The Sydney Kings are indifferent about the outcome, but disappointed in the process.

Dig through the countless comments over countless days, in an environment that’s fraught with uncertainty and fear, and that’s what it boils down to.

It was the crux of Andrew Bogut’s press conference on Friday morning, and a sentiment the Kings’ owner, Paul Smith, wishes he can scream from the heavens.

March 12, 2020 (AEDT) was one of those dates that will go down in history. The NBA season was suspended after a player contracted COVID-19 (coronavirus), and practically every sports league or event in the world soon followed their example. Except for the ones in Australia, that is.

And so began the journey of how Australian leagues would navigate around a global pandemic that was threatening to disrupt the status quo.

THE SERIES OF EVENTS

That was a Thursday, the afternoon before Game 2 of the NBL Grand Final, so the natural question that followed was: how would this outbreak affect the series? That evening, Smith changed his plans to make sure he was in Perth by the morning, preparing for conversations with the NBL to take place effectively as soon as he landed.

The Kings’ team had a players-only meeting, initiated by Andrew Bogut, to get everyone’s thoughts on the table, as the coronavirus outbreak began to really sink in as a serious threat.

“Sometimes guys can bite their tongue if there’s a coach there, or a front office person, because you don’t wanna look like you don’t wanna play,” Bogut said. “(But), why are we having these meetings? Why are we getting no direction?”

Watch over 50 sports LIVE on Kayo! Stream to your TV, mobile, tablet or computer. Just $25/month, cancel anytime. New to Kayo? Get your 14-day free trial & start streaming instantly >

Friday morning came around – gameday – and the circumstances became even more serious. The Australian Grand Prix was cancelled, putting a question mark over how the NBL would continue to play its games without any restrictions. Smith and Chris Pongrass, the Kings’ CEO, expected to meet with an executive from the NBL when they arrived in Perth at 8:15am, only to find out that the plan was for none to attend.

After Smith expressed his reservations about that reality, the NBL decided to quickly dispatch Andrew Crook, the league’s Chief Operating Officer. Crook would arrive in Perth in the afternoon, but only after a 9am (local time) conference call – initiated by the Kings and Wildcats – took place in an attempt to find solutions to the circumstances that were thrust in front of them.

“The context of this is that the NBL was in no position to agree or disagree to anything, because it was incapable of making a decision,” Smith told foxsports.com.au, of that teleconference.

“It was deferred back to the clubs, and between the two clubs, we agreed that we would not accept the championship – we certainly said it, and the Wildcats agreed – (and) we said explicitly that we had no interest in accepting the championship in anything other than a fully-run series, and the Wildcats agreed to that.”

Sydney Kings chairman and owner Paul Smith.

The NBL denies an agreement regarding the title was in place. The Wildcats have been reached for comment.

“There was no sense that we were asking the NBL to make a judgment; the NBL was incapable of making a decision,” Smith said. “There were no NBL executives in Perth. We were functioning in a void. This is a teleconference. There wasn’t even policy on the run, it wasn’t even decision-making on the run; it was just ‘do something’ on the run. That’s what it became.”

Four hours before Game 2 tipped off, the NBL got an assurance from both teams that they wouldn’t seek financial compensation from the league if fans weren’t allowed in their respective buildings, and came to a decision: the fixture would be closed to the general public.

“In the days leading into game two in Perth last Friday we were in constant contact with both teams,” the NBL said in a statement. “A number of options were canvassed with both teams including shortening the series to best of three games and moving the locations of games.

The Kings won Game 2 on the road.

“We also discussed and costed charter flights to protect the health and wellbeing of players and staff… Both teams also agreed to continue to fly commercial.

Smith said it was “absolutely, categorically untrue” that they were offered a charter flight prior to Game 2.

“It was said that there is an option (of a charter flight), these are the costs and you, the clubs, will have to bear them,” Smith said.

The Kings would pick up a win in Perth to tie the series at 1-1, before the Wildcats returned the favour and won in Sydney on Sunday evening. Just before that Game 3 tipped off, Larry Kestelman, the NBL’s owner, offered Smith a revised schedule: Game 4 in Perth on Wednesday, and Game 5 in Sydney on Friday. The offer was one Smith and the Kings’ executives discussed with their coaching, performance, and medical staff, who came to the conclusion – based on recovery, logistical, and social factors – that it wasn’t in the best interests of the players.

With each day came new challenges from COVID-19, and, by Tuesday morning, the Kings’ entire cohort – players, coaches, and executives – came together to discuss whether they would continue in the series. The Wildcats had already landed in Perth, while the Kings were scheduled to fly out on Wednesday. The uncertainty around how this coronavirus would affect borders was growing, and so, after quizzing an independent medical adviser – an immunologist – the Kings came to the collective decision.

Smith offered to finance a charter flight for his own team, but it wasn’t to be; the Kings would withdraw from the Grand Final, due to “a critical mass of relevant and actual concerns related to player welfare and the club’s social responsibility.”

“There were a lot of tears in a three-hour meeting,” Bogut said.

The Kings informed the NBL of their decision. At that point, they were asked if a charter flight would change their minds. It didn’t. In the mind of the Kings’ brass, they were making the socially responsible decision; one they hoped the NBL would make before they had to pull the trigger.

Bryce Cotton was named the Grand Final MVP.

“In fact, I offered that opportunity to the NBL,” Smith said, when asked if he hoped the NBL would make the decision to cancel the series, before they withdrew.

“I said, look, leave us out of it. We’re not interested in grandstanding here; all we’re interested in is our player welfare. The league refused that, and said that they were gonna come out with an announcement that reflected the fact that the Sydney Kings withdrew.

“We were forced to come out, as a result, and I told the league that we would have to defend our players in a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, if that was the case.”

At that point, the league had no choice. The NBL cancelled the remainder of the Grand Final series, and prepared for the aftermath.

48 HOURS LATER

The NBL took 48 hours to come together, deliberate, and decide that the league would crown the Wildcats the 2020 champions.

The NBL said it sought advice from the NBL Board of Directors, members of the league’s Advisory Board, FIBA, and external legal advisers when making the decision on which team to award the title, if any. “In this instance, games 4 and 5 were cancelled by the League due to unforeseen circumstances pursuant to Rule 34 of the NBL Operations Manual,” NBL Commissioner, Jeremy Loeliger, said in a statement.

Here’s what Rule 34 – titled ‘Game Abandonment’ – states:

34.1: In the event that game may be abandoned due to unforeseen circumstances, the NBL will make the final and binding decision regarding the continuance or abandonment of play.

34.2 (if a game is abandoned): The NBL will determine the best course of action, which may include but is not limited to; game rescheduling or cancellation.

34.3 (if a game is to be rescheduled): (a) clubs will be given as much notice as is reasonably practical in the circumstance. (b) games will be rescheduled at a venue of the NBL choosing. (c) the game may be replayed in its entirety or continued from its abandonment point at the absolute discretion of the NBL.

34.4 (results of abandoned games): (a) and (b) regard games being abandoned mid-contest. (c) in the event of any game abandonment, an automatic investigation by the NBL will occur using conditions in Rule 31 as a guide. Neither Club would be required to issue a protest where a game has been abandoned. (d) appeals regarding decisions of the NBL will be heard in accordance with Rule 31.

For all intents and purposes, the rule effectively states that the result of an abandoned game that fits this description – the Kings withdrawing from Game 4, and potentially a fifth fixture, of a Grand Final series – would be at the discretion of the NBL.

Both Smith and Bogut insisted that outcome was neither here nor there - after all, it wasn’t a surprise, given the Kings withdrew from the series – and that there was no ill-will toward the Wildcats; it was directed solely at the league.

WHAT NOW? A PLEA TO THE NBL

Smith and Bogut are two of the most vocal characters in the NBL, and they claim that all they wanted was the league to be a referee; someone to fill the leadership void and call the shots.

“Lack of guidance,” Smith said of his thoughts of the NBL over the past week. “Lack of decision-making. A lack of clarity. A lack of public pronunciation, as to the position. A lack of formality. And, an overflow of informality, and a sense that it was the decision of the clubs to make along the way, and not the league to make the calls.

“Let’s step back for a moment and look at this. Ask ourselves here. There’s no explicit answer, but what would the AFL do in a circumstance like this? What would the NRL do in a circumstance like this? What would the A-League do in a circumstance like this?

“Would the league disappear and then suddenly emerge when and if it felt appropriate, and in the meantime, the clubs are adrift, making financial decisions, making social decisions, and being impacted, and their players being impacted. There’s no right or wrong here, but it’s a question to reflect on in the circumstances that were extraordinary.

“But, extraordinary times call for extraordinary leadership. That speaks to what we have to form as a league; do we have that, and where are we now? These are not accusations; these are no claims. They’re questions that are reasonable questions to ask.”

NBL Commissioner Jeremy Loeliger and NBL Owner and Executive Chairman Larry Kestelman speak to the media.

The Kings’ position after this saga, in one paragraph — and whether you buy into it or not — comes down to this: both teams agreed that no team would accept a championship unless it was a “true” five-game series, the NBL showed a lack of leadership in not enacting policy - instead, the league just suggested it - and that meant the Kings were forced to make a decision based on their own welfare.

The NBL defends its actions, saying, “the health and wellbeing of the players has always been our number one priority. Our decisions were guided by the advice of the relevant Australian government authorities and also our own medical officers.”

Part of Bogut’s comments on Friday morning involved a monologue about the mental health of players – his teammates, in particular – and how that was affected by the uncertainty during these circumstances.

“I’m devastated,” Smith said of how his players were impacted mentally.

“I’m devastated for the players. Let alone the abuse I’m copping. I’m devastated for the players and the abuse they’re copping for doing the right thing; I’m proud of them. I’m so proud of them. I’m seriously concerned for their wellbeing, and their mental health. I truly hope the international players don’t walk away from this and word gets out that this is a league you don’t play in because you’re not cared for.”

Smith sees the upper echelon of the NBL – led by Kestelman – as one that needs to embrace its owners more, and play referee as opposed to king.

“Create an environment in which there’s mutual respect,” Smith said. “One where there’s an acceptance of the role that the clubs play in delivering the NBL on a day-by-day, month-by-month, week-by-week basis, accept the fact that there’s real knowledge and skills within the teams, both at an executive level and at an ownership level, that can support. That’s all I can ask.

“But, it’s an owner’s league; not a league of owners.”

***

Olgun Uluc is the Senior Basketball Reporter for Fox Sports Australia. Twitter: @OlgunUluc