Cavaliers' Larry Nance campaigns for NBA to return amid pandemic

Cleveland Cavaliers forward Larry Nance thinks the 2019-20 NBA season should finish with a crowned champion as long as returning to action is safe for all involved amid the coronavirus pandemic. 

Per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN), Nance spoke with media members on Tuesday via a Zoom conference call about the campaign that came to a screeching halt on March 11 after Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for the novel coronavirus: 

"We're not in position to win a championship this year, but if I was -- if I was Giannis [Antetokounmpo], if I was LeBron [James], if I was Kawhi [Leonard] -- If I was on one of those championship-caliber teams, I'd be pretty upset about it," Nance said Tuesday. "Because it's very rare in this league that a chance like this comes along, and that's taken a valuable year off someone's career."

The rebuilding Cavs currently sit bottom in the Eastern Conference standings with no chance of making a standard postseason tournament at 19-46. Only the Golden State Warriors (15-50) have a worse record for a campaign that remains suspended. The Minnesota Timberwolves are 19-45. 

Daryl Ruiter of Cleveland sports radio station 92.3 The Fan and Spencer Davies of Basketball Insiders tweeted additional comments from Nance: