Looking to thrive outside the NBA bubble
Bucks work through challenges of road trip
When the Milwaukee Bucks take off for Massachusetts for their first “traditional” regular-season road trip during the coronavirus pandemic, they will be working through newly implemented safety protocols just to take to the court Wednesday at TD Garden to play the Boston Celtics.
The NBA first sent its teams protocols at the end of November and continued to update them through the second week of December. The Bucks had just one preseason game on the road – Friday in New Orleans – to work through it while preparing for a game.
“Once we got to the hotel we did not know exactly what to do,” Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo said. “Could we leave the hotel? Do we have to stay in the hotel? Can we go to restaurants? Can we not go to restaurants? We were just being careful, asking a lot of questions.
“Moving forward, once the season starts, we're going to know everything, know what the rules are, what we can do. At the same time, we've got to be extremely careful when we go out there to stay safe, so all of us can compete in the games.”
The largest disruptor for the Bucks was the day-of-game COVID-19 test that the players said required an early wakeup call, which then affected shootaround. And when the team ultimately heads on a road trip on which they have a day off between games, it could affect
practice.
“You get to a town, you settle in, for lack of a better term, but then you've got to get yourself amped up to play two games in three days,” said Dallas coach Rick Carlisle, whose team had that experience in the preseason in Milwaukee. “It's challenging. The teams that adjust to this and do well are going to have an edge.”
As for the players, they are not allowed to do anything until their test comes back negative, a process that takes 90 minutes, according to a report by The Athletic. If there is an inconclusive first test, the player must re-test within 30 minutes of the first result. But, in that instance they can participate in team activities.
“I mean, it takes a long time,” Bucks guard Jrue Holiday said. “It takes a long time, especially for a team that wants to go to shoot-around. Maybe we just have to wake up earlier and take it. It's different and it kind of throws off your rhythm for the day to have a routine. I feel like routines are big and we kind of got to get it figured out.”
But, Holiday acknowledged, it will become the new routine.
Yet that, like many things, will take time to settle in. And, for a team like the Bucks with many new faces, it only lengthens the timeline for really forming a bond, especially because if shootarounds become optional or players come in at staggered times, it adds to the inability to convene in groups for dinners or team activities.
“Maybe from the outside it seems small, but I think it is huge,” Holiday said. “Even when I (was traded for), usually you're able to go out to dinner and you're able to get to talk, get to know just the staff and the players and stuff. On the road, it's one of the biggest parts of getting to know somebody and getting to know your teammates.”
In New Orleans, Holiday said, he had prepared meals delivered.
“Not really getting a chance to sit down with other people and talk and to go to dinner and feel the vibe and ambiance,” he said. “That is also completely different and might have to become a part of our routine. This is all weird and different and I think we're all just trying to figure it out.”
Fortunately for the Bucks, they will get four of their 17 first-half road games out of the way before the end of the calendar year and the trip to Boston is the first of three road trips in seven days.
After playing the Celtics, the Bucks head home to take on Golden State on Thursday, before heading to New York to play the Knicks on Saturday and then to
Miami to take on the Heat on Dec. 2930.
“Honestly I didn't think it was too bad,” Bucks guard Donte DiVincenzo said of the first run-through in New Orleans. “Obviously it's as little bit of a learning curve just because you're so used to do doing something and then obviously this happens. So I don't think it was a bad thing at all. I think it was pretty good and I think we'll get in the swing of things and we'll start to figure out what we like and once we get in that comfort zone and get rolling I think we'll be fine.”
To help mitigate the risk of COVID-19, teams must limit their traveling party to 45 people, including 17 players. With 16 players on the roster the Bucks won't have to leave anyone behind, be it injured or two-way players. They can eat together if the league and union-approved restaurant can provide outdoor seating or a fully privatized room.