League preaches 'flexibility' ahead of unprecedented season
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[December 23, 2020]
(Reuters) - The NBA
will take a flexible approach into the 2020-21 season that begins on
Tuesday, with protocols in place that Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum
feels will allow games to be played safely amid the COVID-19
pandemic.
After finishing last season at Disney World in a so-called "bubble"
designed to keep inhabitants safe from COVID-19, the NBA's 30 teams
will resume traveling between cities for games even as the
coronavirus outbreak continues to swell nationwide.
"We are very closely monitoring the situation with the pandemic here
in the United States and in our cities," Tatum said on Tuesday
during a global media conference call.
"We feel very confident in our protocols, in working with our
medical experts and public health officials and the Players
Association and our teams that we have a set of protocols that will
keep us safe and healthy."
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Among the protocols in place, any player who tests positive for the
virus, even if asymptomatic, will not be allowed to exercise for a
minimum of 10 days. In addition, the number of players traveling will be
limited as teams fly back and forth to games.
The NBA, like other professional leagues operating amid a pandemic,
expects bumps along the way. It released only the first half of its
schedule in the event that in the second half of the season any games
need to be made up.
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The floor is wiped down
during halftime of the Washington Wizards and Detroit Pistons
preseason game at Capital One Arena on December 19, 2020 in
Washington, DC. Mandatory Credit: Rob Carr/Pool Photo via USA TODAY
Sports
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"There's going to be a level of uncertainty here and we are managing
through that and we are monitoring it every single day and we need
to remain flexible and we understand that," said Tatum.
NBA teams will play 10 fewer games than the usual 82-game regular
season, followed by the play-offs, which are scheduled to conclude
in July.
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Dan Grebler)
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