Everything you need to know about the NBA's return at Walt Disney World
Despite concerns from players surrounding the pros and cons of resuming the NBA season next month at Walt Disney World, the league still is carrying out its plans of returning to the court on July 30.
A lot of details have been revealed about the NBA's plan to resume the season at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, so let's break things down and give you the most relevant details starting with the basics, courtesy of The Athletic's Shams Charania.
The basics
Eastern Conference teams involved in the tournament: Milwaukee Bucks, Toronto Raptors, Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, Indiana Pacers, Philadelphia 76ers, Brooklyn Nets, Orlando Magic, Washington Wizards.
Western Conference teams involved in the tournament: Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, Denver Nuggets, Utah Jazz, Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Dallas Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies, Portland Trail Blazers, New Orleans Pelicans, Sacramento Kings, San Antonio Spurs, Phoenix Suns.
The NBA will resume with 22 teams and have training camps begin on June 30. Teams will then travel to Orlando on July 7 to resume the season on July 30. The NBA Finals will run no later than Oct. 13. Free agency would then begin on Oct. 18 with a target date for the 2020-21 season to begin on Dec. 1. Here is a breakdown of the projected schedule:
- June 30-July 7: In-market training camps
- July 7-11: Teams travel to Orlando
- July 9-29: Training camps in Orlando
- July 30-Aug. 14: Seeding games
- Aug.15-16: Play-in tournaments
- Aug. 17: Playoffs begin
- Aug. 30: Family/guests of teams arrive
- Aug. 31-Sept. 13: Conference semifinals
- Sept. 15-Sept. 28: Conference finals
- Sept. 30-Oct. 13: NBA Finals
Teams will be allowed to bring 17 players to Orlando with playoff rosters consisting of 15 total players — 13 active and two inactive. There will be a one-week roster window in late June for teams to sign new players or convert two-way contracts to standard contracts before entering the bubble.
Players who don't want to participate in the tournament have until June 24 to notify their teams, according to Charania.
Coronavirus testing
Among the biggest fears of the Orlando tournament is the possibility of being infected with the coronavirus. In order to reduce the risks of spreading, any player who tests positive for the coronavirus will be placed in "isolation housing" and take another test to confirm that they're positive, per Charania. A player must then test negative twice before returning to the NBA's Disney campus.
Every player will be tested nightly while on campus, and the results are expected to come in the morning. The NBA is in discussions with national coronavirus testing providers such as BioReference Laboratories, LabCorp, Quest Diagnostics and Vault Health/RUCDR Infinite Biologics at Rutgers to finalize its testing program, Charania reports.
Anyone traveling with the team, including staff, coaches and family members will be required to sign forms acknowledging that they will follow the NBA's safety protocols.
Disney staff protocols
The staff working at NBA bubble sites will be subject to strict health and safety protocols. They'll always have to wear a face mask and gloves, will have strict physical distancing guidelines, temperature and symptom checks; and housekeeping will never be in NBA player rooms while they're in them.
Player/staff hotels and amenities
Getting into more of the specific details, Charania reported that teams will be staying at three different resorts at Disney World — The Gran Destino Tower at Coronado Springs, the Grand Floridian and the Yacht Club. Although brand new, the Gran Destino Tower is considered to be a "moderate resort" by Disney standards, while the Grand Floridian and Yacht Club are dubbed as "deluxe resorts" by the company.
Here's where each team will be staying, based on seeding:
- Gran Destino Tower: Bucks, Lakers, Clippers, Raptors, Celtics, Nuggets, Jazz, Heat.
- Grand Floridian: Thunder, 76ers, Rockets, Pacers, Mavericks, Nets, Grizzlies, Magic.
- Yacht Club: Trail Blazers, Kings, Pelicans, Spurs, Suns, Wizards.
All of these resorts will be equipped with everything for the players to have an enjoyable experience when they aren't training or playing games. Among the amenities include, pools, movies, video games, private Disney chefs, DJ sets, gambling, barbers and 24-hour VIP concierge services. Plus, players can attend other games and potentially visit the Disney World theme parks after hours, according to Keith Smith of Yahoo Sports.
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