USA TODAY International Edition
NBA coaches face strange restart
During pressure- packed games, NBA coaches often wrestle with how to ensure their ear drums do not burst from all the noise. When the league resumes its season behind closed doors at a quarantine site near Orlando, Florida, however, coaches will now wonder how to deal with the uncomfortable silence.
“It will be different with no fans and the fact that you can hear everything,” Clippers coach Doc Rivers said. “I don’t think we need scouts right now, because every time a coach makes a call, we’re going to hear it.”
And since everyone will hear what the coaches have to say, some wonder if they need to change how they act on the sideline.
“If there’s ways to hide play calls or whatnot, we will be cognizant of that,” Lakers coach Frank Vogel said. “If we have to whisper certain things, we’ll whisper certain things.”
Can NBA coaches whisper to the referees, though?
Rarely do coaches bite their tongues when they become upset with a missed call or a loose whistle against their team. Without fans, however, it will become more likely the live television feed will pick up those exchanges with the men in stripes. They are not always suitable for family viewing.
“I’m going to be very nice to the officials,” Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry said before laughing. “Obviously, we’re in a situation where pretty much everything is going to be heard.”
A coach’s job description often points to the work behind closed doors, including finalizing scouting reports, overseeing practice and handling personalities. As the NBA enters its resumed season at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex beginning July 30, coaches will have other unique responsibilities.
“The toughest part is there is no playbook,” Nuggets coach Mike Malone said. “There is no one I can call up that has gone through what we’re about to go through. We are going to learn as we go.”
Coaches already learned one significant lesson even before teams depart for Orlando: Teams have to narrow their traveling parties to 34 people.
“Everybody is struggling with it because we know how hard it is and how much of a commitment everyone makes to work in this league,” Kings coach Luke Walton said. “Now this is a chance to be part of the playoffs. And you’re having to tell people you can’t go?”
That is what the NBA has told them. According to the league’s 113- page health and safety protocols, those 34 people have to include 13- 17 players, one athletic trainer, one strength and conditioning coach, one equipment manager, one team security staff member and one senior executive from the team’s basketball operations department.
“That stinks because of the amount of work that they put in every single day,” Celtics coach Brad Stevens said. “So we’ve tried to identify how to be the most efficient we can be with people that can be excellent remotely.”
The NBA’s health and safety protocols also suggest “teams should consider including one or more individuals who can function across multiple roles.” Teams have not publicized those lists, but Vogel outlined the expected trend all 22 participating teams will likely follow.
“We did load up on medical personnel just because of the history of players coming back after lockout- type situations and the high risk of injury,” Vogel said. “With the COVID protocols and potentially having guys out, we did decide to bring 17 players so that we make sure that we have enough practice bodies. What most teams are going through, it leaves you a little bit short- handed on the coaching front.”
Pelicans assistant Jeff Bzdelik opted out because of medical concerns. So did Lakers assistant Lionel Hollins. There will likely be other absences. Those who specialize in scouting and analytics are more likely to stay home since they can watch games on TV as well as break down footage and analyze data on computers. Those in player development roles are more likely to work on site.
According to the NBA’s health and safety protocols, the league and the players union plan to discuss permitting each team to bring two additional staff members to Orlando after the first round of the playoffs and two more staff members after the conference semifinals. Teams will also be given the option to rotate some members of the team’s staff and replace them with other members. Because of that shuffling, every new arrival would have to spend at least seven days in quarantine.
No wonder Vogel called the process “fairly miserable with trying to place a value on everybody’s contributions.”
“For us it’s not, ‘ Who is in the bubble? Who is out of the bubble?’ It’s everybody working and contributing the way they always do,” Vogel said. “Some are going to do it in person. Some are going to do it remotely. That’s just the nature of this setup. But yeah ... we’re looking forward to be able to add staff when we’re able to.”
After the Clippers depart for Orlando on Wednesday, Rivers does not plan to dive deep into his practice plans. Instead, he joked he wants to find out which golf courses he likes the best.
That marks one of the few options teams have to spend on downtime without violating social distancing rules. Rivers and others will not have too much time to swing their clubs, though. Teams will prioritize shedding their rust after not playing since March 11.
“We’re trying to plan our first few days of practice in the bubble,” Magic coach Steve Clifford said. “But frankly, I watch our guys today, and I change my mind every day on how much we can do.”
That is because coaches have become increasingly fearful that an increased workload will lead to a rash of injuries. After all, players have only completed mandatory individual workouts in the past week. Before that, players could only report to their teams’ practice facilities for the past two months on a voluntary basis.
Therefore, Clifford predicted, “I don’t think we can even play five- on- five in our first couple of practices.” Instead, Clifford likened the first practices to the optional workouts it holds in September before training camp starts. Similarly, Stevens said he plans to stagger days of light and intense practices mixed with days off. As Stevens said, “How we can keep this as fresh as possible?”
“The conditioning aspect is going to be a great concern,” Vogel said. “Being able to react on defense is something no one has done league- wide for four months. There’s muscles involved. There’s instincts involved. All those types of things have been dormant, so to speak. They’ve just gotta be, hopefully, brought back in a relatively quick fashion and at the right pace. We’re very concerned about going too fast once we get going.”
That is why teams have become increasingly appreciative of how the league constructed the schedule. Each of the 22 teams will have three scrimmages between July 22- 29. When seeding games take place between July 30 and Aug. 14, all teams will have one back- to- back. Other times, the teams will have off.
Recently, a handful of coaches went on a conference call to discuss varying issues about the NBA’s resumed season. Some brought up the dynamics of having games without fans. Raptors coach Nick Nurse told other coaches not to worry.
“Half of my career I’ve coached without people in the stands,” Gentry recalled Nurse saying. “I’ve been in the GLeague and the CBA.”
That sparked plenty of laughs. Yet coaches are mindful of the challenges that creates. Sometimes, players can be more inspired by crowd noise than any motivational speaker.
“It is something that you will adjust to because it’s going to be completely different,” Gentry said. “I do think that your bench is going to be very important from an enthusiasm standpoint. I think that’s where all the energy is going to come from, so you’re going to have to have a really good bench.”
Good luck. Participating players will have to spread out in the first and second row of the bench to follow social distancing rules.
“I don’t think anyone has coached under those circumstances,” Gentry said.