LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. As they gathered in the locker room, Sacramento Kings head coach Luke Walton had an important message to share with his players.
Although they finished Thursday with a 136-122 win over the Los Angeles Lakers, the Kings’ season officially ended. But this did not mark the time for self-reflection. It also does not mark the time to share insights on improving next season.
Instead, Walton talked to his players about leaving the NBA Disney campus in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak.
“We have to be very smart about how we act when we leave here,” Walton reminds his players. “The coronavirus is apparently still active and it is spreading everywhere. That we have been safe here. Now that we get home, we have a lot of responsibility. ”
The NBA outlined a number of daily responsibilities for all 22 of the participating teams in the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. Every player, coach and staff had to get tested for COVID-19. They had to report all symptoms, their temperature and oxygen levels. They were required to wear masks in public spaces and had to follow social distancing rules. That explains why the NBA and its players union have reported zero positive tests over the past four weeks.
Off-campus, the league cannot properly maintain and control the behavior of player, coach and staff. That group will also no longer undergo mandatory testing for COVID-19.
To that end, Kings Protection Buddy Hield has outlined a simple itinerary when he leaves the bubble: “stay my ass home.”
Before teams flew to Orlando between July 7-9, the NBA said 25 of 351 players and 10 of 884 staff members tested positive for COVID-19 between June 23-29, when testing began every other day at team training facilities. Two of 322 players tested positive under quarantine when the teams first arrived in Orlando. The NBA responded in some cases because players, coaches, and staff members did not show up for strict measures on a quarantine site.
“When it was first announced, we were all in the situation of saying, ‘What? This will actually work ?!’ There are too many moving parts. This is tricky, ‘” Spurs said. -coach Gregg Popovich. “But after you realize the work that the NBA put in here, it’s amazing with the logistics, the security measures, the discipline and everything that is required of us.”
Due to safety concerns, the Kings, Washington Wizards, New Orleans Pelicans and San Antonio Spurs had to leave the NBA Disney campus as close to the end of their games as possible. Players were allowed to shower and change at the Coronado Springs, but they had to check out of their rooms and teams had all their luggage packed into the arena.
That explains why Popovich liked this process of “going to bootcamp with a smile.”
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“They did a fantastic job,” Popovich said. “Everyone is humbled enough to hope this continues, of course. No one takes it for granted. But the players also need to receive kudos for the discipline they have shown so far. It has been remarkable in every way, shape or form West.”
However, the NBA will not have as much oversight after that time.
“These are difficult times at the moment when you are away from family. Going back to that institution will be another adjustment that you will have to live with,” said DeMar DeRozan of Spurs. “But take care and wear a mask. Stick to the same protocols before we get to the bubble and be safe.”
That will require a lot of diligence.
The NBA Finals are scheduled to end October 13th. Although the league tentatively scheduled December 1 as the start of the 2020-21 season, the NBA Players Union has jumped on that proposal because of the minimal time for rest and recovery for all participating teams. Both NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and NBPA Executive Director Michele Roberts have considered the next season to recruit at another or more locations on another campus website.
“I just come back with it, stay ready and stay prepared,” said DeRozan, who estimated that we only needed three or four days to recharge. “I have the utmost faith that the league can be placed all we need to follow to have a season next year.”
However, the eliminated teams will have a long offseason. The NBA draft lottery will take place on August 20 to determine the draft order. Then teams will host video conferencing workouts and interviews for potential prospects leading to a virtual concept on October 16th.
As far as current players are concerned, however, they do not expect to report directly to a training facility anytime soon.
‘We absolutely give time. Everyone needs time: players, coaches, staff, “said Scott Brooks, coach of the Washington Wizards. ‘We have all our families to be with them and to be around them. It will definitely be 2-3 weeks minimum. If you need more, we will give you more. It’s not about jumping right in. ”
Still, the NBA will allow those teams to have their facilities open for volunteer workouts.
That setup has remained the same for the teams that did not participate in the replay season: The Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, Golden State Warriors, Minnesota Timberwolves and New York Knicks. All of these teams had to adhere to social distancing, mask-wearing, and sanitary rules, and head coaches were not allowed to view any of the trainings.
“We don’t know when we’ll play again,” Walton said. “We need to make sure we take care of ourselves and stay safe and healthy.”
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