The NBA is in uncharted territory after the season was postponed due to the growing concerns of the coronavirus outbreak in the United States. League commissioner Adam Silver gave a 30-day minimum hiatus for when games will continue, and the CDC announced Sunday night that any gatherings of 50 people or more should be postponed or canceled for the next eight weeks.
With that recommendation, players are left to figure out what to do to fill their time, especially given the limited amount of options. The league has yet to clear teams to practice, although players can do individual workouts at team facilities, and some teams have decided to self quarantine after Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for coronavirus. One thing players won't have to worry about, is the random drug tests the league administers throughout the season. The NBA and NBPA agreed to pause drug testing amid the coronavirus hiatus, Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes reports.
Typically, players are given no more than four random drug tests throughout the season and two during the offseason according to the league's CBA. Though during this recess, the two sides agreed to put that on hold while bigger concerns remain regarding when this season will resume.
Per the league's CBA, if a player tests positive for any banned substances it would result in a number of fines, suspensions and potentially a two-year ban from the league. Despite the fact that recreational and medical marijuana is legal in some parts of the country for those 21 or older, the NBA remains the only American sports league of the major four that suspends players for using marijuana. This comes after the NFL's new CBA states that marijuana suspensions will be removed.
There's no telling how long this hiatus will last, although the NBA is reportedly looking at a return for mid-to-late June, which would push the playoffs into August. However, there's still a lot to factor into that decision. Including, when the 2020-21 season will start, if we will just start the playoffs or finish out the regular season, and when the combine, draft and summer league will take place. The league is exhausting all possibilities at this point, including the concern that this season may be over.
