There has to be some concern regarding the second half of the 2021-22 NBA season.
The NBA had made it roughly two months without a huge surge in COVID-19 cases. Though, that has seemed to all but have changed over the last week and a half.
By my count, Maxi Kleber marks the 100th NBA player entry into H&S protocols in Dec. (A total of 97 players have entered this month, 3 of which entered for the 2nd time.) So far, there have been 113 total players enter into H&S protocols this season, w/ almost 86% coming in Dec.
— Baxter Holmes (@Baxter) December 20, 2021
It’s gotten so bad over the last week that there have been whispers of a possible decision that the league will need to make regarding either the possibility of a pause on the season or perhaps the return of the successful bubble.
At least one of those options, however, appears off the table. According to a recent report, the idea of another NBA bubble is not going to happen.
Even if there’s no chance that the NBA will head back into a bubble, there has to be some concern of what could await the league heading into the new calendar year. And the options for the league aren’t great.
On one hand, the league could elect to loosen restrictions and testing all around, but that perhaps could come with way more liability than the league would want. If that would in fact be the case, there’s no way the league heads down that path.
The league likely won’t admit it publically, but there has to be some panic and chaos taking place behind closed doors. Especially with a new variant likely to run rampant over the next few months, there’s a chance that the COVID-19 situation in the league gets worse before it gets better.
If the league is adamant on no bubble, you’d have to wonder if a pause on the season would be in play. Even if it is just for a week or two to get a handle on the recent surge in cases.