"Tacko Mania" became a source of joy last season not just for Celtics fans in Boston who chanted "We want Tacko!" when they sensed an opportunity for 7-foot-5 Tacko Fall to get into a game, but also in Portland, Maine, where he became a fan favorite and local celebrity while playing for the first-place Red Claws in the G League.
It was already becoming clear that there probably won't be basketball fans cheering for anyone anywhere in person this season, but now it looks like the Maine Red Claws may not be playing at all.
Jared Weiss of The Athletic reports that the Red Claws are opting out of the G League's bubble plan and, with no plans yet for a second part of the season, could skip this year all together.
The G League is reportedly working on a plan for a bubble setup in Atlanta, which would see each team play around 12 games before a playoff tournament.
That means Fall, G League Rookie of the Year Tremont Waters, and other young Celtics like rookies Aaron Nesmith and Payton Pritchard would likely be with Boston full-time, something made possible by the NBA allowing two-way players to play in up to 50 NBA games with unlimited practice and travel time this season.
The downside, of course, is that it will likely mean less actual game action for some of those players, who would have been probable starters in Maine but may have a tough time getting minutes in Boston.