The NBA May Draft Lottery and Combine has been postponed on May 1st. The announcement does not come as a surprise as the NBA season has been in suspension since April. The NBA will probably want to finish their season before entertaining the idea of a Draft Lottery and Combine.
According to Mike Florio of NBC Sports, the NBA could finish the season at Disney World in Orlando. This might mean the NBA Draft will also be postponed. The draft is scheduled for June 25, 2020, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, which is home to the Brooklyn Nets.
The NBA Postpones its May Draft Lottery and Combine
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the May Draft Lottery and Combine will be postponed in May.
Both events were scheduled for May in Chicago. https://t.co/Sv6qzGYOr9
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 1, 2020
This announcement was made because of the ongoing coronavirus issue happening in the world right now. This is especially true in the state of New York, which includes Brooklyn. There have been several reported deaths in New York state, and it is considered the current epicenter for the outbreak.
According to the New York Times article by Josh Katz, Denise Lu, and Margot Sanger-Katz, the reported deaths in New York City are 10,261 because of coronavirus. In the rest of New York state, the death count is 2,425. With those numbers, it would be irresponsible to host the NBA Draft Lottery in Brooklyn.
Overview of the NBA May Draft Lottery and Combine Being Postponed
The NBA May Draft Lottery and Combine were postponed indefinitely because of the coronavirus pandemic. However, there is still hope that the NBA Draft Lottery and Combine will take place. Every province in Canada has made plans to reopen the economy.
This includes Premier of Ontario Doug Ford, who has planned a two to three-month gradual plan to reopen the economy in Ontario, according to Ryan Rocca of Global News. Ontario is home to the Toronto Raptors, which plays at Scotiabank Arena.
There are some states in the US that are starting to reopen their economy according to Neal Freyman of MorningBrew. This includes the states of Minnesota and Georgia which hosts the Atlanta Hawks and the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Alternatives for the NBA
There a few alternatives that one can think of. One of them is to delay both the NBA Draft Lottery and Combine to the summer. However, in a worst-case scenario, they can cancel the NBA Combine and televise the NBA Draft and the Lottery on TV.
The WNBA did something similar as they had a digital draft on April 17th according to Ian Levy of Fan Sided. The NBA can use this option as a worst-case scenario.
A moment that will last a lifetime 🙌
Check out the top reactions from draftees upon hearing their name called at the #WNBADraft 2020 presented by @StateFarm! pic.twitter.com/3P35ee0XJL
— WNBA (@WNBA) April 18, 2020
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