While the NBA often plays preseason games in China and regular season games in Mexico and Europe, that won’t be possible during the 2020/21 season due to the coronavirus — plans for a regular season contest in Paris had to be tabled. However, as Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press writes, the league is looking into scenarios that would allow games to be played overseas again in ’21/22.
“We do anticipate that once it becomes healthy and safe to be able to do that that we’ll return to a schedule of international preseason and regular-season games,” deputy commissioner Mark Tatum said.
Meanwhile, the 2021 All-Star Game is also in jeopardy as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, but it sounds like the NBA hasn’t entirely ruled out the possibility that some sort of All-Star event could still take place. Commissioner Adam Silver said on TNT on Tuesday that the status of the All-Star Game is “yet to be decided depending on how things go,” as Adam Zagoria of Forbes tweets.
Here are more odds and ends from around the NBA:
- Although no deal appears imminent for J.J. Barea, the veteran free agent guard is staying in game shape and remains intent on playing this season, either in the U.S. or internationally, tweets Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News.
- It seems likely that the NBA and NBPA will eventually negotiate the reduction or removal of marijuana-related penalties in the Collective Bargaining Agreement, but Adam Silver is wary of creating issues for players in cities where the drug has not yet been legalized or decriminalized, writes Bill Shea of The Athletic. “We want to make sure we’re not creating a trap for our players and putting in place rules that will put them in the crosshairs of the law,” Silver said.
- NBPA executive director Michele Roberts made it clear, within Shea’s story, that she’ll push for the removal of marijuana testing before the current CBA expires. “I don’t see any reason to test for marijuana or cannabis. That’s just nuts. Same for alcohol,” Roberts said. “Are we in the 21st century or what? What are we doing here? I think it’s absurd.”
- Speaking of marijuana, former Trail Blazers forward Caleb Swanigan received a reminder that he’s not in Oregon anymore, having been arrested for marijuana possession early on Wednesday morning in Indiana, reports Justin L. Mack of The Indianapolis Star. Police said they found over three pounds of marijuana in Swanigan’s vehicle following a traffic stop.
Such an idiot
3 pounds? That seems like an awful lot for personal use.
Glad I’m not the only one who thought that…
Sounds like he’s training hard for his next NBA audition!
I mean just this last summer he was caught on Instagram Live with a bag of coke laying around in the back ground, So really, he’s been training hard all year.
business and finance? that’s gotta be part of his entrepreneurial education he got at purdue.
Dude got busted with over 3 pounds of weed. He was back in the county where he played high school basketball. Dude is one year removed from the NBA and has now lost his hero status at the crib, and is likely to do some jail time because weed ain’t legal in Indiana and 3 pounds is distributing. He looked so high in his mugshot that I am sure the 3.4 pounds of weed was probably 3.5 pounds a couple of hours before he was arrested.
3 pounds is almost certainly a jail sentence. Incredible mistake.
Lol 3 lbs of weed that has to be like a 2nd job to move that much weight buddy you are paid to be spending that time in the gym! Unfortunately think your assessment is probably not far off…but I dont know this man’s life.
Bust
Swanigan doesn’t work (or play) hard enough to need cannabis for relaxation, much less three pounds of it.
I thought he was going to be somebody.
Interesting to contrast that blurb with the Michele Roberts questions just before it. What are we doing here, indeed!