Pelicans, NBA remain uncertain about future of season

What do we really know today about the future of the 2019-2020 NBA season?

Nothing more than we knew prior to yesterday.

New Orleans Pelicans head coach Alvin Gentry said as much Thursday, stating, “I know there’s nothing definite out there right now. There’s not one thing that’s ahead of the other right now.”

The bottom line is that everything remains on the table.

That includes playing games in empty arenas.

That includes playing games in front of some fans.

That includes playing games in a centralized, safer location, with regard to the COVID-19 virus.

That includes canceling the regular season and resuming with the playoffs.

That includes canceling the entire remainder of the season.

The concept of playing at a neutral, safer site has been postulated on many fronts, most recently by Shams Charania of The Athletic, who said that the league is taking a close look at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando as a potential location.

No doubt the Magic would enjoy that scenario.

Steve Kerr may be ready to mail it in and end the current season.

Gentry, who used to work for Kerr, is ready to see Lonzo Ball deliver mail to Zion Williamson for demonstrative dunks, to see Brandon Ingram get his shot on virtually everyone with great success, to see Jrue Holiday slash to the hole and finish with either hand, to see Josh Hart continue his energizer bunny routine every night, to see Derrick Favors do opponents no favors, ready to see JJ Redick drain triples at least three times per night.

“I think in general, our guys are just eager to get back to playing,” Gentry said. “They felt like we were starting to play our best basketball.”

The Pelicans are sitting at 28-36, tied for tenth in the Western Conference, trailing eighth-place Memphis by three and a half games for the final playoff spot. Portland and Sacramento are effectively tied with the Pelicans, San Antonio was a half game behind New Orleans while Phoenix trailed the Pelicans by two and a half games.

With 18 games remaining, New Orleans had a real chance to make up ground and snatch the final playoff spot.

The Pelicans still had three games remaining with San Antonio, two each with Memphis and Sacramento and one with the Suns.

The Pelicans are a combined 8-2 against those five teams they are competing with to reach the playoffs.

If play does resume and fans are not allowed, it will be a strange adjustment for players and coaches, who at least will be able to hear each other loud and clear.

“No doubt that’s going to be a tough situation if that ends up being what it is,” Gentry said. “It’s just an adjustment the players, the coaches and everyone will have to make. It will be something that I think in general you’ll have to adjust to, but I think guys and everyone will want to get back to playing and if that has to be the agenda right now, then we’ll have to do that.”

Meanwhile, a published story at CNBC Thursday stated that NBA agents and team executives are concerned about resuming the season in any fashion and may be in favor of canceling the remaining schedule.

LeBron James quickly expressed his disagreement with that sentiment.

Saw some reports about execs and agents wanting to cancel season??? That’s absolutely not true. Nobody I know saying anything like that. As soon as it’s safe we would like to finish our season. I’m ready and our team is ready. Nobody should be canceling anything. 👑

— LeBron James (@KingJames) April 30, 2020

While James is not management, contrary to what some believe, he remains the face of the NBA and his opinion matters.

Does he have the pulse of he players?

That is unknown.

While some NBA cities have relaxed some safety standards, that is not the case here.

The earliest Pelicans players can return to their Metairie practice facility is May 15.

If a plan to resume the season is consummated, Gentry estimated that it would take 20 to 30 days to get players back into game shape and he is most likely correct as that sentiment is prevalent throughout the league.

My best guess is that we will see some resumption of play, somewhere, without fans. Whether that is a continuance of the regular season or not remains to be seen. It could mean going straight to the playoffs, based on the results to date.

If that were the case, the Pelicans would not be part of the postseason.

While disappointing for a team that most likely would have been a playoff team had Zion Williamson been healthy all season, that would not be the worst case scenario.

With a very good young nucleus, a promising future and another draft pick in the lottery, the momentum established prior to play stopping would immediately gather steam, full speed ahead.

The 2020-21 season could look different, in terms of the time frame.

A report Thursday suggested that Commissioner Adam Silver and league membership is considering moving the season to begin in December and to end in August, 2021.

Meanwhile, we wait for more concrete information.

The 2019-20 NBA season is a virtual jump ball at this point.