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Coronavirus and Sports

Sources: NBA BOG To Vote On Disney Return-To-Play Plan Thursday

Members of the BOG said that there is growing support for a plan to bring 22 teams to Disney's ESPN complexGETTY IMAGES

The NBA BOG on Thursday is "expected to overwhelmingly pass" a plan to restart the season, with a "lot of focus on a 22-team model of bringing teams back to Orlando in a play-in situation," according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. The league is "still digging down on details of what that would look like, and they’re going to spend this week finalizing the structure and format of a return to play." The likely scenario would see the teams play at ESPN's Wide World of Sports Complex beginning in July (“Get Up,” ESPN, 6/1). Sources said that this format "likely would include regular-season and play-in games to compete for playoff berths in both the Eastern and Western Conferences" (ESPN.com, 5/29). In Boston, Gary Washburn reported that a "definitive plan could be released for all teams Friday." Sources said that teams will "travel to Orlando and stay in the various hotels around campus and will conduct practices at the site’s athletic facilities." A limited number of "staff and coaches will attend and extensive safety measures will be taken for players and their families" (BOSTON GLOBE, 5/30).

WORKING THE ROOM: Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban said NBA Commissioner Adam Silver will "do what he does best” when finalizing a return to play plan with the BOG. Cuban: “He’ll talk to all the different owners and get their perspective, bounce ideas off them, get their feedback and find out their logic. Then we’ll all get together, discuss it and make the decision. ... That’s one of the great things about Adam. He’s open-minded, he’s willing to listen to just about anything and he knows how to herd cats, which the 30 Board of Governors typically end up being.” Cuban noted the BOG usually gets to a “good conclusion” because “everybody’s in it with the same reason, with the same goals” ("The Jump," ESPN, 5/29).

SILVER LINING: In Philadelphia, Marc Narducci writes one thing that has "become clear in the negotiations is the confidence in commissioner Adam Silver to guide the league through such a difficult process." Silver was the "first commissioner to suspend a season," and throughout the process, he has been "deliberate but firm in his approach." A source said, “There has been a lot of confidence shown in Adam Silver. He takes everybody’s feedback into consideration and has made no rash decisions" (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 6/1).

IN THIS TOGETHER: ESPN's Brian Windhorst noted the NBA has done a "very good job of keeping the union alongside them in this." The NBPA is "riding alongside" the owners, and there is not anticipation of "any sort of labor issue." However, the new terms to complete the season "has got to get negotiated, and they've got to do it in a small time" ("SportsCenter," ESPN, 5/31).

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