There’s little chance of the league having to call off the games despite mounting absences
Now that the MLB has finally agreed on a date to start the 2020 season, it seems that the NBA is now the league possibly having problems completing its 2019-2020 season. A couple of days ago, a few NBA players from different teams decided to opt-out from going to Orlando, FL for the league’s restart next month. Now, more NBA players are withdrawing from this bubble the NBA has created due to varied reasons.
The latest refusal came from Los Angeles Lakers starting guard Avery Bradley. According to what he told ESPN; he has a six-year-old son who could experience health issues staying in a bubble environment because of his history of respiratory diseases, so Bradley doesn’t want to go. This could be a major blow for the Lakers, who are currently the top team in the Western Conference.
Family issues were also the reason behind Trevor Ariza deciding to stay away from Orlando. Ariza, who plays with the Portland Trail Blazers, announced his decision of stepping back to spend time with his 12-year-old son. The problem he is facing comes from a custody case that granted a court-ordered one-month visitation during the league’s quarantine in Florida. This basically forces him to choose between being a father or playing basketball. Given that Portland is currently stepping on the Grizzlies heels for the eighth and final spot in the west playoffs, Ariza could lose nearly $1.8 million if he doesn’t play.
Finally, another player still unable to join is All-Star center Nikola Jokic, who tested positive for COVID-19 while being in his native Serbia. Due to quarantine requirements, the Denver Nuggets player hasn’t been able to go back to the US yet. Also potentially out due to a positive test is Sacramento Kings guard Buddy Hield, as well as six other players. There is still a chance that they could go, but only if they show two consecutive negative tests before the season relaunch begins.
