Through no fault of the NBA, the pandemic is getting worse. On Thursday, the United States set a record for new cases for the 11th time in the past month with 75,000 cases — more than double what the record was on June 24. The rate of positive tests has remained high and now the death tolls are climbing too — the 156 fatalities in Florida on Thursday marking another record.
It sounded good, even statesman-like, when compared to what was coming out of White House press briefings – though when the president of the United States is suggesting drinking bleach as a possible antidote, the bar is low. But on this occasion, it’s hard to argue that the business of basketball is good for anyone but the league or perhaps bored sports fans. It may even be tangibly bad for people outside the bubble as the league’s needs conceivably sucks up valuable resources while the pandemic rages across the southern U.S. and adjacent to Disney World itself.