Carmelo Anthony on playing in Orlando: “I’m still up in the air a little”
There have been a lot of questions and some pushback from a faction of NBA players about the league’s restart plan in Orlando. Some players question if starting now slows the momentum of the Black Lives Matter movement, while most players just want more details about the league’s health and safety protocols. 안전토토사이트
‘Melo is in that second group. Carmelo Anthony questioned playing in Orlando while speaking to Ernie Johnson on #NBATogether.
“As far as actually playing and going back down into Orlando, I’m still up in the air a little bit because I really don’t, we don’t have all the details. We don’t know a lot of information, so until we have that, it’s hard to just commit to that 100 percent.”
Sources have told NBC Sports that is the sentiment most widely heard among players hesitant to go into the NBA’s bubble — they want details before they say they’re in.
Anthony's Portland Trail Blazers are currently locked in a three-way tie for the No. 9 seed in the Western Conference. Should the team that ultimately finishes No. 9 be within four games in the standings of the team that finishes No. 8 (currently the Memphis Grizzlies), they would force a play-in situation between those two teams. If No. 9 manages to beat No. 8 twice in a row, No. 9 would earn the final playoff seed in that conference.
Anthony did not elaborate on what details he is waiting for specifically in regards to a return. The plan for families joining players, at least for the moment, would allow up to three family members to enter the bubble after the first round of the postseason. Specifics on the NBA's plan to keep players safe from COVID-19 within the Disney bubble and any ideas they might have on the social justice front are still being developed. The NBA hopes to send safety guidelines to teams by the end of the week, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
Anthony may be the first player to come forward with his skepticism on returning, but he likely won't be the last. Given everything happening in the world right now, players would be more than justified in deciding that playing basketball just isn't worthwhile right now.
