NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley is “100 percent sure” the 2019-20 season will resume.
During an appearance on ESPN's “The Paul Finebaum Show,” Barkley said that after speaking to some execs at Turner, he is certain the 2019-20 NBA campaign will start up again in Florida or Las Vegas.
Chuck, however, also spoke about the challenges of having an isolated playoff format, especially if a player on a playoff team tests positive for COVID-19 (h/t Andrew Joe Potter of The Score).
“(The NBA is) gonna make a decision in the next week,” Charles Barkley said. “I'm 100% sure we're going to play. I know my friends in Major League Baseball are going to play. I know that the hockey league is going to play. I think the pro football and the college football, they have to sit back and see how it goes for us.
“You can’t stop the playoffs. I think a team’s gonna have to just forfeit a series. If any of their players —not even their best player, gets the virus. You’re going to have to sequester the entire team and they’re gonna have to forfeit a round of the playoffs. They’re gonna be gone from the playoffs.”
The NBA has entered exploratory conversations with the Walt Disney Company over possibly restarting its 2019-20 season in late July at Walt Disney World.
Commissioner Adam Silver and Co. is still deciding as to what form the league will return. Playoff games could be immediately played with the top 16 teams. But again, nothing has been set in stone since everything is contingent on the coronavirus.
Before the 2019-20 season was suspended, the Milwaukee Bucks had the top record in the NBA at 53-12. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Lakers were atop the Western Conference standings with a mark of 49-14.
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