NBA are impacted the most.
Of the four players on the Nets with positive tests, the franchise published only one name: 10x All Star, 4x Scoring Champ and 2x NBA Champ Kevin Durant. While a torn Achilles tendon has kept him off the basketball court all 2019-20 season, Durant remains a powerful influencer in the court of public opinion and therefore a recognizable symbol of the threat to public health posed by COVID-19. The identities of the three other players were not revealed, and wouldn’t have near the public influence as to the severity of this virus.
If the season continues, the Nets are seventh in the East and would play the Toronto Raptors in the first round of the Playoffs. Durant’s agent, Rich Kleiman, initially stated the Durant would sit out the whole ’19-’20 season, however, there’s a chance KD could still potentially lace up if the season continues into August or September. Not to mention, the Nets best player this season Kyrie Irving could potentially return from a Shoulder injury if games are still being played later in the summer.
The Utah Jazz were the first NBA organization to report a positive test, with Center Rudy Gobert testing positive on March 11. Gobert’s result set in motion the suspension of the NBA season as well as that of other leagues. It’s interesting to think if or when the Season would’ve been suspended had Gobert not tested positive that day.
Days before his positive test, Gobert was all over the media after he intentionally touched microphones and recorders set up at a press conference to show he did not take this virus seriously in an all-time ironic moment. He posted an apology video on his Instagram account days later, but by then, the damage was done. The Jazz also revealed that fellow All-Star teammate Donovan Mitchell had tested positive as well. Before the season suspension, the Jazz were in fourth place in the West. If the Playoffs were to start today, they would technically be the home team in a series against the Oklahoma City Thunder (although no team will likely be ‘home’ this year).
This whole experience on the Utah Jazz, especially involving their best two players, will either bring them all closer together or make it near impossible to navigate a tough West Conference with the additional various distractions. However, it should be noted that once games return without fans in attendance, the impact of outside distractions will naturally reduce significantly.
The Philadelphia 76ers have had a lot of ups and downs in the 2019-2020 season. Coming into the season, the Sixers were thought to be one of the best teams in the NBA and the most likely team to give the Milwaukee Bucks a run for their money in the East. However, this season has been a major disappointment fueled by the second most road losses in the entire league.
There has also been some stuff going on in the locker room, according to new PF Al Horford. Head Coach Brett Brown has also received heavy criticism regarding his mismanagement of the roster and his underachieving team. In a very competitive Eastern Conference with teams like the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics heavily on the rise, it looks like the Sixers are truly a wild card. If Philly can get Simmons fully healthy in time for the playoffs and Embiid playing at peak performance, this team is highly capable of making a deep playoff run. Considering road games will no longer be a factor and Philly’s star players have extra time to get healthy, this could be a blessing in disguise for the Sixers.
The New Orleans Pelicans were starting to get hot at the right time, making a push for the eighth and final seed in the west. Unfortunately for NOLA, the season was suspended, killing all their built-up momentum since Zion made his memorable NBA debut. Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, and Williamson were beginning to click at the right time and with help from veterans Jrue Holliday and JJ Redick, the Pelicans were making a significant push for the playoffs.
The current fight for the 8 seed is between 5 teams: the Memphis Grizzlies (32-33), the Portland Trailblazers (29-37), New Orleans Pelicans (28-36), Sacramento Kings (28-36), and San Antonio Spurs (27-36). Not only does this season suspension halt the Pelicans’ progress, it also delays rookie Zion Williamson’s rookie season once again, after coming off of a knee injury suffered in the preseason.
Considering he came into the league regarded as “overweight,” the last thing New Orleans wants to risk is his body being out of condition again. The Pelicans exciting season now might be cut short with no Postseason appearance to show for it and their superstar No.1 Pick with absolutely 0% chance to win ROY unless the NBA keeps the full Regular Season intact, despite much better Per Game production across the board than Morant.
As the current 8 seed in the West, the Memphis Grizzlies may have seen the season come to an end at the perfect time. Memphis was in a battle for the last Playoff spot in the West before the Season Suspension and just managed to slip in ahead of the Trail Blazers. If this is indeed the end of the Regular Season, breakout rookie star Ja Morant might win unanimous Rookie of the Year honors after leading the Grizzlies to their first Playoff appearance since the 2016-2017 season.
With the season cut short, the timing could not have worked out better for the Grizzlies. If the NBA decides to end the Regular Season and begin the Playoffs, the Grizzlies would face LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers, gaining crucial Playoff experience for a young squad that could benefit greatly from this in a few years. Plus it officially guarantees that their 1st round pick will go to Boston this year instead of being completely unprotected next year.
The 2019-20 NBA Season might never resume again, let alone in the next month or two. Although Commissioner Adam Silver initially stated that the break in action would last only a month, the time frame has now been extended due to the magnitude of the outbreak. While fans are optimistic about a potential return, right now there are more questions than answers regarding the status of the season.
However, one question that’s on everyone’s minds is whether this extended absence of play will help or hinder specific teams or players more than others. What individual players do in their free time during this break could be crucial in deciding that result, but the answer to this question will only come if/when play resumes.
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