PHILADELPHIA, PA - JANUARY 15: Kyrie Irving #11 of the Brooklyn Nets looks on against the Philadelphia 76ers in the fourth quarter at the Wells Fargo Center on January 15, 2020 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The 76ers defeated the Nets 117-106. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)The NBA is set to resume its season, with the 22 potential playoff teams preparing to play in Orlando. Not everyone is totally on board with the situation.
Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving is concerned that a return to play could obfuscate the nationwide push for social justice. He’s not alone. Other big-name players like Dwight Howard have echoed similar sentiments.
Even so, it doesn’t sound like those concerns will derail the Orlando plans. LeBron James and other stars support the idea. Play is set to resume on July 30, as of now.
If players on those teams choose not to report, whether for personal reasons or concerns over the national health crisis, they now have a deadline of June 24—a week from tomorrow—to let their teams know. NBA insider Shams Charania reports that players will be docked 1/92.6 of their compensation for each game missed.
NBA players have been notified that any player who chooses not to play in resumed 2019-20 season must notify his team by June 24, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium. Compensation would be reduced by 1/92.6 for each game missed.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 16, 2020
Nine Eastern Conference teams and 13 Western Conference teams will be present in Orlando. Teams will begin playing games on July 30th to figure out seeding.
If the ninth-seeded team is within four games of the eight seed in each conference, those two teams will play a series of up to three games to decide who makes the playoffs. The eighth seed will need to win one game, while the ninth will have to win two to advance.
We’re all excited to get basketball back later this summer, but it is very reasonable that some players may have some hangups about the Orlando plan, for a number of reasons.
