Ómicron Won’t Stop NBA: Commissioner Adam Silver Says Regular Season Won’t Stop

December 2021 will be remembered as the month that jeopardized the regular season of the NBA. Until the morning of Tuesday 21, 104 players were reported within the health and safety protocols for COVID-19 only in December, added to the 17 that were reported between October and November. Given this, the commissioner Adam Silver He came to the fore and made the league’s position clear: they are not going to change the stipulated schedule.

In dialogue with the program NBA Today from ESPN United States, Adam Silver stated the following: “The NBA has no plans at this time to pause the regular season. We have analyzed all the possibilities and do not consider that varying the calendar makes sense. The virus is not going to be eradicated, we have to learn to live with it ”.

Also, in the conversation he had with Malika Andrews, host of NBA Today, Silver confirmed that the Omicron variant is the main cause of the problem. Stars like Kevin Durant, Trae Young, James Harden, among others, have missed several encounters due to being within health and safety protocols: “90% of the players found in the protocols are due to the Omicron variant. It is much more than dominant and we have to fight with it ”.

On the other hand, the commissioner confirmed that about 65% of the players of the NBA have received any booster doses. As recalled, the league sent a memorandum on this issue: they urge players, coaches and staff to receive the booster dose to avoid future infections.

The NBA You are faced with a great dilemma: Christmas. For the league, this date is very representative, since it is the only one that has matches on this holiday in the United States. The NBA seeks to captivate non-regular consumers with the best of its repertoire, which is why it offers five games with its top figures; however, if these are not available, unusual consumers will not be hooked on the games.

Given this, the NBA He has contacted the 10 franchises that were scheduled for Christmas to inform them that everything can change. As is known, the calendar indicates that the following matches will be played on December 25: Hawks vs. Knicks, Bucks vs. Celtics, Suns vs. Warriors, Lakers vs. Nets Y Jazz vs. Mavericks. However, all franchises have no-shows due to protocols, so playing five games is pointless.

The league will be monitoring all of these teams and will make a final decision on December 24: At least three games must be played, as ABC has those spaces purchased. It is still unknown whether the five games will be played or will be reduced to four or three. Nobody imagines a Lakers vs. Nets without the presence of Kevin Durant or a Hawks vs. Knicks without Trae Young, so the NBA You will have to evaluate whether you prefer to protect the prestige of your product or decide to fulfill your commercial commitments despite showing a lackluster end product.