It would only make sense for NBA to push draft date back, have training camp | Off the Dribble
It's going to take players time to get back into game shape when or if this season resumes. Without a training camp, we're going to see players out of shape, which will lead to injuries.
Welcome to another Monday without NBA basketball.
This marked the 33rd day since the NBA regular season was suspended March 11. But hey, it’s all about us remaining healthy during this coronavirus pandemic. So please remain safe, keep washing your hands, and practice social distancing. Leave it up to Inquirer.com to keep you updated on the 76ers.
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— Keith Pompey (offthedribble@inquirer.com)
NBA teams have the right mindset
It all makes sense.
In recent days, there was a report that NBA teams are encouraging the league to push the date of the draft from June 25 to Aug. 1, at the earliest. League executives and trainers are said to want about a monthlong training camp if this season resumes.
Those reports are not surprising.
It’s been more than a month since Utah’s Rudy Gobert tested positive. Commissioner Adam Silver announced the next day that play would be halted for at least 30 days.
The new expectation is the NBA might not resume until July, if at all. Silver told TNT’s Ernie Johnson last week that there won’t be enough information to make a decision until May at the earliest.
A lot of players have been social distancing and unable to participate in five-on-five scrimmages or any type of on-court workouts.
So it’s definitely going to take time to get back into game shape when or if this season resumes. Without a training camp, we are going to see a lot of out-of-shape players, which will lead to injuries.
Meanwhile, it wouldn’t make sense to have a draft June 25 if they resume the season in July. Trades are often made on the day of the draft. Teams would be prevented from doing that. That’s why the draft and free agency should be pushed back if the league resumes the season.
If the league opts to cancel the season, pushing the draft back would allow teams to make up for the time lost in scouting because of the pandemic.
Starting Five
Sixers will be remembered for underachieving if season doesn’t resume. Failure to live up to the preseason hype has a lot to do with how the Sixers were constructed.
Bulls interested in Sixers’ Marc Eversley for GM job. This isn’t the first time Eversley has been a candidate for a general manager job. The Sixers granted him permission to interview for the Charlotte Hornets’ opening in 2018.
Sixers mailbag: Tackling Ben Simmons’ back injury, Jahlil Okafor and Markelle Fultz’s struggles in Philly, and Shake Milton’s emergence. Why haven’t there been any updates on Ben Simmons’ back injury? The Sixers may have their reasons.
NBA season or not, Sixers’ Matisse Thybulle prioritizes health — and TikTok videos. Matisse Thybulle: “As much as I want to say basketball is the most important thing in the world, it’s not when you are talking about people’s lives and people’s health.”
Sixers podcast: Ranking top players in franchise history. Keith Pompey and Marc Narducci both pick Wilt Chamberlain No.1 and Julius Erving No. 2. But they have different opinions on w2ho is the third-best player in franchise history.
Rudy Gobert downplays rift with Donovan Mitchell
Rudy Gobert acknowledged his relationship with teammate Donovan Mitchell is ‘far from perfect.’
But on Sunday, he downplayed the apparent friction between the two All-Stars. Gobert said they recently spoke for the first time since he tested positive for COVID-19. Mitchell, who later tested positive, was disturbed by Gobert’s careless behavior before being aware that he had been infected.
“It’s not about being unprofessional,” Gobert said in a video posted to Instagram Live. “You know, everyone has got different relationships – it’s never perfect. People that are married, it’s never perfect. So you know, me and my teammates, it’s far from perfect.
“But at the end of the day, we both want the same thing – and it’s winning. We’re both grown men, and we both are going to do what it takes to win.”
Passing the Rock
Question: Is the 2020-2021 season in jeopardy of starting on time and/or being shortened if they somehow play this season?— @jd9teen on Twitter
Answer: What’s up, John? Thanks for asking this question. I like using and/or in sentences, too. LOL
But to answer your question, the 2020-21 season is in jeopardy of starting on time and/or being shortened if they somehow play this season. Everything is on the table. We really don’t know, because the NBA doesn’t know when or if the season will resume.
But there has been some speculation that the 2020-21 might not start until December. That would make a lot of sense if they resume this season.
In that scenario, I do think it could be shortened, considering the Olympics is pushed back to the summer of 2021. I think the NBA would want the season concluded before the Olympics start, especially since the USA basketball team will be made up of league players.