Silver says NBA will consider many ideas if play can resume

NBA is considering an idea where some players would be quarantined or isolated for purposes of being able to compete against one ar and provide basketball fans with some sort of diversion from coronavirus pandemic. NBA Commissioner am Silver revealed that tion as one of several items under consideration by league right w during shutdown caused by pandemic. Silver me comments in a televised interview on ESPN.

“Maybe it’s for a giant fundraiser or just for collective good of people,” Silver said. “You take a subset of players and is re a protocol in which y can be tested and quarantined and isolated in some way. ... People are stuck at home. y need a diversion. y need to be entertained.”

Silver offered predictions on when NBA games would resume. He said league may, when conditions allow, resume games but without fans — a move league was going to make last week before Utah’s Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19 and prompted league to go on what it thought would be a hiatus, t a stopp that is certain to reach multiple weeks and likely months.

Silver, as he often does, said he hopes NBA can be a conduit to spark positive change in country — especially w when re will be a real need.

“One thing I'll say about United States ... we’re an incredible country and some of greatest inventions, some of best invations, some of best minds are in this country,” Silver said. “And I'm sure as people are sitting home but still working y're thinking of se various things like how can we restart ecomy and what role can NBA play?”

Silver also said he doesn't kw when play can return. NBA has said shutdown will be at least 30 days, though Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has subsequently said it recommends garings of more than 50 people take place before mid-May.

“I don't have a good eugh sense of how long a period this is going to be," Silver said.

In or matters Silver discussed:

TEAM TESTING

Silver said eight full NBA teams have been tested for coronavirus, which is more than was previously kwn, as well as members of or teams who were showing symptoms. Brooklyn Nets, Oklahoma City Thunder, Utah Jazz and Toronto Raptors have said publicly that y have been tested; Los Angeles Lakers indicated Tuesday that y would be tested. Detroit Pistons said a player was tested; that player, according to a person with kwledge of situation and spoke to Associated Press, was Christian Wood, who tested positive.

Silver did t say who or teams that got tested are. He did, however, stand by decisions teams were making to get tested even amid criticism that

“People were t taking se protocols all that seriously until NBA did what it did,” Silver said.

Silver said he has t been tested.

PREDICTIONS

Silver would t offer a percent guess as to his level of certainty that play will resume this season.

“I’m optimistic by nature and I want to believe that we’ll be able to salv at least some portion of this season,” Silver said.

Silver said league will “try by every means that we can” to play basketball again soon, though insisted that public health officials will sign off on any resumption plan first.

Asked by ESPN host Rachel Nichols if league would crown scoring leer James Harden of Houston Rockets scoring champion if season wouldn’t resume or if league would go ahe with voting for tritional end-of-season awards, Silver said “I’m t re yet. We’ll figure it out. I hope I’m t just in denial, but I’m just t re yet.”