NHLPA APPROVES 24 TEAM TOURNAMENT

The National Hockey League Player Association has approved a plan to bring back hockey. The plan is a 24 team tournament that will likely make hockey the first sport to return to live action.

Hockey has been away since March 12th due to the Corona virus. On Friday the Players Association approved the plan. There are a lot of details that still need to be worked out, but the plan brings us one step closer to having hockey return. 

Most likely they will take 12 teams from each conference.  If this is true the Arizona Coyotes are sitting in 11th place in the Western Conference.  This would put them in the playoffs and keep there hopes of a Stanley Cup alive.

WHY WE NEED SPORTS BACK

We have been without sports for a little over two months now.  Sports were halted in Mid-March, just like everything else due to the pandemic brought on to the United States by the Coronavirus.  Things are now starting to open back up cautious throughout the country.  

And now it is time to bring back sports!

Sports is more than just entertainment for the country.  When sports come back it will bring relieve with it.  A sense of normalcy.  People don't realize but when sports shut down in March tha's when this pandemic became real for most people.  Bringing sports will be a definite sign that we are on the other side of the Coronavirus. 

I realize there are a lot of logistics to bringing back sports and to that I say to all the deciding parties involved, Get it done!  Make the tough decisions that need to be made and adjust schedules accordingly and give the fans what they want.  To see a live sport of any kind!

DAN MARJERLE TO SUE GCU

Grand Canyon University recently fired Dan Marjerle as it's men's basketball coach.  The news was somewhat shocking because Marjerle was making huge strides with the program.  He is not going away quietly as he has filed a lawsuit against the school for money he says is owed to him. 

Marjerle was fired in March after he led the Lope's to a disappointing 13-15 season.  In the lawsuit Marjerle claims the University owes him money for time remaining on his contract.  Some experts sat Marjerle has a strong case.

Grand Canyon released a statement saying they plan to defend themselves in court, if need be.  

Marjerle played 7 seasons with the Phoenix Suns and was an assistant with the team before getting hired at Grand Canyon in 2013.  He spent 7 seasons at the school and put the team on the basketball map with 4 straight 20 win seasons.  

HOW I WOULD FINISH THE NBA SEASON

We have reached May and still no sports.  Places are begining to reopen.  People want to get back to some sort of normalcy and that begins with sports.

The NBA was one of the first, if not the first, sport to stop playing games. So will they be one of the first to start playing again?  Alot of people hope so.

The NBA will begin allowing their players to start working out in some sort of capacity om May 8.  There will be plenty of precautions and restrictions.  Just the fact that this is being allowed means basketball will be back soon.  The question is how soon and at what capacity?

The NBA needs to come back, but in my opinion it needs to be a modified return. If was commissioner of the NBA this is how I would bring basketball back.

Now keep in mine this is just my idea and some kinks would have to be worked out but that holds true for every plan. 

Once all teams are cleared to practice, weather it's in their own state or a neutral site, each team practices for a week than plays 3 games.  Those would be considered practice games but they would count. You add that record to you regular season record and rank all 30 teams.  This can be done in a two week time frame. 

Then you pick a location, and have a March Madness style tournament. A single elimination tournament played everyday for 5 days straight.

You crown a champion and your season is over in three weeks and teams and players can prepare for next season.

This is how I finish the NBA season now it's up to the NBA to find a way to finish that will be acceptable to players and watchable to fans at the same time.