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Published Mar 16, 2020
How the NBA's postponement impacts draft class including one Red Raider
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Billy Watson  •  RedRaiderSports
Staff Writer
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@billywatson4l

Day five and counting without sports: no NCAA Tournament , no NBA games on weeknights, and even the announcement and future plans for prolonging the current NBA season into the summer. All goes the same for other major league sports.

By now, NBA teams are filling in their respective seedings for the playoffs. If the NBA season ended Wednesday, March 11 (the day the NBA suspended the season), the field would play out as such:

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Eastern Conference

1. Milwaukee Bucks

2. Toronto Raptors

3. Boston Celtics

4. Miami Heat

5. Indiana Pacers

6. Philadelphia 76ers

7. Brooklyn Nets

8. Orlando Magic

Western Conference

1. Los Angeles Lakers

2. Los Angeles Clippers

3. Denver Nuggets

4. Utah Jazz

5. Oklahoma City Thunder

6. Houston Rockets

7. Dallas Mavericks

8. Memphis Grizzlies

How does this affect Texas Tech freshman guard Jahmi’us Ramsey’s and rest of the 2020 class in the NBA? The Duncanville product has been placed in NBA mock drafts all season long, nearing the end of the first round. According to the latest mock draft on Bleacher Report, Ramsey is taken at No. 29 by the Los Angeles Lakers, behind Duke sophomore guard Tre Jones, Iowa State sophomore guard Tyrese Haliburton, and Kentucky freshman guard Tyrese Maxey.

Ramsey never officially announced his departure and you must think this only delays his decision on whether he'll return or not. Texas Tech, according to some "for fun" filled out brackets were a lock in the tournament despite losing its final four games.

Ramsey was moments away from experiencing the postseason with the Big 12 Tournament, which as well all know never took place. Does that affect his decision? Does bringing in former teammate Micah Peavy and Texas Tech's first McDonald's All-American Nimari Burnett influence Ramsey's decision as well? We'll have to wait and see.

The NBA Draft is still scheduled for June 25, though, which could change depending on how long the NBA goes with its hiatus.

The cancellation of March Madness is also a big blow for potential draftees, such as Ramsey among others.

Some key dates that are scheduled for the NBA include the NBA Playoffs beginning April 18, the NBA Early Entry Eligibility Deadline at April 26 (day in which any player can put their name in the NBA Draft hat needs to declare by this day), NBA Draft Lottery on May 19, NBA Draft Early Entry Entrant Withdrawal Deadline on June 15, and finally the NBA Draft on June 25.

These dates are still set in stone on the NBA website but can change any day now due to the COVID-19 outbreak, especially with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommending the cancellation of 50 people or more gathering for the next eight weeks (remember, that is only a recommendation).

President Donald Trump then advised the country to limit group numbers to 10 on Monday afternoon, again, only a recommendation.

The best guess so far is finishing the season by late, mid-June, which interrupts all the pre-draft dates. This also means pushing the NBA Finals in August, which can impact the start of the 2020-2021 season.