The first day without the NBA felt like an eternity.
The league is in hiatus after Jazz players Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell tested positive for COVID-19. The question fans are asking is, when is the league going to resume the season?
It’s not an easy one to answer, but luckily for us, Bovada put some odds together to bet on while we wait.
Odds For The NBA Officially Resuming Its Regular Season Schedule
When Will the NBA Officially Resume the Regular Season Schedule? | ||
---|---|---|
BEFORE April 15th, 2020 | +235 | |
ON or AFTER April 15th, 2020 | -300 |
Just a day ago, those numbers were very different. Before April 15th was at -115 and On or After April 15th was -125. It was a fair game for a few hours.
But then, leagues all around the world started to suspend their seasons, including the NHL, MLB, UEFA Champions League, EPL, and MLS. Things got a lot more serious when the NCAA called off March Madness.
Neither of these leagues will impact the decision of the NBA on when to come back. But it doesn’t help the general perception either.
Enter: Covid-19
The coronavirus outbreak is in an all-time high in terms of news, panic, and people going into self-quarantine. The news wave could go down, and then slowly, things could be back to normal, but it doesn’t look like that would be the case in the next couple of weeks.
The NBA already mentioned the stoppage is for at least three to four weeks.
Four weeks means the league would come back on April 13th, 2020, one day before the deadline to cash with the +235 odds.
The tricky part is the NBA scheduled the playoffs for April 18th, 2020. To put players on the court for regular-season games five days before the postseason makes no sense.
What Are The Alternatives?
The league has two options. They could:
- delay the start of the postseason, giving teams the chance to finish the regular season, or
- start the playoffs right away.
The first option seems unlikely. The NBA has played shorter seasons in the past due to strikes. Yet, the dates of the playoffs and NBA Finals have always been the same.
The second option hurts teams like the Washington Wizards and Portland Trail Blazers. Both are ninth seeds in their conferences, looking for the last spot in the playoffs.
The problem for Washington and Portland is playing a shorter regular season won’t help them either. They won’t have enough time to catch Orlando and Memphis, the two teams with the last tickets to the postseason.
What’s The Play, Then?
Right now, the best bet available is On or After April 15th, 2020 (-370). It doesn’t look like there is any other option seeing how the sports world was shaken in the last 48-hours.
I would take the bet right now, essentially because the more the days pass, the more money you will have to lay down to be on that side.
Will the NBA cancel the season altogether? It doesn’t seem like it is a possibility now, but Commissioner Adam Silver hasn’t closed that door either.
Take This Pick RIGHT NOW:
Bet “ON or AFTER April 15th” At Bovada
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver comments on the possibility of the season ending. pic.twitter.com/VvVM53yCjZ
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) March 13, 2020