Rockets Daryl Morey says NBA keeping eye on German soccer

As the NBA prepares for a restart, Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey explained how the German soccer league will be pivotal for the NBA’s chances of a successful return.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver has made it known that the league wants to return to action this season, as both the players and owners want to crown a champion. We’ve seen progress on that front, as the Houston Rockets have already opened the Toyota Center back up to allow for individual workouts.

But many questions lie ahead, as there’s still not been an identified vaccine for the novel coronavirus, which has shut down the sports world altogether. For this reason, it remains unclear just what the league’s front office will decide and what format we’ll see if/when there’s a return to action.

For many leagues, such as the Big3, the risk has proven to be too substantial to continue playing, as they’ve already announced a cancellation of their season. This has complicated matters for the NBA, as there aren’t many American sports leagues to mirror or cite as an example.

However, there have been international leagues that have already resumed play, such as the Korean Baseball Organization and the Bundesliga. The latter of which could be pivotal for the NBA as it prepares for a return.

Rockets general manager Daryl Morey says NBA is keeping watchful eye on Bundesliga.

Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey joined SportsTalk 790 to discuss how the German soccer league has drawn the attention of the NBA.

“I think we’re all watching that German league restart pretty close. I think the more leagues restart like that, and things don’t have to go perfectly but things continue to progress, the more I think it helps all the leagues restart.

Because there’s a momentum behind it and they can flag issues that we can address and it’s just good. Just like we’re back in the facility, I think it’s good that these other major professional leagues are starting. And so far, I don’t believe there have been any significant setbacks that I know of.”

The Bundesliga return has buy-and-large been a positive sign for those who have been eager to see the NBA get back into action, as the games have continued in spite of how the coronavirus pandemic has ravished Germany. To add color to that, the country has already had 180,000 positive tests and 8,000 deaths as a result of the COVID-19.

One particular team, German soccer club Dynamo Dresden, has already had four positive tests. For this reason, they haven’t been able to return to action since being given quarantine orders on May 9th, although they’re expected to return to action on May 31st.

England’s Premier League could also be viewed as a sign of optimism for the NBA, as CEO Richard Masters announced on Friday that they will be resuming the league on June 12th. Of course these games will be without fans, like the Bundesliga, but international soccer has proven that sports can continue in light of the coronavirus pandemic.