NBA commissioner Adam Silver has backtracked on his earlier statement on TNT about possibly not allowing “certain coaches” to sit on the bench during games once the season resumes “in order to protect them.”
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reports that per Dallas Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle — who currently stands as the president of the NBA Coaches Association — that Silver has retracted his earlier statement:
NBA Coaches Association President Rick Carlisle: "I just spoke to Adam Silver and he admitted that he jumped the gun with his statement to TNT. The health and safety of our coaches is first and foremost. It's entirely possible that an NBA coach in his 60's or 70's could be…"
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 5, 2020
Carlisle continued: …"healthier than someone in their 30's or 40's. The conversation should never be solely about a person's age. Adam assured me that we would work through this together to help determine what is both safe and fair for all of our coaches." https://t.co/yYDldXL69D
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 5, 2020
A number of prominent coaches in the league, including San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich (71) and Mike D'Antoni (69) of the Houston Rockets, are already advanced in their respective ages. The risk of said senior coaches contracting the coronavirus is much higher as compared to their younger compatriots. Despite the league adapting the bubble concept in Disney World in Florida, there still remains a risk — regardless of how small — of somehow being exposed to the virus.
Then again, Carlisle has a point here. An younger coach might not necessarily have a stronger immune system as compared to a 70-year-old coach. This is where he is coming from when it comes to disagreeing with a comprehensive policy excluding coaches from attending games based solely on their age.
There's no denying that there are still a number of grey areas in the league's new concept that need to be ironed out. What is clear, however, is that the number one priority of league (and the coach's association) is the health and well-being of everyone involved – not only the coaches. After all, this is much more important than basketball.
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