“I do think we’ll have a season, but I don’t think it will begin in December,” said Roberts. “Some bubblelike environment may be necessary. I suspect that we will have a hybrid environment, maybe with division bubbles that last for a certain number of months, and then we stop. But the concept of putting our players in a bubble for an entire season is unrealistic.
Michele Roberts Expects Next Season to Start in 2021 w/Hybrid Bubble
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September 12, 2020 1 Comment
It’s going to be interesting what the NBA and NBPA come up with for next season. I think the idea that makes sense could be a series of bubbles.
Here is the league’s scheduling formula:
1. Each team has to play four games against the other four teams in their division (16 games in total)
2. Four games against six out-of-division conference teams (24 games in total)
3. Three games against the other four teams in the conference (12 games)
4. Two games against all teams in the opposing conference. (30 games)
There are 15 teams in a conference, and after a team plays against all four teams in their division, there are still 10 opponents left. Then, a five-year rotation decides which of those teams are played against four times and which teams are played against three times.
Looking at the scheduling formula, it’s easy to see the league could come up with a series of local bubbles with brief breaks in between to reduce Covid-19 risks and limit travel.