Will “the NBA bubble” continue in 2021?

The NBA has been able to efficiently carry out this unusual 2019-20 season that after the pandemic is played for the first time in history, in a 'bubble' specially designed for this purpose in Orlando. But the best basketball in the world is cautious and is already thinking about the 2021 campaign, in which the possibility of using a similar formula is being considered.

If the coronavirus pandemic does not grant a truce regional "bubbles" could be created. The approach aims for teams to confine themselves in these bubbles for periods of close to a month, and that would be followed by a week or two of rest.

Venues in Orlando and Las Vegas?

Adrian Wojnarowski, a well-known reporter from the source for ESPN, gave details to Marca about which could be the venues for the next cycle. "Orlando is a consideration, and Las Vegas, a finalist for this summer's reboot, would also resurface as a potential site. Smaller bubbles would reduce the odds of a coronavirus outbreak that worries the entire league."

These scenarios under strict security measures would allow players to spend more time with their families, but even so, many questions arise related to the subject such as what would happen if a bubble has coronavirus problems? , which would cause the teams' schedules to quickly become unbalanced. How many players would get coronavirus between bubbles? , there are no easy solutions, but they have to try them.

Fixed schedule

Yes, the NBA already has the schedule for the 2021 season, but it remains to be decided whether the actions will begin in December of this year, or more possibly in March of the next year. Based on that, and the fact that after two weeks the bubble season has not yielded any positive for Covid19, repeating the formula is much more valued. 

The National Basketball Association (NBA), clarified that they could start the next campaign in the Disney World bubble , which is why conversations with the owners of the complex are already advanced for a possible rental within a few months in case the coronavirus is still present.

Not even the expected salary cuts that would come, will stop the possibility of carrying out the season because it represents an income of money, even if it is in less quantity than usual in a normal season. This condition can cause the NBA to grant permission to players to participate or not in the next season, since they will inevitably be away from their homes.

As.com reflects that Morning Consult assures that the NBA has four scenarios under evaluation for 2021. One of the most drastic scenarios is that the league starts between March and October of next year, when a potential vaccine is ready. 

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In principle, the schedule will consist of its 82 traditional matches, including the All Star. Under this format, the match schedules would be published daily. This period would allow the franchises to increase their income from tickets, but at the same time lose some from television, since a section of the season would coincide with the Tokyo 2021 Olympic Games, scheduled between July 23 and August 8 .

Another alternative would be to briefly stop the season while basketball is played in Japan, but that option would create an imbalance between the players who would travel abroad for the Olympics, and those who would take two weeks off. If the Covid19 does not stop, the players would not spend more than four weeks concentrated without being able to travel to their homes.

The other scenario is that the season is played between December 2020 and July 2021. If positive, the teams and the health authorities would be in charge of deciding which courts can host fans and which ones cannot.

The union's position

But the union body representing the players also has something to say about it, and in that sense, the executive director of the NBPA, Michele Roberts, spoke, who analyzed the outlook for the coming months.

“If tomorrow is like now, I don't know how we could do it differently. We all know, and I'm not just talking about me but about the League, the NBPA and the experts, that this is the way to run the tournament. If it is necessary when the time comes, then that will be the way to do it ”, explained Robert according to Basquetplus.

The executive director continued saying “All I know is what I know now. So if the bubble were the way to play, it will have to be the chosen path next season if things stay the same. I hope that does not happen, because I would like to think that people can be with their families, but today that is what we know. "