Is Florida’s Bad Reopening And Soaring COVID Numbers Going To Screw Over The NBA’s Bubble Plan?

"It is very concerning. … The virus is serious, especially in Orlando."

—@WindhorstESPN on the possibility of the coronavirus affecting the NBA's restart. pic.twitter.com/g9CzLdr7Sc

— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) June 19, 2020

It was not the rosiest language used by NBA reporter Brian Windhorst on ESPN’s Get Up this morning regarding the rising COVID-19 rates in Florida and the NBA’s bubble plan in Orlando. Just yesterday, Florida clocked its highest batch of new cases since the pandemic started with just over 3,200:

From day one of this pandemic, I’ve had two requests vis a vis sports: 1) Get the NBA back as fast and safely and possible and 2) Don’t screw up the NFL season starting on time. And, with contingents of NBA players recently dragging their feet over playing and Florida being billed as a potential epicenter of COVID’s next wave (as well as NFL players’ COVID-19 positive tests spiking), I am getting just a bit concerned about both items.

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It seems like the NBA is far enough down the rabbit hole that there may not be any way to walk this one back barring multitudes of players opting out before the upcoming deadline for participation. And the league’s 100-page safety plan is likely designed to account for Florida’s potential to screw this all up for the league. But I’m starting to get worried again and Brian Windhorst tends to be a guy who parrots back what league sources are actually feeling. If Windhorst says there’s “cause for concern”, there may be some very legitimate cause for concern.

Thanks for not wearing masks, Florida.

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