By Mike Fisher and Josh Clark
DALLAS (105.3 The Fan) - Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has been a powerful voice in the world of Sports and COVID-19, and I presume he's at least as "in the know'' as any of us ... and when it comes to the NBA and the coronavirus, more in the know.
Just a week ago, Cuban expressed optimism that the NBA could return next month.
"Hopefully by the middle of May, we're starting to get back to normal and the NBA is playing games," Cuban said to WFAA, as transcribed by NBC. "Maybe not with fans, but we're playing it because sports plays such an important role. You know, people want something to cheer for, people want something to rally around, people want something to be excited about ...''
However, Cuban's optimism has since waned based on his comments to ESPN's 'Get Up' on Wednesday morning.
"I have no idea," Cuban said when asked when games will return. "I mean, the only thing I know is that we're going to put safety first and we're not going to take any chances. We're not going to do anything that risks the health of our players, our fans, our staff, the whole organization. So right now, I really don't have anything new to say.
"All the experts have got to say it'll be absolutely safe," Cuban continued. "We cannot put anything ahead of the health and safety of our players and staff; that's it. It's such a moving target, and nobody really has specifics. I mean, I haven't had any conversations where anybody's even discussed an actual date at this point."
One way of getting back to games is the idea of sending every team to one city, like a Las Vegas, where there are multiple arenas. With Sin City shut down at the moment, teams could essentially take over a hotel or two, and at the very least, could finish the regular season and potentially the postseason all in one place.
Cuban was asked about that possibility on Wednesday.
"It sounds great to me, and I'll tell you why: America needs sports," Cuban said. "We need something to root for; we need something to be excited about. Everybody in North Texas wants a reason to have the Mavs back on, and to get excited and to cheer together -- even if there's not any fans, just being able to watch on television and get excited and yell at the TV and high-five people again. We just need that. And so I'm all for it. Whatever we can make happen, I'm pro-doing it."
