The NBA has progressed on a plan for the eight non-season teams to practice and possibly hold group workouts next month, three sources with direct knowledge of the league’s discussions have told the Observer.
This would allow Charlotte Hornets and seven other non-Disney campus teams to perform significantly higher activities than currently allowed. The proposal under discussion – which has not yet been approved by the league or players’ union – would include:
▪ A week of tests in the home structures of the individual teams, starting from the second week of August.
▪ Maybe two weeks of group workouts hosted by two teams failing to restart. Those cities have not yet been finalized. The traveling teams would probably depend on the union of the players who approve the teams that touch each other.
All three sources describe that the talks are moving forward, to the extent that an announcement could arrive next week.
A key factor in all this is the approval by the players’ association, which is necessary for any organized practice out of season. Union Executive Director Michele Roberts said last month that any activity by non-Disney teams should comply with the same stringent health and safety standards for the restart bubble.
“I know there are some players, especially young people, who seem worried about not having enough,” out of season activities, Roberts said during a media conference call. “But I’m worried … in terms of the game that doesn’t have the same guarantee of safety and health (as for the new coronavirus pandemic) that we provided in Orlando.
“It is a standard that must be respected and, if it is not satisfied,” next question “as far as I am concerned.”
The general manager of hornets Mitch Kupchak and the other seven affected general managers have exerted strong pressure in the last month for more practice time. For now, single players can work with up to two coaches to develop skills. However, players cannot train against each other in a team structure.
Hornets coach James Borrego said this puts the eight non-Disney teams in a competitive disadvantage. Without some loosening of the rules, the Hornets and the other seven teams could spend more than eight months without any group or competitive activity.
“We need to open the door, so we can get after this,” said Borrego.
The league asked players not to rummage in their own structures outside the team. However, three Hornets – Devonte Graham, Miles Bridges and Dwayne Bacon – were recently released on video on Twitter, playing 5 out of 5 in Florida. Another NBA player in that game, Michael Beasley, later turned out to be positive for COVID-19, preventing him from signing with Brooklyn nets.
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