There’s no guarantee the NBA will return to complete their 2019-20 season, but the league has been clear about their goal of still crowning a champion. While Reggie Miller, Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley have said the NBA should just scrap the season, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban vehemently disagrees.
“We need something to get excited about,” Cuban told Covino and Rich during their ESPN show Now or Never. “I mean, watching cornhole on ESPN ain’t it.”
Miller voiced concern over an influx of injuries if the league restarts after such a long layoff, while O’Neal believes if a team does win a title this season, they’ll deserve an asterisk. But it’s easier for retired players to suggest wait till next year, whereas someone like Cuban has more invested in completing the season.
“I love those guys but they’re wrong,” Cuban said to Covino and Rich. “Guys want to play, there’s still a season to be finished out, I still think we can play a few games and then go into the playoffs and crown a champion. Let’s go, let’s play.”
Cuban’s not alone in his “let’s go, let’s play” thought, as prominent players have privately agreed that they want to find a way to finish the season. But the amount of physical contact in basketball creates added concern over possibly spreading COVID-19. On the contrary, Cuban says roster size bodes well for basketball, as compared to baseball or football who have significantly more players on each team.
“With the NBA it’s 15 guys… so it’s a little bit easier to keep track of everybody,” Cuban said. “The players manage each other. They know which guys is dying to go out and do the wrong thing, so the players will help keep them in line. But when you have 25 on a baseball team or 53 on a football team, that’s when it starts to get rough.”