Silver says no options are risk-free

MANILA, Philippines  — NBA commissioner Adam Silver says there are no risk-free options to finishing the season in a coronavirus pandemic but the league’s bubble plan is the safest, most responsible way.

In a Time 100 online talk Tuesday, Silver addressed the NBA’s restart plan, with 22 teams playing games without spectators in Orlando under quarantine starting July 30, and said NBA relations with China have improved since last year.

The league shut down the 2019-20 season on March 11 after Utah’s Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19 with five weeks remaining in the regular season.

Plentiful testing and contact tracing within the bubble should help the NBA contain positive tests within an isolated Disney World campus even as COVID-19 positives spike in Florida, Silver said.

“If cases are isolated, that’s one thing,” Silver said. “But if we had a lot of cases, we’re going to stop.

“We are left with no choice but to learn to live with this virus. No options are risk-free right now.”

NBA team owners and players hope to limit the financial damage of playing without spectators in seclusion by televising eight seeding games per team in the bubble plus a normal two-month playoff run.

“We’re looking to find the right balance between health and safety on one hand and economic necessity on the other,” Silver said.

“And what we think is we’ve found what makes sense for the NBA and that is a safe and responsible way to play.

“Our best understanding of this virus is that it’s not going away anytime soon so we feel we have to find a way to move forward and this is our way.”

Last October, Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey tweeted his support for protesters in Hong Kong, drawing criticism for the league in China and creating a rift between the nation and the NBA.