Latest sports news: PGA Tour plans June return; How CBA’s postponement impacts NBA; Emoni Bates is more than hype
The PGA Tour is expected to make its return with a list of new dates for events.
The PGA Tour’s return could signal a domino effect in professional sports.
According to Brian Wacker of Golf Digest, the PGA Tour is expected to announce its return later this week. The season would resume beginning June 11-14 at the Colonial Country Club.
This is a monumental shift for the sports landscape. The PGA Tour would be the first professional sport to resume, and its return would come with a hectic schedule.
Just take September, for example. Wacker said the latest scenario being evaluated by the Tour would include the Tour Championship, U.S. Open and Ryder Cup all being held in September. Among the other majors, the PGA Championship would be held Aug. 6-9, and the Masters Nov. 12-15.
This decision could start a domino effect. The Tour is expected to be played without spectators in the early stages and will make future decisions based on the health guidelines established by the government.
MLB, NHL, NFL and the NBA will be looking at this decision with wide eyes.
Chinese Basketball Association’s postponement affects NBA timeline
The NBA will be watching the PGA Tour just like the other professional sports, but a wrench was thrown in its plans when the Chinese Basketball Association decided to postpone its league until at least July.
“The CBA’s ability to return to normalcy will be closely monitored by sporting leagues across the globe, including the NBA and EuroLeague, which are both postponed indefinitely,” ESPN’s Jonathan Givony said.
China has been bold about its plan. Initially, it rescheduled the start of its season to April 15, but the government shut down mass gatherings on all events.
This decision will lead to slower movement in the NBA, unless the league wants to lead the charge in basketball’s return, and that seems unlikely. China was supposed to supply the blueprint of how basketball games can be played during the pandemic, but that plan has failed. The only choices the NBA has now are to either step to the front and be creative, or sit back and wait on the CBA or a European basketball league to make a first move.
Emoni Bates isn’t going to be your typical overhyped prospect
I know what you’re thinking. O.J. Mayo, Jabari Parker, Andrew Wiggins and a slew of others were titled the next big generational talent. They were guys highlighted early in their high school careers, and we watched them closely to see if it was legit.
Emoni Bates has a better case than any of those players to be basketball’s next generational talent that lives up to his billing. Bates became the first sophomore player to win the Gatorade Boys Basketball Player of the Year. You want to know how rare that is? Only three players — LeBron James, Greg Oden and Brandon Knight — have won the award twice.
At six-foot-nine, the tall, lanky Detroit native is already garnering Kevin Durant comparisons, and they are legit. If you don’t believe me, watch this game, where he had 63 points and 21 rebounds.
It’s not fair that he has two more years to improve his game before he makes the next step. It’s almost cheating. Some people think this kid is NBA-ready now. Kendrick Perkins said that he would be a lottery pick if he declared right now, and he’s not alone in the NBA circles with that viewpoint.
“He’s obviously ahead of the curve for a sophomore or most kids in high school,” Tatum said after virtually presenting the Gatorade award in a video call. “He’s definitely talented enough, I feel like, to make that leap now.”
The NBA has discussed ending the one-and-done rule by the 2022 draft, which is when Bates would be eligible to declare. He has said that if given the opportunity, he will make the jump from high school to the NBA.
So you have a two-year head start. Remember the name and recognize the game so you’ll be able to tell all your friends, I told you so when Bates is dominating in the NBA.