NBA’s calculated risk on bubble life could be a win for the league, and for the Kings
The NBA announced Wednesday zero players tested positive for COVID-19. This marks the second week in a row no players inside the bubble have tested positive, and signals a sign of optimism that the NBA’s Orlando bubble might actually work.
There have, however, already been incidents that have shown just how fragile the bubble is. Sacramento Kings center Richaun Holmes stepped outside the bubble to pick up a takeout order, not realizing it would require a 10-day quarantine. Holmes has since completed that quarantine and will be with the Kings when their season opens against the Spurs on Friday night. The Clippers’ Lou Williams also jeopardized the bubble, going out to eat at an Atlanta strip club while away on an excused absence. Upon learning of Williams’ field trip, the league required him to endure a 10-day quarantine in his hotel room rather than the four-day quarantine that is normally required for an excused absence.
The Williams incident only came to light because a fan posted a photo of Williams in the club on social media. And for a brief moment there were even denials that the photo was a recent one, until people realized Williams was wearing his bubble-issued face mask. But what if the next player who doesn’t take the virus seriously is smart enough not to pose for selfies? The bubble quarantine is only effective as long as every player, coach, staff member, and media member adheres to the rules. One infected person inside the bubble is all it would take to trigger a wave of infection.
Despite the fragility of the bubble, the NBA’s plan is clearly more effective than Major League Baseball. The NBA has been strict about daily testing and isolating individuals before they can risk the health of the population. Major League Baseball chose not to pursue a bubble, and didn’t make a week before the virus swept through the Marlins clubhouse. For whatever risks the NBA’s plan has, they clearly are taking a more serious approach than other pro sports leagues.
Despite every effort to mitigate risks, the NBA is still taking a chance by trying to finish the season. It was inevitable with owners and players both having millions of dollars at stake. The owners could have chosen to pay players their full salaries without finishing the year, but that was never going to appeal to owners losing out on gate revenues and TV ad sales and concessions money. The owners could have implemented the CBA’s force majeure clause, but that would have ended the current CBA and likely would have resulted in a lockout well into next season. The owners wanted to limit their losses, the players wanted to continue collecting multi-million-dollar checks, so the league was always destined to resume.
All this may sound like I’m opposed to the NBA coming back, but nothing could be further from the truth. I’ve enjoyed watching the scrimmages and I can’t wait to follow the games once the season resumes in earnest. I’m eagerly hoping the Kings can force a play-in series with the Memphis Grizzlies and finally end Sacramento’s playoff drought. I worry about the security of the bubble and I worry that something will go wrong. But I thought we would have seen issues already in the bubble, and I’m pleasantly surprised with how well the NBA’s measures are working. Let’s hope that the NBA’s plan continues to work so we can enjoy the rest of the NBA season.
Greg Wissinger has covered the Kings for over 10 years and is the Managing Editor for KingsHerald.com