Lakers GM Rob Pelinka says NBA's Orlando bubble will be a 'mental test'

The NBA season is set to resume at Walt Disney World in Orlando this month, and while it's exciting for basketball fans, league players and staff members realize how brutal the situation could turn out to be.

Los Angeles Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka isn't too thrilled about being away from his family for about two and a half months, and even admitted that the NBA's return-to-play won't just be a physical test.

"I think Orlando itself is going to be as much of a mental test as it is a physical test just because of the extraordinary circumstances there," Pelinka said, according to ESPN.. "I think a team like ours, that has such a strong togetherness component, will have an advantage at that part. This team of guys love being together and love playing together. I think that's the significant part of the [first] 63 games."

The Lakers will be flying 2,500 miles away from home to get to the Disney World bubble, and all teams will have some strict health and safety guidelines in place to ensure the coronavirus doesn't spread amongst players and staff. 

Teams will be staying at a combination of the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa, the Yacht Club and the Gran Destino Tower at Coronado Springs. The Lakers are scheduled to stay at the Gran Destino Tower. 

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 are 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.

Despite the amenities, the players will be dealing with significant mental strain.

The possibility of being infected with the coronavirus is among the biggest fears of the Orlando tournament. 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 Shams 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.

It'll be challenging to be isolated for over two months, but players plan to put emphasis on the Black Lives Matter movement and other social justice causes while competing in Orlando, so they'll be pretty occupied during their time off. 

One Lakers player, Avery Bradley, already has decided to opt-out of the season in order to keep his family safe. He'll be replaced by J.R. Smith, though his talents on the court will be greatly missed as the Lakers look to win a title for the first time since 2010. 

The Lakers currently are the best team in the Western Conference, so it won't be surprising if they make it to the NBA Finals this season...provided the season is able to be finished.