I must admit, I am tepid at best about the NBA restart next month. While I miss Kings basketball desperately, is what we are going to get starting July 31 really going to be Kings basketball? Or NBA ball at all?

The games will be in empty arenas/gymnasiums. The camera angles will be different. The lighting will be different. The sounds will be different. The announcers will be different. The energy will be different. The hardcore basketball fan will tune in for that 10:30am Thursday morning game between the Kings and Pelicans, but the casual fan will not.

All this so that owners, players, and TV outlets can make a little extra money. Is the product being put out there for our consumption worth our time? Is it going to be NBA basketball, or glorified street ball?

Think about it. The only people in the stands are going to be other NBA players. They are there to see their friends connect on 20 three-pointers, or throwdown that windmill dunk. We risk this turning into a bunch of highlight real attempts. I am sure it will not be as bad as the All-Star game, but players want to impress their peers more than the fans and that could greatly impact the quality of the play on the court.

Coronavirus health concerns aside, what are we going to see on our TVs in a month?