CJ McCollum Thanks Blazers Owners for Having 'Backbone' After No Vote on Restart

Portland Trail Blazers guard CJ McCollum said the team's ownership group followed the players' lead when it was the lone franchise to vote against the NBA's 22-team format in its plan to resume play amid the COVID-19 pandemic.  

"I commend our front office and Jody Allen," McCollum tweeted:

The bullet points for the NBA's proposal—which team representatives voted in favor of Thursday at the Board of Governors meeting but still requires approval from the players association—are as follows:

• The season will resume on July 31.
• All 22 teams will relocate to the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida, where the remaining games will be played without fans in attendance. 
• Each team will play eight more regular-season games upon resumption.
• The Nos. 8 and 9 seeds in each conference will hold a play-in tournament if the No. 9 seed is within four games of the No. 8 seed in the standings.
• Tentative offseason dates to note include the NBA draft lottery (Aug. 25), NBA draft (Oct. 15) and free agency (Oct. 18). The 2020-21 season is tentatively set to begin on Dec. 1.

It's unclear why the (29-37) Blazers would have preferred a 20-team format rather than the 22-team setup the NBA adopted. One possibility is that the 22-team format doesn't exactly benefit Portland's playoff chances:

Portland is currently the 11th seed in the West, 3.5 games behind the Memphis Grizzlies and leading by a hair in winning percentage (.439) over the New Orleans Pelicans and Sacramento Kings (.438). 

Granted, it's also possible the Blazers players have medical concerns they want to see addressed. 

Regardless, the near-unanimous vote of approval from the league's governors is a strong sign that, barring a major issue between the players and governors that's yet to be addressed, the NBA will move forward with the 22-team layout. 

If nothing else, the Blazers will have a very real shot at getting into the playoffs.