The NBA and NBPA announced an agreement to allow non-bubble teams to hold voluntary group workouts at their team facilities.
The program is slated to take place from Sept. 14 to Oct. 6 and will be divided into two phases that begin with individual workouts before going on to team activities such as scrimmages. The league is hoping to establish another campus-like environment where teams will need to follow the same safety protocols that have been established for Walt Disney World campus in Orlando, Florida.
Since the workouts are voluntary, players will have the option to either take part or continue with their training at home. Those that do choose to participate will need to prepare to remain on the campus for the duration of program.
Teams will also be allowed to select a maximum of five players from a pool of G League affiliates during the 2019-20 season.
Although the restart has gone according to plan up to this point, commissioner Adam Silver admittedly regrets not being able to have all 30 teams make the trip to Orlando. As a result, the league has made efforts to get the eight remaining teams that opted out a chance to get back on the court.
The question remains just how much interest the program will garner for those deciding on whether or not they want to spend a month in a bubble given all the uncertainty of the time frame beyond this season. It is safe to assume that there will be a solid portion that are not trying to take part in any meaningless games following such a prolonged hiatus.
Regardless, this could be the first step toward the NBA getting all of its teams back on the same page following an unprecedented season due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. After all, there is no telling what kind of residual effects will occur for these teams coming off such a prolonged hiatus.
NBA bubble succeeding
While Silver and the NBA hoped for the best when establishing the Walt Disney World bubble, there was some concern an infection could derail the best-laid plans. The league just reported another week of no positive tests inside the bubble.
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