Some NBA facilities could reopen in five days, but Bucks guard George Hill is concerned that the league is moving too quickly, writes Sacha Pisani of The Sporting News. Speaking on a conference call with reporters, Hill expressed concerns that the coronavirus is still too widespread for players to return safely.
“I’m a little 50-50 . . . life itself is bigger than the money aspect of the game,” Hill said on the possibility of canceling the season. “Yes, as competitors and athletes we want to play this season. But if more lives are in jeopardy, I couldn’t care less about the season. Life is way more precious than this ball that we play in. If they cancel the season, as an athlete I would be upset, but we can’t do anything about it. If we play, I’m excited to play again and get back on the court. We had something special going on and I’d love to finish it.”
Milwaukee has as much incentive as anyone to try to salvage the season. The Bucks were on top of the Eastern Conference with a 53-12 record when the hiatus began and are among the favorites to capture the NBA title. Hill believes Milwaukee fans, and NBA fans in general, will be understanding if the season has to be called off.
Hill also addressed the financial aspects of the shutdown, as many players have millions of dollars at stake if the season cannot be finished. He’s in the first season of a three-year, $29MM deal that he signed last summer.
“The world is bigger than just NBA fans. To our fans, it will be exciting to get the season back, to get it up and going and get something to watch on TV,” Hill said. “But if this is the cost for safety and health, what we have to ask is, ‘Is it worth it? Is it worth putting yourself on the line, putting your family and kids on the line to make a couple more dollars?’ For me, personally, no. I didn’t grow up with money and I don’t define my life by money. I define my life around happiness, being safe, being able to enjoy life and live this life for a long time.”
1. Life is more important than Basketball.
2. Ball is Life.
3. Ball = Basketball.
ipso facto Basketball = Life and it’s just as important. [mind blown emoji].
Theroms taking me back to the good ol days.
Well said George
George Hill absolutely gets it.
After rooting for Hill in the 2018 playoffs, I am not surprised. He plays like he is saving his energy.
I had been thinking that maybe earlyish to mid June we could see some return to normalcy where we would have to be really careful for a couple of months before another 3 week quarantine period, thinking that it would start winding down in mid-life May, but now that we’ve had these ridiculous protests and these bvn insane reopening measures in certain areas, I think it’s going to get really bad again in these next few weeks, and we’re going to be stuck even longer. Then it’s how does that coincide with the winter, which could make things a lot worse…
I think sports can be done if done right, but the measures that would have to be taken for isolation would be really heavy
Are you saying society (or Silver) does not possess the discipline necessary to take on a tough job?– or that competitions between partial rosters will not be respected?
I brought this up long ago but I see nobody else do so. It will be a “surprise” when it happens.
Because, covid19 testing is a tech thing that will be inevitably figured out; Maybe alteady has been. No reason for the gloom over resumption.
*Meant, that those things questioned, will surprise people when they happen and will make resumption be said to be impossible. But it is possible.
It is not yet the time, grasshopper.
I was talking about society…I didnt say sports would be impossible. I just said it would be really difficult. I meant that they would have to isolate players and their families and not allow any contact for them with anyone, while also getting them all the things they need for survivability, like food, etc, without them actually putting themselves in that position. They would have to stay in the same area where they would go from a quarantined hotel, directly to practice facilities/an arena, and everything would have to be at either the same or only 1-3 different venues to be able to monitor everything, and make travel less necessary. Again, very hard, but doable. Just comes down to what those families are willing to do