Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has been vocal when it comes to discussing the NBA season possibly resuming this summer. On the night that the league suspended all games on March 11, the Mavericks were playing the Denver Nuggets when cameras candidly caught Cuban's reaction to the news. He's since led the charge in teams paying their employees during this unprecedented time, donated money and meals to COVID-19 efforts and medical workers and has been consistently optimistic that the season could resume.
At first, Cuban said that the middle of May would hopefully be a time when the NBA season could restart, but with the virus not showing any signs of slowing down and league commissioner Adam Silver saying he won't have any answers until May, that is highly unlikely. However, that hasn't stopped Cuban from remaining positive. During an appearance on 93.7 The Fan (KDKA-FM) in Pittsburgh, the Mavs owner was confident in his prediction that the league could resume the season in June.
"If things really go our way, it's not inconceivable to me -- and this is me being hopeful and not being scientific -- that we could potentially play games in early June," Cuban said. "I think we're coming back. I can't tell you exactly when, but this is purely a science and doctors thing. My attitude always is it's not about if the glass is half empty or half full, it's who's pouring the water. In this particular case, it's the scientists pouring the water. All I know from all the science and everything that I'm reading, I think we're making enough advances that several of them will come through so we can start planning what a comeback would look like.
I'm a big believer in American exceptionalism, and everything I'm starting to hear in terms of the science is coming along and the medical advances that we're making to fight this thing makes me very positive. If I had to bet, and this is more a guess than a bet, I'd say early June is when you see teams start to take the field and maybe play games just for television."
The NBA has discussed several options for a possible return later this summer, with the top idea involving a truncated playoff tournament held in Las Vegas where all players, coaches and necessary personnel would be quarantined in the same place. The games would be played with no fans in attendance, and give the league an opportunity to try and salvage what's left of a lost season. There's billions of dollars on the line for the NBA if the season cannot continue in some fashion, so if there's a way to safely continue playing the league would consider it. Several players have been vocal in wanting the games to continue in some form. Lakers superstar LeBron James said that if this season was left unfinished, he would never have any closure on what could've been a championship year for Los Angeles.
While Cuban is guessing that the league could return in June, the NBA has been bracing for any number of possibilities. Aside from trying to pull off a tournament in Las Vegas to conclude the season, on the other end of the spectrum, the league has reportedly been preparing for the possibility of a canceled season. That wouldn't be ideal for anyone, but right now basketball comes second to the health and lives of millions of people. As optimistic as Cuban may be about a return this summer, no one can afford to make any predictions given how little is known about what the future holds with this virus.
