NBA suspends season after player tests positive for Coronavirus
After the cancelling the game between the Utah Jazz and Oklahoma City Thunder shortly before tip-off on Wednesday night , the NBA pulled the ultimate parachute and suspended the season due to Coronavirus concerns.
The NBA has suspended the season.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 12, 2020
Adrian Wojnarowski broke the news, which the league confirmed shortly thereafter. The culprit? A positive COVID-19 test for Jazz player Rudy Gobert, who made minor headlines earlier in the week for touching every microphone in the league-mandated safe zone during a media appearance.
Is this the Rudy Gobert microphone incident in question? pic.twitter.com/5pzIuvGMGd
— Eagle-Eyed Social Media User Dan Why-Ner (@DanWeiner) March 12, 2020
So what does that mean for your Denver Nuggets? Well it means that Wednesday’s 113-97 loss at the Dallas Mavericks will be the last for the time being, but so far the season hasn’t been cancelled.
There’s still a lot of information that’s unknown, but barring a total shutdown—which would be a huge financial loss for everyone in the league—standings would be frozen until play could resume.
When that will be is anyone’s guess, particularly if practices and team gatherings are also barred during this time of societal uncertainty and upheaval. If players aren’t practicing and staying fit, there could be a training camp-like period for everyone to get back up to speed before play resumes. Of course this is all speculation at this point.
Mavericks owner @mcuban just told me on @AltitudeTV he will move to push the NBA season back.
Postpone games for as long as necessary before picking up where they left off. He said the playoffs could start in June without an issue.
— Vic Lombardi (@VicLombardi) March 12, 2020
The silver lining to the situation is that it gives guys a chance to heal from injuries and bumps and bruises, though that happens across the board. It also helps reduce transmission of Coronavirus, whether it be between players or amongst fans and employees.
The suspension of league play comes just hours after the NCAA decided to play all league-ending tournaments without fans in attendance for the time being.
NCAA President Mark Emmert statement on limiting attendance at NCAA events: https://t.co/TIHHJjdse5 pic.twitter.com/8I1HdceDfN
— NCAA (@NCAA) March 11, 2020
What do you think of the news? Is the league overreacting or is it the smart move considering the nature of this pandemic?
