In the midst of news that the NBA is pushing for a December 22 start date, a debate is raging. Jared Dudley sides towards pushing it to 2021.
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The pandemic has really changed sporting calendars across the board. All 4 major American leagues have been affected by it to varying degrees. Basketball, however, pulled off the most successful reopening with the NBA bubble.
More than 4 months after the last game played in March, the season resumed in Disney World with 22 teams instead of 30. This means that at least 8 teams will have a 9 month break, while 4 teams might quite possibly barely have 12 weeks.
The point Jared Dudley is trying to make about Lakers resting LeBron and co
Jared Dudley replied to a Twitter comment thread commenting upon the possibility of an early return. According to him:
“The show will go on, just don’t cry a river when stars sit out TV games… esp Top teams that played a longer full season …”
Lakers and Heat will have just two months between The Finals and the 2020-2021 start.
There are typically four months between seasons. Teams eliminated in the second round will have 3.5 months.
The only teams really affected are LAL, MIA, DEN, and BOS.
The show must go on. https://t.co/selfmhD2z9
— Billy Reinhardt (@BillyReinhardt) October 26, 2020
The show will go on, just don’t cry a river when stars sit out TV games… esp Top teams that played a longer full season … https://t.co/sCw5NmhBLp
— Jared Dudley (@JaredDudley619) October 26, 2020
LeBron James has put on incredible mileage over his career. Through 14 postseason runs and 1500+ games in the NBA, he has only had 1 major injury ever. However, with his advancing age, it will be necessary to sit him out of certain games in planned fashion so as to prolong his career.
James has stated that he wants to chase down Kareem’s points record. It might take him under 3 more seasons to do so. But in the current circumstances, returning to the basketball court with a smaller offseason may be too much of a risk for him.
The league and the owners would like as many games played as possible, which means that a December restart – either on 22nd or on Christmas Eve, is on the cards.
