SALT LAKE CITY — Now that the NBA’s plan to resume the 2019-20 season is taking shape, some of the uncertainty that we’ve been plagued with over the last few months has been replaced by a little bit of clarity.
That doesn’t mean that there still aren’t questions to be answered, so as always I came to you, the readers, the Jazz fans to find out what’s on your mind.
Where can we watch the games?? Do you have any info in broadcasting schedule? 👌🏻💯
— David van (@Davidva68359157) June 6, 2020
Broadcast information along with date-specific and time-specific scheduling of games has not been released by the NBA.
It’s safe to assume that the NBA playoffs will be carried at least by ESPN, TNT, and NBA TV.
There hasn’t been any information on whether or not the eight regular-season games, or ‘seeding games’ as the NBA has defined them, will be carried by regional sports networks.
In an attempt to recoup some of the lost revenue from the season, there will absolutely be negotiations regarding exactly this matter.
Because the NBA is partnering with Disney on the plan to resume the season, and Disney owns ESPN, and the NBA will be taking over ESPN’s Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World in Orlando, it’s probably also safe to assume that there will be extensive coverage on ESPN and some other arrangements reached between Disney and the NBA.
Once there is information on how fans can consume the remainder of the season, I’ll be sure to let you know.
Will all of their families be going?
— ☘️🧚🌻Danielle 🇺🇸🙏🏽💙💛 (@Facetious_Dem) June 6, 2020
The exact details of who will be allowed in the NBA’s bubble in Orlando are still being worked out, but preliminary reports suggest that NBA players will be allowed to have up to three family members join them in Orlando after the conclusion of the first round of the playoffs.
Since home court advantage doesn't matter this year, will teams look for the best match up? So maybe rest some players to purposely lose games?
— Wade Warnick (@doubleuade_79) June 6, 2020
With only eight regular-season games included in the NBA’s plan to resume, there’s not exactly a ton of room to work with to try to strategically win or lose a certain number of games.
Matchups are always more important than home-court advantage, and without any advantage, and with fans not in attendance, it is really going to come down to the best team winning.
If it weren’t for all of the other variables like, a pandemic, strange health guidelines, the prolonged hiatus, and everything else that will be different for the players and teams in Orlando, I’d say that this could actually end up showing us the most pure version of basketball.
That’s easily debatable, but it’s still interesting to think about.
It’s my opinion that with everything teams have had to contend with over the last few months that no one is going to try to lose on purpose and just do the best they can in the conditions that are presented to them.
As far as resting players, it’s really going to depend on how these guys look after the practice, workouts, exhibition and regular-season games. We could see these guys more fatigued than ever before because of the layoff between March and July.
Is the team gonna use the remaining games to get some young players on the floor or a futile attempt to win when Bohan is out and Mike is suspect.
— Forrest Mcpherson MSW (@ForrestMcphers2) June 6, 2020
Well, since Bojan Bogdanovic is out, I think that Quin Snyder will move toward playing starters and regular rotational players for longer stretches during the playoffs rather than turn to the deeper parts of the bench. That’s what would happen if this was a normal season and I don’t expect him to do anything drastic just because they’ll be in Orlando.
Secondly, I don’t think that Mike Conley is suspect. Rather, I prefer to look at the coming resumption of the season as the perfect time for Conley to prove his mettle with the Jazz.
Finally, I think there will be an opportunity for the younger players and deeper reserves to get some run in the exhibition games and regular-season games in Orlando. There will be the instinct to get the starters and main rotational players as much run as possible, but that temptation will need to be tempered a little in order to preserve them and not burn them out too quickly as they ramp back up to game shape.
I'm just curious if you think there's still any real excitement in the Jazz after what will be a four month hiatus. During that break we've all had to learn to live without the Jazz and sports in general and have actually adapted pretty well. #SundayJazzMailbag
— Adam Ray King (@CrimsonMonarch8) June 7, 2020
Every player that I’ve talked to seems to think that while things will be extremely weird without fans in arenas, that there still remains a huge amount of excitement around basketball and that there will absolutely be enough competitive fire and juice flowing to make things interesting.
I agree that we’ve learned to live without sports and adapted to our new way of life, but that doesn’t mean that the players aren’t still excited about the prospect of coming back.
I gave up soda for a few months and I was living just fine. Doesn’t mean I wasn’t jazzed as all get out to welcome root beer back into my life.
Are you going to live in Orlando for as long as the Jazz are there? I’d offer to relieve you, but I know what Orlando is like in the summer. 😂😂😂 (Just kidding. Let me know if you need help.)
— Jody Genessy (@DJJazzyJody) June 6, 2020
Jody Genessy is always helpful and humorous. Even though this was meant in jest and kindness, it’s selfishly the thing I’ve been thinking about the most as it relates to the NBA.
We don’t know exactly what kind of access reporters are going to have when the NBA restarts and if I have to live in Orlando, where stickiness and humidity and frizzy hair thrive, I will.
No matter the journalistic situation, though, I will make sure to bring you as much thoughtful coverage of the Utah Jazz as is humanly possible.