Thanks to Stadium and The Athletic’s Shams Charania, we now know the information that the league has communicated to teams and players concerning the Orlando plan.
In a series of tweets on Tuesday afternoon, Shams breaks down everything from player accommodations to team and player proposed schedules. Let’s take a look at everything that we now know!
The NBA’s Promise to Players
The league released a statement to help ease the minds of some of its players, promising to do their part to bring attention to the social issues currently plaguing the country.
NBA has informed all 30 teams of this entering 2019-20 resumption: "A central goal of our season restart will be to utilize the NBA's platform to bring attention and sustained action to issues of social injustice…" pic.twitter.com/qfrRms88Hi
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 16, 2020
After news broke that some players may consider sitting out the restart, Adam Silver has gone on record suggesting that they would do everything in their power to work alongside their players. He has remained confident that they would find a way to proceed, and this statement shows that they are committed to finding solutions.
Team’s Hotel Accommodations
While we have long heard of the proposal that would see teams organized based on seeding, we now have names and locations to associate the idea with.
Sources: NBA teams Disney hotels based on seeding:
-Grand Destino: Bucks, Lakers, Raptors, Clippers, Celtics, Nuggets, Jazz, Heat
-Grand Floridian: Thunder, 76ers, Rockets, Pacers, Mavericks, Nets, Grizzlies, Magic
-Yacht Club: Blazers, Kings, Pelicans, Spurs, Suns, Wizards— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 16, 2020
Keep in mind, every hotel that will be used as accommodations has to meet players and team expectations. All 3 of these are excellent properties with minimal differences. But hey, the best teams should still receive some kind of leg up over everyone else, right? Even if that may just be an extra bottle of water in their room…
Gameday Schedules for Teams
Shams also reveals the proposed schedule that the NBA has put together to ensure gameday is as efficient as possible.
There is a lot to take in here, but one key takeaway is the limited time that teams will have to warm up on-court. It’s no secret that many players like to show up hours before tip-off to grab a moment by themselves out on the court, but that won’t be possible according to this proposal. This might upset some individuals, but it is an understandable measure to limit the potential exposures and limit sanitizing needs to the minimum.
Venue Specifications
In addition to the schedule, the NBA also showed teams a preview of what the arrangements would look like at the Orlando venues. From practice courts to game setups, this preview allows us as fans to also see what these teams will be working with and how different it will be from the arenas we’re used to seeing. These seem closer to summer league accommodations, but as long as there are two hoops and a basketball, I can’t see anyone complaining about it.
Other Important Updates Provided
On top of all of the information mentioned above, the league also provided a few more critical updates that teams can expect.
In NBA's ORL campus:
– Hotel amenities: players-only lounge (NBA 2K, TVs, gaming), pool/trails, barbers, manicurists, pedicurists
– 24-hour VIP concierge
– Daily entertainment: Movie screenings, DJ sets, video games, ping pong, pool, lawn games
– Players can attend other games— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 16, 2020
The biggest of these would seem to be that players will be allowed to attend games that they are not playing in. This should create a pretty special experience for them as well as for the fans, as we might get to see a true streetball atmosphere with players trying to show out in front of their colleagues. We can only hope that the NBA is smart enough to conduct player interviews or some sort of insight into what goes on in the stands during these games (they better have the bleep button ready to go).
Final Thoughts
There is still work to be done, but it seems that the NBA’s plan is falling into place. Adam Silver has proved throughout this process that he is the best commissioner in sports with his ability to manage owner needs with player expectations. We are about a month away from the start of play and can finally start to picture how it will all play out. As long as it ends with an NBA champion being crowned, this will be a welcome sight for sports fans around the nation.
What are your thoughts on the propositions made by the league? Let us know in the comments below!
