Basketball

• Not Everyone is Supportive of NBA's Restart Plan

  Jun 13, 2020 SportZ 0 Comments

  Last week, the NBA announced plans to restart the season at Disney World in Orlando, Florida. The league's board of governors and the players' union both approved a 22-team format, including all teams with a playoff spot and any club within six games of a berth, where eight games would be played to wrap up the regular season along with a possible play-in tournament for the eighth seed and post-season. The season is set to resume on July 30.

  However, there are several prominent players who are still reluctant to accept this new plan. This Friday, Kyrie Irving led a call with over 80 NBA and WNBA players, during which they discussed this very topic. According to sources, Donovan Mitchell, Carmelo Anthony, and Dwight Howard among others talked about potentially sitting out this restart. In general, they did not fully support the season's resume due to nationwide unrest from social injustice and racism, not to mention the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The city of Orlando in particular does not appeal to them, due to Florida's notoriety for systematic racism.

  Although going through with such a decision could certainly be controversial for fans and the media, the league has announced that players will face no consequences for abstaining from participation, other than a cut to their salary. Only time will tell how this situation is resolved.

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• Not Everyone is Supportive of NBA's Restart Plan

  Jun 13, 2020 SportZ 0 Comments

  Last week, the NBA announced plans to restart the season at Disney World in Orlando, Florida. The league's board of governors and the players' union both approved a 22-team format, including all teams with a playoff spot and any club within six games of a berth, where eight games would be played to wrap up the regular season along with a possible play-in tournament for the eighth seed and post-season. The season is set to resume on July 30.

  However, there are several prominent players who are still reluctant to accept this new plan. This Friday, Kyrie Irving led a call with over 80 NBA and WNBA players, during which they discussed this very topic. According to sources, Donovan Mitchell, Carmelo Anthony, and Dwight Howard among others talked about potentially sitting out this restart. In general, they did not fully support the season's resume due to nationwide unrest from social injustice and racism, not to mention the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The city of Orlando in particular does not appeal to them, due to Florida's notoriety for systematic racism.

  Although going through with such a decision could certainly be controversial for fans and the media, the league has announced that players will face no consequences for abstaining from participation, other than a cut to their salary. Only time will tell how this situation is resolved.

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• Wes Unseld Dies at 74

  Jun 2, 2020 SportZ 0 Comments

  NBA Hall of Fame center Wes Unseld passed away this Tuesday. His death was confirmed by his family in a statement posted on the Washington Wizards' website; according to them, he had received a diagnoses of pneumonia among other illnesses. The location of his death was not specified. He was 74.

  Wes Unseld was a premier center for the Baltimore Bullets, known today as the Washington Wizards. Despite being undersized for his position as 6-7, he was a tenacious rebounder, averaging 14 boards a game during his career. He made the all-star team five times, helped lead the Bullets to their only championship in 1978, and was one of only two players in NBA history to win MVP in his rookie season. After he retired, he joined the franchise's front office, acting as vice president, head coach, and GM. Although he played against much taller centers, such as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, and Nate Thurmond, he managed to effectively contribute to his team and achieve success during his professional career. He will always be remembered for his accomplishments both on and off the court.

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• The NBA Planning to Restart in... Disney World?

  May 21, 2020 SportZ 0 Comments

  

   

  The NBA's developing plan for resuming the season has been a prevalent topic for weeks now, likely since the season was suspended in the first place due to coronavirus concerns. Several meetings were set up for this purpose, between players and executives alike, and many ideas were proposed.

   

  One factor the league will have to consider when reopening will be an appropriate return venue – an arena where NBA games can be played safely while the pandemic unfolds. During the past few days, one particular location became a highly-favored option amongst the NBA: Orlando. The NBA is reportedly engaging in “serious talks” to restart the season at Walt Disney World. This option has gained traction because it is a private property with all of the necessary facilities to host the games and accommodate for league personnel.

   

  Las Vegas is among other cities being considered. The NBA hopes to have players in training camp by mid-June, and playing televised games by mid-July.

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• KD Not Likely to Return if Season Resumes

  May 11, 2020 SportZ 0 Comments

  Throughout the past year, fans have been anticipating Kevin Durant's debut with the Brooklyn Nets, after suffering an injury during the 2019 playoffs. Although he had made it clear that he would not be returning this year, the league's postponement due to coronavirus has sparked speculation on whether or not he could return this season after all, assuming it resumes. After all, the schedule could be pushed back as far as October, which is technically when Durant had planned to make his return.

  Recently, sources have begun addressing these rumors. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, KD and the franchise are choosing to remain steadfast in their original plan, rather than rush him to finish the season, regardless of how long the season is postponed. That means he will likely not play until next season.

  However, Nets GM Sean Marks assured the public that Durant's return date was still flexible. According to him, the time-line of his return was not a matter they frequently discussed. Nonetheless, the fact of the matter is that the risk involved with pushing KD's return outweighs the reward, as the Warriors demonstrated in last year's finals. Fortunately for fans, the possibility of an early return is still on the table.

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