David Fizdale: We'll 'Hear a Lot of Vulgarities' in NBA Games Without Fans

Former Memphis Grizzlies and New York Knicks head coach David Fizdale predicted Monday that NBA fans will hear plenty of colorful language if the 2019-20 season resumes without fans in attendance.

Fizdale told Darnay Tripp of NBC San Diego the empty arenas would create a unique atmosphere and provide television viewers with a different perspective.

"Now you're gonna hear everything," he said. "You're gonna hear dialogue between people. You're gonna hear a lot of vulgarities."

Fizdale said he's optimistic the NBA will return at some point this summer and provide a "nice jump to the system for everybody."

The 45-year-old Los Angeles native explained he thinks the best path forward is completing the campaign with only the teams that have a chance of making the playoffs to limit the number of quarantines necessary to make the plan happen.

"Is it worth risking the employees that you need to show up to the games to make a game function?" Fizdale told Tripp. "Is it worth the players' health? The coaches' health? The trainers' health?"

He added: "To be away from my family and not being able to interact face-to-face with them every day would be difficult."

In terms of the viewership experience, the UFC has already started to showcase that an empty arena creates a far different vibe than one packed with thousands of fans. Namely, fans can hear conversations like this one between Glover Teixeira and Anthony Smith last week:

The NBA season has been halted since March 11 because of the coronavirus pandemic.