NBA target restart date moved up to July 30
NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski tweeted that the league's restart is being moved up a day early, with the NBA now planning to begin games on July 30 instead of July 31. There has currently been no explanation for why the date is being moved up.
In the grand scheme of things, having games start a single day earlier really doesn't seem like that big of a deal. However, given the fact that major professional sports have been gone since March, the promise of the NBA beginning even a tiny bit sooner is sure to excite fans who are desperate for sports.
The NBA paused its season on March 11 after Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for the coronavirus. Since then, the league has worked to figure out a way to not have to entirely cancel the season and earlier this month, the NBA Board of Governors approved of a plan to have 22 out of 30 teams finish out a condensed version of the season in Orlando. Then the remaining 16 playoff teams will compete for the championship.
Even with this good news, the NBA still has a lot to figure out in terms of returning, including addressing the rumors that a growing number of players may not want to come to Orlando due to the risks. According to Wojnarowski, the league is considering allowing teams to add 'substitution' players to replace anyone who does not join the resumed season, as well as replacing players who get injured or test positive for COVID-19.
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