The Milwaukee Bucks and the rest of the NBA want to get back to action, but in the age of coronavirus and physical distancing, one of the Bucks’ co-owners says not to expect it to re-start anytime soon.
“In my opinion, we will end up having a season. We will have a playoff. That’s going to be a while’s away,” said Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry on CNBC Thursday.
“The question is, is that in July? Is that in August?
Lasry suggested that the sport could return this summer, but without fans watching in-person.
Before the NBA season can re-start and the Bucks can chase a championship again, all teams have to be allowed back into training facilities – something that currently is not an option for the Bucks due to current Safer-at-Home orders from Governor Tony Evers.
“I think some teams will have a little bit of an edge,” said Lasry, who admitted teams without such orders in their state may have an advantage.
“I don’t think we can wait for everybody to be on the same time frame. The goal is that you want to end up having a season. Let’s get things open. Let’s get people back in shape.”
Lasry said he believed that the fan base is clamoring to a return to watching competitive sports in some form.
“What’s clear is people want to see sports. You’re seeing it with the Last Dance, where they’re having record earnings. You saw with the NFL Draft where you had record viewers. As you have that, people want to see sports. We’ll end up finishing the season.”
Some reports say that the NBA has considered hosting all teams and games in a Disney-owned arena in Orlando; however, fan presence should not be expected.
“It is certainly safe to say, absent of vaccine and treatment that mass gatherings are going to be risky. The virus is going to continue to circulate,” Wisconsin Department of Health Services Secretary-Designee Andrea Palm warned during a question-and-answer session Thursday.
“The more people you expose in mass gatherings and large settings, the more people it could spread to.”