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With the coronavirus cases rising at every corner of the globe, the 2019-20 season still hangs in the balance. While most NBA fans are itching to see some basketball again, Mavs head coach Rick Carlisle says that the league has highlighted “public safety” first before the season's resumption.
Carlisle joined The Dennis and Cowlishaw show on ESPN Dallas 103.3 [KESN-FM] to give his thoughts on the COVID-19 pandemic in relation to how the league is handling it. While the Dallas Mavericks tactician admitted that he hasn't fully processed everything, he shared that NBA Commissioner Adam Silver's priority is the health and well-being of the general public.
As transcribed by Brice Paterik of The Dallas Morning News:
“At this point a lot of things have got to be on the table. That concept specifically I haven’t thought through very much. But it’s all predicated on the overall situation that we’re in the middle of right now,” Rick Carlisle said when asked about the possibility of starting the 2020-21 season in December.
“Adam (Silver) has made it very clear, and Mark’s made it very clear too, that it’s public safety first. NBA stuff will happen when it’s supposed to happen, and we’ve got to keep our eye on the ball.”
To recall, the NBA immediately suspended the season on March 11 right after Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz tested positive for COVID-19. Initially, the league thought of having games held without fans and a limited crew, but with the coronavirus tightening its grip on the whole world, the NBA was forced to call of the season.
At this point, no one knows if the season will resume at all.
Carlisle and the Mavs were in seventh place in the Western Conference before the season got suspended. They had a 40-27 record and were well on their way to the playoffs.
Certainly, Mavs fans will want to see the team back in the playoffs for the first time since 2016.. However, the NBA will likely only resume the season when the threat of the coronavirus is completely gone.
