The NBA has faced an overwhelming amount of pressure to give an update on the remainder of the 2019-20 season. Some among the National Basketball Players Association have been eager to return, while some agents and executives have had their share of frustrations and reportedly even pushed for the cancellation of the season.

At first, the league came up with a potential “bubble” plan to play in Las Vegas and have players quarantined in various hotels to help finish out the campaign. NBPA executive director Michele Roberts noted that idea, though hopeful, was met with some doubt:

“When that one was first floated, there was some consternation,” Roberts told ESPN's Ramona Shelburne. “Are we going to arm guards around the hotel?” Roberts wondered. “That sounds like incarceration to me.”

Then came the concern from the players:

“So then the players were like, ‘Well, I don't know that it's worth it to be away from my family for that long,'” said Roberts. “We could do all that, and then what happens when one or two or 10 players test positive after that 28-day isolation? Do we shut it down?”

Roberts was quick to acknowledge this is no longer a way to get past the virus but rather a way to live with it:

“This is a world with the virus,” said Roberts. “And we have to figure out a way to work, play and live in a world with the virus. The questions have now evolved from, ‘Are we going to play again?' to, ‘If we play, what are the risks going to look like?'”

The recent reopening of practice facilities has been cause for some polarity, as the NBA applied this measure to keep players from using gyms or other places nearby once their state opens:

“Players are saying, ‘I can do my stuff at high school gyms or whatever else I've been using right now — without having to go through all these protocols,'” a Western Conference general manager said. “And I can work out as long as I want there — not just an hour.”

“Some guys will stay out of market, and some guys will be in market and not go there,” a Western Conference player said. “And some will choose to use it.”

RECOMMENDED (Article Continues Below)

The NBA is quite divided as to what is the best course of action. Teams like the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers are enticed to continue the season so that their first-place efforts aren't for naught, while bottom-feeders don't have much to gain from playing more games or watching the playoffs unfold.

Roberts doesn't have all the answers, but she does have a read at the virtual tug of war taking place between players and the league. There's also no real palpable vision as to how the season can resume safely without its main element: Testing. While the league could theoretically get its hands on the tests required, it's a political nonstarter at this point in time.

Roberts is working in tandem with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver to figure out a best course of action, but right now there are still so many questions and concerns.