Source: Alika Jenner / Getty
The NBA is back, but one of its stars isn’t so sure he will be suiting up.
Speaking with Inside The NBA’s Ernie Johnson on #NBATogether, Carmelo Anthony expressed he is hesitant to return to action when the NBA restarts the 2019-20 season in Orlando.
“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.”
The league at the moment is eyeing a July 30 return a day earlier than the original proposed date, and Melo’s Portland Trail Blazers are one of the 22 teams selected to be a part of that process. The plan is for those teams to battle it out in 8-game regular-season games to set the stage for a 16-team playoff. The Trail Blazers are currently locked in a three-way tie for ninth place in a very stacked Western Conference. If they happen to finish with four games of the eighth seed, that will set up a play-in scenario.
Ironically, Melo’s teammate, Damian Lillard, also expressed he wasn’t too excited to return before the league officially finalized plans. Speaking with Yahoo Sports, let it be known Dame-Time wasn’t happening for some “meaningless games.”
“If we come back and they’re just like, ‘We’re adding a few games to finish the regular season,’ and they’re throwing us out there for meaningless games and we don’t have a true opportunity to get into the playoffs, I’m going to be with my team because I’m a part of the team. But I’m not going to be participating. I’m telling you that right now. And you can put that in there.”
It has already been determined when play resumes, players will not be able to have their families with them at Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports until after the first round of the playoffs. ESPN reports the NBA is still currently set to send safety guidelines by the end of the week. Teams are expected to report to Orlando by the middle of July for training camp.
We wouldn’t be shocked if more NAB superstars shared Melo’s concerns.
Photo: Alika Jenner / Getty
