Plenty of questions surround the NBA and its schedule, and former Sacramento Kings forward Vince Carter gave his opinion on one very important subject.
Former Sacramento Kings small forward Vince Carter had an interview with local radio station KHTK on Friday afternoon and had a strong opinion about the NBA potentially playing games in front of empty arenas.
Despite touching on a number of other subjects during the 35+ minute interview, this seemed to be the topic that Carter was most ready and willing to talk about. Grant Napear, the host of the show, asked him about how he’d feel about playing a final season without any fans in the crowd.
“Thank you, Grant. I am so glad you asked that,” is how Carter prefaced his answer. “I’ve been dying to answer this question.”
He states that he is a supporter of the idea of playing in empty arenas. Carter combats the argument from the other side of “where will the energy come from” by saying that basketball players learn to adapt. He mentions that players struggled with the integration of zone defense and departure of illegal defense when that change came, but they eventually adapted.
"“When you toss that ball up and competition starts, and you’re in battle, how often do you worry about the fans? Yes, you hear them cheering, and booing you, I get that. But you’re in competition, you’re in battle. You should be focused on the guy in front of you, or the task at hand.With that being said, yes I could.”"
It is too early to know what the majority opinion of the rest of the league is. There have been some players who have spoken out about the issue, and there are certainly varying opinions.
Long before the current hiatus and lockdown, LeBron James infamously answered the question with a resounding response. He retracted his statement a few days later as the severity of the situation increased.
"If I show up to an arena and there ain't no fans in there, I ain't playing."
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 7, 2020
LeBron on possibly playing NBA games without any fans in attendance due to coronavirus outbreak. pic.twitter.com/Ee5XMQ40X6
There have been various scenarios discussed, but everything is still preliminary as the situation remains fluid. The NBA announced on Friday that they would be delaying both the draft lottery and draft combine that were set to take place later this month.
They have also said that there are talks of delaying the start of next season in to December, which has been met with opinions from both sides. The NBA has been on hiatus for nearly two months and there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight.
For continuing coverage of the NBA’s potential schedule and how it pertains to the Sacramento Kings, stay tuned to A Royal Pain.