What does next season look like?
Coronavirus: FIBA postpones final Olympics qualifiers
FIBA officially postponed the final four qualifying tournaments for the Tokyo Olympics to next summer on Thursday, according to the Associated Press, a move that could significantly interfere with the NBA.
The Olympics were initially scheduled to take place this summer in Tokyo, though they were postponed earlier this year to start on July 23, 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
How could this impact the NBA?
The NBA suspended operations on March 11 due to the coronavirus pandemic, and still has no set plans to resume the 2019-20 season. The league is still contemplating several different options.
Should the league resume play in some form, it could significantly impact the start of next season — an idea to start the season in December is already being considered, especially if the current season doesn’t wrap up until later this summer.
If the start of the 2020-21 season is delayed by a few months, then the postseason would be delayed on the back end of the season as well. If international players — like Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks or Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets, for example — are in the midst of a playoff run, a qualifying tournament for the Olympics with their home countries of Greece and Serbia, respectively, would be a direct conflict.
It’s unclear how both FIBA and the NBA would handle such a scenario. The NBA, per the Associated Press, has never had a Finals go later than June 25, and doesn’t normally stop play for international qualifying windows.
Granted, this is still a ways off and there is a lot to be figured out still. There were more than 1.4 million confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the United States as of Thursday night, according to The New York Times, and nearly 86,000 deaths attributed to it. The future of the NBA is still unclear, and some organizers are even doubting that the Olympics will be able to be held next summer, too.
The longer the NBA waits to officially resume the current season or decide about the start of next season, however, the more likely it is to be impacted by qualifiers for the Tokyo Olympics.
As NBA salary reductions begin, some top earners face fall IOUs
NBA teams will withhold more than $30 million from player paychecks on Friday, as players receive their first salary reduction since the league and union agreed to a plan to temporarily cut pay by 25%.
But six of the NBA’s top 10 earners this season — LeBron James, Stephen Curry, John Wall, Blake Griffin, Kevin Durant and Paul George — have already been paid in full and will not see a pay decrease Friday.
Their salary reductions will come out of their advances for the 2020-21 season on Oct. 1 or beginning with their Nov. 15 paychecks. Each player will essentially have an IOU per paycheck to his team ranging from $390,000 (James) to $420,000 (Curry) each time there is a scheduled 25% pay reduction. That amount will increase if games are eventually canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.
If the league cancels the remainder of the regular season and jumps right into the playoffs, players likely will see the 25% paycheck reduction increase as high as 40%. If the league cancels the entire season, including the postseason, players are projected to lose more than $1 billion in total salary.
Although teams were notified in an April 17 memo that steps should be taken to preserve the withheld funds until the completion or permanent cancellation of the 2019-20 season, each franchise is free to spend the money however it wants, sources said.
No teams contacted by ESPN said they had immediate plans to spend the withheld player salary, but those that are low on cash could choose to use the money to offset expenses amid the pandemic.
However, if the NBA season picks up where it left off in mid-March, teams will be responsible for refunding the full amount to their players.
After the next round of salary withholding on June 1, the total amount per team will range from a high of $2.8 million (Portland Trail Blazers) to a low of $1.4 million (Los Angeles Lakers).
Why Lakers forward Jared Dudley believes NBA season will resume in July | Newsday
Speaking on ESPN New York Radio’s Bart and Hahn Show on Thursday, Dudley expressed confidence that Silver, the team owners and the players are all on the same page in pushing to finish this season.
“Basically, when it comes down to us, we’re a little different than baseball,” Dudley said. “We already had two-thirds of the season done, so we can finish this season relatively quickly, X days of regular season, go straight to the playoffs, get this done in two months . . . We’re already going to push next season back, the following season, to December, if not January at the latest. Because obviously Adam Silver came out in our [conference call with players] and said he doesn’t mind if this season goes into October and the reason why he doesn’t mind is that hopefully by this time next year, maybe we have a cure, maybe we have a vaccine where we can have fans.”
During the past week, the NBA opened practice facilities and allowed players to work out there under strict safety protocols. While all professional sports try to figure out a way to begin playing again, most likely without fans, Dudley is confident that a plan can be worked out.
“For us, it’s safety obviously first,” the former Net said. “There’s no vaccine coming this year. So what’s the difference of next year? We’re going to be in Orlando at Disney playing games or in Vegas playing games. You’re going to be in the bubble, play your games, go back to the hotel, give the fans something to watch. But us, it’s if we don’t play, then they’re going to [enact] Force Majeure. They’re going to cancel the [collective bargaining agreement]. That guaranteed contract that everybody raves about for NBA players, that’s gone for next season, I don’t care if you have $40 million, $30 million, the cap is going to be different because the [basketball-related income] is going to be [lowered] because of the TV revenue.
“We’re going to be safe in this bubble because of the testing we’re going to be doing before every game. That’s why Adam Silver wants to wait another month or two to be able to sign off on it because he wants everybody in society to be able to get tests first. And second, the data will show the virus that between the ages of 19 and 35, it’s what, 0.001% that someone has died and that’s not even a professional athlete.”
Predicting the next NBA superteams – Sports Illustrated
Toronto Raptors
The Raptors face two disparate paths in the near future, and we should get a good idea of their plans both in 2020 free agency and before the 2020-21 trade deadline.The easiest route for Toronto would be to re-sign Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol this summer, or shell out up to nine figures for point guard Fred VanVleet. Toronto could also add another year or two onto Kyle Lowry’s contract–which expires after 2020-21–effectively continuing to ride their roster as currently constructed around Pascal Siakam. The Raptors aren’t a paper tiger in 2019-20. They’re legitimate contenders for the Finals, and Nick Nurse has emerged as one of the league’s premier coaches. It’s not the sexiest path forward, but it’s hard to blame Toronto if it wishes to stay the course after a Finals win in 2019 and a 46–18 record in 2019-20.
Yet dispute the benefits of stability, it’s hard to shake the feeling that Masai Ujiri has something else up his sleeve. Toronto could look to largely blow up the roster before July 2021, clearing as much cap space as possible to hunt for talent next to Siakam. The Raptors could clear two max salary spots with ease by saying goodbye to Ibaka, Gasol and Lowry before the summer of 2021, with Antetokounmpo looming as the top prize. Ujiri hasn’t been afraid to make a splash before. He could follow up his coup for Kawhi with one of the greatest free agent signings in league history.
Quiet Please, I’m Pitching! Sports in the Age of No Fans – WSJ
I just think we’re going to realize soon what fans brought to the game—the energy, the applause, the rowdiness, the bored, phone-checking ambivalence of corporate ticket holders in the lower bowl. I don’t think it was a fraction of the experience; I think it was core to the whole deal. I think the moment we first hear a basketball dribbling plaintively across a floor we’re going to realize a big part of this is missing.
You know who agrees with me? The TV people. And it sounds like they’re in the laboratory and getting loopy. The other day, the Fox play-by-play announcer Joe Buck gave an interview on Andy Cohen’s radio show in which he said his network is mulling methods to spice up the telecast, including pumping in crowd noise and the installation of…virtual fans.
“They’re looking at ways to put virtual fans in the stands, so when you see a wide shot it looks like the stadium is jam-packed and in fact it’ll be empty,” Buck said.
Buck’s comment caused a stir, and he’s probably going to get a terse, typewritten letter from the Columbia Journalism Review. Still, let’s play this out a little. These are surreal, unprecedented times, and all forms of experimentation must be explored, even mad-scientist ones with murky implications.
First, I need to know if the virtual fans are going to be realistic. When I hear CGI fans, I immediately think of a stadium full of Jar-Jar Binkses. I do not want a stadium full of Jar-Jar Binkses. I want CGI fans who resemble actual humans, like me, with flab and chili dog stains on their jerseys. I want shirtless fans with hand-painted chests misspelling “MICHIGAN.” I want computer-generated fans who, midway through the third quarter, wonder if it’s time to bail and go to the parking lot.
Can CGI render the appropriate look of anticipatory dread in the eyes of a Mets fan in the late innings of a close game? I’m not so sure.
Toronto is an option to host NBA games this summer: report | Offside
If the NBA returns this summer, it’ll likely be in Las Vegas or Orlando, according to multiple reports.
But there is a chance it might take place in Toronto.
In what most would probably consider a highly unlikely scenario, Yahoo Sports NBA insider Chris Haynes reports that Toronto is being considered as an option to host games.
While Florida and Nevada were the main states being discussed, Haynes said in an interview with Tim and Sid on Sportsnet that NBA Commissioner Adam Silver mentioned Toronto as a possibility during a recent conference call with players.
“[Silver] mentioned Toronto in that conference call too,” said Haynes. “He said Toronto is an option. He said he would like to keep the season in the States, but he said he’s not ruling out Toronto.”
“Toronto was a place he said that can hold it.”
Cue the “so you’re telling me there’s a chance” meme, Raptors fans.
On the surface, Orlando and Las Vegas would seem to make infinitely more sense for the NBA concluding its season in a centralized location without fans. For starters, it wouldn’t require the vast majority of the league having to undergo a 14-day quarantine upon entry into Canada.
Raptors Classic Podcast: Kyle Lowry scores 35 in Game 7 to send Raptors into ECF
Welcome to Raptors Over Everything, a Yahoo Sports Canada podcast covering the latest developments regarding the Toronto Raptors. Find the show on iTunes, Spotify, and Stitcher.
Host William Lou reacts to an unforgettable classic, where Kyle Lowry scored 35 points in Game 7 against the Miami Heat to advance into the Eastern Conference Finals on May 15, 2016.
Three stars: Kyle Lowry, Bismack Biyombo, DeMarre Carroll
Gerald Henderson Award: Joe Johnson
Patrick Patterson Award: Cory Joseph
Ft. Josh Hart of the Live Call-in Show
Raptors HC Nick Nurse: We Should Strive To Crown A Champion This Season | FOX Sports Radio
Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse spoke with Dan Patrick on The Dan Patrick Show about the importance of the NBA finishing out the 2020 season and opens up about what viewers would hear if there were not fans in the stands. Coach Nurse shares his philosophy on yelling at players and breaks down which current NBA coaches would be the most competitive in a game of H-O-R-S-E!
Raptors Could be the NBA’s Next Superteam
Now, as we sit on pause before our first offseason of the 2020s, Sports Illustrated decided to take a look at who could be the NBA’s next superteam. Atop that list: The Toronto Raptors, SI’s Michael Shapiro says.
“The Raptors face two disparate paths in the near future, and we should get a good idea of their plans both in 2020 free agency and before the 2020-21 trade deadline,” Shapiro writes.
“The easiest route for Toronto would be to re-sign Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol this summer, or shell out up to nine figures for point guard Fred VanVleet. Toronto could also add another year or two onto Kyle Lowry’s contract–which expires after 2020-21–effectively continuing to ride their roster as currently constructed around Pascal Siakam. The Raptors aren’t a paper tiger in 2019-20. They’re legitimate contenders for the Finals, and Nick Nurse has emerged as one of the league’s premier coaches. It’s not the sexiest path forward, but it’s hard to blame Toronto if it wishes to stay the course after a Finals win in 2019 and a 46–18 record in 2019-20.
“Yet dispute the benefits of stability, it’s hard to shake the feeling that Masai Ujiri has something else up his sleeve. Toronto could look to largely blow up the roster before July 2021, clearing as much cap space as possible to hunt for talent next to Siakam. The Raptors could clear two max salary spots with ease by saying goodbye to Ibaka, Gasol and Lowry before the summer of 2021, with Antetokounmpo looming as the top prize. Ujiri hasn’t been afraid to make a splash before. He could follow up his coup for Kawhi with one of the greatest free agent signings in league history.”
Antetokounmpo has been atop Raptors fans wishlist since he first burst onto the scene in 2016-17 and Toronto found out Ujiri tried to trade up to draft the 6-foot-11 Greek Freak. While the connections between Toronto, Ujiri and Antetokounmpo are clear — Ujiri helped Antetokounmpo’s family immigrate to Greece — the Raptors aren’t going to put all their eggs in one basket.
Five Past Small Forwards Who Would Have Dominated 2020 – The Ringer
Shawn Marion
Career (1,163 games, 1999-2015): 15.2 points, 8.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.5 steals, 1.1 blocks per game, 48.4% FG, 33.1% 3FG, 81.0% FTI wrote about Marion a bit last month, when we revisited the 1999 draft:
When we remember Seven Seconds or Less, Marion is typically the fourth person we think about, behind system architect Mike D’Antoni, point guard/test pilot Steve Nash, and pick-and-roll monster Amar’e Stoudemire. But Marion’s ability to fill in the gaps—to use his length and athleticism to defend all five positions, to space the floor as a credible 3-point shooter, to sprint the floor to finish in transition, to bring the ball up to run the break, and to rebound at an elite level—was arguably just as important to unlocking Phoenix’s most explosive and potent lineups. It also helped usher in a sea change in the way lineups were constructed and basketball was played in the years to come.
It’s a case Marion himself has made over the years. In Seven Seconds or Less, McCallum’s 2006 book tracing a season embedded with the Suns’ coaching staff, the 6-foot-7, 220-pound forward tells the author, “I mean, damn, I’m doing things in this league nobody else is doing. Come on, now, give me my respect. I’m not no big man.” He struck a similar note in a recent interview with Michael Lee of The Athletic: “I’m a big [reason] why the game is what it is today. … What I was able to do is the model of what everybody is trying to do right now. Everybody is trying to find somebody to do everything that I was able to do. Which they ain’t been successful.”
Despite his status as an early-aughts prototype and positional pioneer, I’m not sure Marion would be a bigger star today than he was back then without a major evolution as a shot creator. Nearly 69 percent of his career field goals came via assist—a function of spending most of his 16 seasons alongside table-setters like Nash, Jason Kidd, and Stephon Marbury, but also an indicator that he was better equipped to finish plays than make them. Among 183 forwards in league history to log at least 10,000 minutes and use more than 20 percent of his team’s offensive possessions, Marion ranks 133rd in assist rate; even his career high in that category (13.1 percent, with the Mavs in 2012-13) would’ve put him more in line with Eric Paschall this season than a no. 1 option. As electric as he was in transition and cutting to the rim in the half court, his limitations as a ball handler and facilitator would probably still prevent him from being the sort of high-usage playmaking hub you could build an offense around.