Weird NBA Rule Could Make Gregg Popovich and Mike D'Antoni the Biggest Losers When Season Resumes
By Tyler Kemp
While the NBA is working on its restart plan for the league to come back on July 31, it has to make sure that it keeps all parties involved as safe as possible to follow CDC guidelines. The health of players, coaches, officials and other personnel around the league will be of the utmost importance as the season gets started.
But teams like the Spurs and the Rockets can be adversely affected immediately by CDC guidelines. Head coaches Gregg Popovich and Mike D’Antoni may not be able to be present on the bench when the NBA is back in action.
Adam Silver says it is possible that "certain coaches" may not be able to be the bench coach when play resumes at Disney "in order to protect them."
— Tim Reynolds (@ByTimReynolds) June 5, 2020
Gregg Popovich is 71. Mike D'Antoni is 69. Alvin Gentry is 65.
The CDC says people 65 and older are at higher risk.
This is a huge blow for both San Antonio and Houston. In very different ways, both men are two of the best minds in the league. If they're not allowed to be on their teams’ sidelines, that'll undoubtedly affect performance in a significant way.
The silver lining for the Spurs, however, is this would be a perfect time for understudies like Tim Duncan and Becky Hammon to take the reins for San Antonio.
I don’t think Pop would have a problem delegating to his staff. He believes in empowering his assistants and this is a good time
— Jeffrey Dransfeldt (@JeffreyWriter) June 5, 2020
It's not ideal, but the CDC says anyone 65 and older are at a higher risk, and following these guidelines will be crucial in terms of making sure the rest of the year can be played out.