Podcast: How does the NBA’s restart plan differ from other leagues?

The details of the NBA’s plan to restart its season have become clearer over the past few days, as the league has most likely settled on a site and is now exploring proposals for how to set up the rest of its games. As the NBA reaches its decision, other American sports leagues are also taking steps to resume play during the coronavirus pandemic, so the “I Love Basketball” hosts decided to compare the paths of each league.

Anthony Irwin and Sabreena Merchant discuss how the NBA has fared relative to what Major League Baseball is dealing with, and the tensions that have arisen there. They also go over how the NFL and NHL have addressed the pandemic’s effect on their leagues, and consider the effect that player empowerment has had on the NBA’s ability to proceed through this shutdown relatively harmoniously.

They then talk about what sorts of problems the NBA will face in getting players to report to Orlando for the conclusion of the season and how that will affect revenue sharing among playoff and non-playoff teams, as well as the politicking that has emerged as individual teams appeal for formats that work best for them. The two of them also give their picks for their preferred postseason scenarios.

You can listen to the full episode below, and to make sure you never miss a single one, subscribe to the Silver Screen and Roll podcast feed on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher or Google Podcasts.

You can also follow ours hosts on Twitter at @sabreenajm and @AnthonyIrwinLA.