NBA SEASON COMING INTO FOCUS
League moves forward with return plans as some players raise concerns over timing
A clearer picture of what the NBA will look like this summer is beginning to emerge.
There are still some hurdles to navigate and there will be until we see how successful the precautions the league is taking are on preventing a COVID-19 outbreak within its bubble, but more and more it’s looking like a July 30 return to the court will be a go.
A coalition of players led by Kyrie Irving and Avery Bradley have certainly given the NBA and its players association pause for thought. This group isn’t convinced a return to play this summer is the right thing, given the social landscape. There’s a real fear from within that group that the reopening of the NBA season followed by an extended playoff run could take away from the strides being made against racial inequality in the wake of the social uprising following the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police.
The other side of that argument is that by reopening, the NBA can enhance the movement.
It seems very likely there will be players who opt out of the restart. Those players won’t be disciplined, but it will cost the individual.
According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, any player who chooses not to play in the resumed 2019-20 season must notify his team by June 24 and compensation would be reduced by 1/92.6 for each game missed.
The NBA, to its credit, isn’t treating this group like they’re troublemakers or something to be tolerated and then dismissed. They are hearing these opinions and replying with promised action.
Whether that’s enough for the players in question remains to be seen, but as it stands now, the league is moving ahead with its return to play.
Here’s a breakdown of how they’ll go about that:
■ Testing for all NBA personnel headed to Orlando will begin on June 23. Each player and essential staff member — each team will take 34 members into the bubble — will take a PCR and antibody test. PCR testing will be repeated every other day, and antibody testing will be repeated if there is a positive test. An individual who returns a positive PCR test result must self-isolate and refrain from training for at least two weeks.
■ Teams will conduct their own pre-bubble training camps beginning next week. For the Raptors, that means an awayfrom-home camp. There have been reports already that Toronto’s pre-bubble camp will be held in Naples, Fla., although there remain a few questions to be answered before the team is willing to make that official.
■ Teams will begin arriving at Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports to enter the bubble from July 9-11, with the expectation being the highest-seeded teams will arrive last, as it’s expected they’ll be in the bubble the longest.
■ The teams have already been designated their hotels based on seeding. The Raptors will be lodged at the Grand Destino along with the Bucks, Lakers, Clippers, Celtics, Nuggets, Jazz, and Heat. The Thunder, 76ers, Rockets, Pacers, Mavericks,
Nets, Grizzlies and Magic will be housed at the Grand Floridian. The Blazers, Kings, Pelicans, Spurs, Suns and Wizards will be at the Yacht Club.
■ Once in the bubble, NBA personnel can leave, but will be subject to a specific re-entry protocol. The exceptions to that are for team-directed medical care off-campus, the birth of a child, severe illness, a death in family, or a family wedding. Personnel need league approval to leave for such extenuating circumstance.
■ If an individual leaves the bubble without league approval, they’re subject to a 10-14 day self-quarantine period upon return, a reduction in compensation for games missed, and enhanced testing. They may also be subject to a fine, suspension and/or removal from the bubble.
■ Each team can bring in an additional two staff members following every round of the playoffs.
■ While the seeding games don’t begin until July 30, each team can play three scrimmage games against teams residing in the same hotel in advance of those seeding games. Those games will take place from July 22-29.
■ The seeding games will take place from July 30 to Aug. 14.
■ Aug. 15-16 are the dates for the play-in tournament.
■ Playoffs begin on Aug. 17.
■ Family and guests of the players can begin arriving on Aug. 30.
■ Conference semifinals will be played from Aug. 31 to Sept. 13, followed by the conference finals (Sept. 15-28) and the NBA Finals (Sept. 30 to Oct. 13).