As we’ve written here before in analyzing the now upcoming restart of the NBA, the union’s star players and their leadership have been united in trying to start the season, but we’ve seen players elect to have surgery rather than go to the Walt Disney World bubble and also speak out publicly about fears of exposing their family to the coronavirus. But this week, friend of the Banana Boat and Portland Trail Blazers forward Carmelo Anthony became the biggest name in the NBA to suggest that he may not go to the bubble out of concerns regarding the health protocols and details of that protocol.
Transcribed by Sam Quinn of CBS Sports
“As far as actually playing and going back down into Orlando, I’m still up in the air a little bit because I really don’t, we don’t have all the details.” Anthony said. “We don’t know a lot of information, so until we have that, it’s hard to just commit to that 100 percent.”
According to odds from BetOnline.Ag, Anthony’s Trail Blazers have the second-best odds to make the playoffs as the 8th seed in the Western Conference. It would be Anthony’s first time back in the playoffs since 2018 and the Blazers are expected to have their starting frontcourt for the first time this season, as center Jusuf Nurkic and power forward Zach Collins are expected to play when the NBA resumes.
However, as Anthony said, it appears that many players have concerns about going and the union has worked out a way for those players to stay home without fear of repercussions.
