NBA 2021: These are the league's plans for now

The NBA has resolved its most complicated and chaotic season in history with an outstanding one in the Disney bubble of Orlando, Florida.After four months of break because of the Coronavirus pandemic, the American league gave a new lesson of organizational and execution capacity to put an end to the regular season and the playoffs without registering a single positive in its insulated campus insideof the Walt Disney World tourist complex.There have been some of their employees for more than 106 days.

Despite having saved the furniture, and even a boycott of the players for racial protests in the United States, the league has not prevented the pandemic from having decoupled the accounts of the competition, with losses that are estimated exceeding 1.000 million dollars.The presence of the public in the stands represents about 40% of the income of the franchises, and the rest comes from the lucrative television contracts signed by the League with local chains and the ESPN.

In a normal course, the NBA moves in the 8.000 million dollars de ingresos, pero con la pandemia instalada en el mundo, y sin una previsión clara de que se desvanezca en un horizonte cercano, la temporada 2020-2021 arrancará con más dudas que certezas.

"I think it will be best to start in January," Commissioner Adam Silver shared in the final days inside the Orlando bubble.“Our goal is to play a standard season, the 82 games and the playoffs.And beyond, play in the local pavilions in front of fans, but we still have to study it ”.

In addition, Silver confirmed that it is not viable for NBA.The 108 international league players could, then, have a fat conflict in their calendars if the plans of the US competition remain firm.

Early November: CBA negotiation

The negotiation between the NBA and the NBPA, the Association of Players, will be key to avoiding greater conflicts within the already complicated current situation.The income of athletes are not insured for the 2020-2021 course, and it is estimated that a total of 30 million dollars could fall over the total of 115 million scheduled before the COVID-19.

Both parties want to reach agreements to reduce the impact of the decrease in the salary limit, with reductions, deadlines and even an income dependence that goes beyond the exploitation of the activity on the track (Bri, Basketball Related Inome).The agreement may be resolved doubts about the franchises about their possibilities in the market, the contracts for rookies, etc..

November 18: Draft NBA

It is the only date set in the coming months.It will be a unique draft since most interviews between players and franchises are being carried out via videoconference, and despite face -to -face medical exams, teams cannot organize private training with future promises.

End of November: Home announcement

The start by Christmas is already discarded and the League plans to make an official announcement two months in advance so that the franchises can organize their calendars.There has been talk of until February or March, dates that will improve knowledge about the virus and improve the chances that the public can enter the pavilions.At the moment, the League will try to advance those scenarios to January 18, the day of Martin Luther King Jr., to avoid further logistics problems in the future.

December 1: free agents market

If the calendar responds to the planned dates, the franchises will be ableof the income account at the end of the course.

Mid -December: Calendar announcement

The League should close the logistics of the course in a short time, and the idea would be to reduce the 170 days that normally use the 82 regular season games of each team up to about 155 days.It seems little but it is not easy to square all the crosses.The new calendar would be organized by matches of parties among the rivals of the same divisions and even series of several games between the same teams.

The objective would be to ensure four weekly games of each franchise to keep a week of break for the weekend of the All Star.

January 18: Inaugural day?

If everything goes like silk, the NBA can seriously consider this date to start the competition.Doing so could avoid a part of the conflict with the Olympic Games, since all players of un classified teams for the playoffs could travel to Tokyo.The regular season could be resolved around June 20, and the champion of the Coronado League at the end of August.

For now, it is known that the NBA and the players want to avoid resorting again to the bubble format, which moves away the teams of the fans and the athletes of their families."The bubble would be the last option, the least ideal," said Michelle Roberts, president of the NBPA, a few weeks ago.

In November we will know more details.