BUENA VISTA LAKE, Florida (AP) – Rob Pimental spent a lot of time thinking about everything the Miami Heat would need for what could be a three month trip to Walt Disney World.
He is the manager of the thermal equipment. Every jersey, sock, sneaker, whatever the team needs, is its responsibility to have it ready. So when it came time to understand what Disney was preparing for, Pimental came up with a realization.
“Pretty much everything,” said Pimental, who confessed to having some troubling sleepless nights. “I’m the kind of guy who wants everything at your fingertips, so I literally packed up all my equipment room and brought it with me.”
He is not alone.
All 22 teams in the NBA restart had to pack more than ever, for a trip like no other. Each team is guaranteed to spend at least five weeks at Disney, and some may be there for three months. The challenges for players and coaches are obvious, but the challenge for equipment managers – among the unsung heroes of this reboot plan – is by no means so visible to those who watch games from afar.
“This is why the equipment managers were built honestly,” said Jacob Diamond, Orlando Magic’s equipment manager. “We have some of the smartest guys in the league who do what I do and at the end of the day, it’s not really too big a job for us, no too little job. Our coaches rely on us, our players, and that’s the story right here. So it’s a little nice to be part of it, even if it’s an extra job. “
For this trip, Diamond has a two-room suite in the hotel that Magic calls home.
It is not an advantage. It needed space.
The bags are lined up around all four walls, with multiple bags in the middle of the room, along with a coat rack, a large trunk and a pile of bright blue bags with the Magic logo stacked above the sliding door leading to the balcony. He knows the contents of each, where each object is located, so if Nikola Vucevic needs a certain pair of socks or Aaron Gordon needs a certain type of compression equipment, Diamond finds it in a flash.
“I made sure I packed it for this rather than unpacked it,” said Diamond. “It’s not that easy to get things shipped here. I’d rather have things here, ready to go, so here we are. “
Toronto Raptors equipment manager Paul Elliott is proud to take only what he needs. He tends to take 45 bags on a normal road trip; according to NBA standards, that is to pack the light.
Not this time. For this trip, Elliott’s bill was 176 bags.
And while most teams only had to move their operations once – from their home facility to Disney – Elliott had to pack the Raptors twice, first from Toronto on their pre-field training at Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers, and then back to Disney.
“I saw it as what they would take for a two week trip on Western Road, I took what I usually would have done for that, and somehow quadrupled it,” said Elliott. “I just had to make sure I have enough options for these guys to please them when they need them. I just want to be prepared. “
More equipment is on the way.
At the start of the matches, the 22 teams will have more than 4,000 shirts between them. Each team brought three sets of uniforms, typically two shirts each for each player. So the decision was made to give Disney players the opportunity to wear jerseys with a message that would raise public awareness of social injustice and racial inequality and these huge expeditions are expected to arrive in the next few days.
When Elliott started unloading the 176 Raptor bags, several staff members who usually weren’t in charge of helping with the equipment ran to his aid. More scholarships will return to Toronto at the end of the season; Elliott had the empty ones sent by his assistant to fix the new shirts.
“We have the best staff for this sort of thing,” said Elliott. “Nobody is above all. They just want to make sure it’s done correctly. “
Washington coach Scott Brooks said wizards are using a similar approach for all must-haves and Heat coach Erik Spoelstra has insisted that his team do the same.
“There is an absolute understanding that this is a handy situation on the bridge,” said Spoelstra. “And this means bags, linens, cleaning, everything, not only for equipment managers, but for everyone. … We will all be involved in every aspect. “
The days will be long for equipment managers. Each team sent only one; It is not unusual for staff of two to travel, but this has not been possible on this trip due to restrictions on the amount of people who may be on the NBA bubble.
The extra work will also add up. After rehearsals or games, equipment managers will have to load their sweaty tools, bring them back to the hotel, then call a shuttle to collect them and take them to the laundry room built to restart – 66 washing machines and 66 dryers, all lined up in what was once a batting cage in the former Atlanta Braves spring training complex.
There is also a code between the equipment managers. While the 22 teams will try to fight each other, the equipment staff work together and help each other wherever possible.
“We all understand each other’s daily battles,” said Diamond, “because we share the same battles.”
The real comforts of home are gone for the next few weeks. The trick, said Pimental, is to make sure players don’t have to worry about getting what they need.
“It’s something we’ve never done before,” said Pimental. “But we’ll make it work.”
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