A report one month ago suggested that the NBA appeared likely to create a second campus/bubble environment in Chicago for the league’s bottom eight teams. The idea was for those teams left out of the Orlando restart to spend some time with their players during the offseason, conducting mini-training camps and inter-squad games in a single location.
However, according to Shams Charania and Sam Amick of The Athletic, there’s a growing belief that a second bubble site won’t happen. The Athletic’s duo reports that there’s also pessimism about those bottom eight teams getting to hold in-market minicamps for group workouts.
“There’s nothing happening,” said one general manager following a Tuesday call with the eight GMs and various league officials. “It’s a shame. It’s a huge detriment to these eight franchises that were left behind.”
With the NBA focusing on the success of the Orlando restart, discussions about plans for the bottom eight teams – the Warriors, Timberwolves, Cavaliers, Hawks, Bulls, Pistons, Knicks, and Hornets – have been inconsistent. As recently as last week, there seemed to be momentum building toward a plan to allow those clubs to hold practices and workouts, but that momentum has apparently stalled.
According to Charania and Amick, the National Basketball Players Association has safety concerns related to the idea of a second bubble amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. There are also financial and logistical complications associated with creating a smaller-scale version of the NBA’s Walt Disney World campus.
Charania and Amick suggest that the NBPA is more open to the idea of creating smaller, in-market bubbles for teams to host individual mini-camps in their respective cities. But it sounds as if that won’t happen by mid-August as initially hoped, if it happens at all.
The eight teams left out of the Orlando restart believe they’re at a potential competitive disadvantage by missing out on the player and culture development that other teams are getting this summer, sources tell The Athletic. Those clubs are expected to continue pushing for some form of offseason team activities to re-engage players and coaches. For now, they’re only permitted to hold 1-on-0 workouts at their practice facilities, with limited coach involvement.
If those teams don’t get extra practices, they should get an extra draft pick, perhaps between the first and second round, to make up for their lost practices
That’s just encouraging mediocrity and that’s the last thing we need more of in modern day sports.
What do you call a 20-21 season where 30 teams will compete against one another, and 8 of those 30 didn’t play organized team hoops for 9-10 months (when next season training camps begin) and 22 of those teams played a minimum of 8 games + practices in that same 9-10 month span?
That’s not going to breed a mediocre product when a 22er plays one of the 8?
They gotta do something, even if its not revenue-focused. (lol, yeah right)
To late for that they restarted the regular season and playing like its a real season. Whoever wins won a 1/2 championship.
Senioreditor basketball players playing basketball is not encouraging mediocrity… it’s the exact opposite. They would be getting better, like the teams that can practice now!
Wow was that off.
Silver is not committed to fairness because he likes elitism, and because the league office home city is so moody about the Knicks.
If the Orlando bubble concept is so successful, why the reluctance to expand it?
Money
I think its best that all those 8 teams should just focus on their offseason and draft. Nobody is going watch basketball games with these teams competing for nothing.
They don’t have home fans? New York talking?
This never was a good idea.
If it means removing Dolan,then I’m all for it.
I’ve always thought that teams picking 1-8 should consist of the third round of the draft and they cannot trade them.
They are not at a competitive disadvantage because they don’t get a bubble. They are at a competitive disadvantage because they are not as good as the other teams. Every year teams stop playing when the postseason begins. This just seems like whining because they aren’t good enough.
Hiflew is confused. The Uninvited Eight will be disadvanteged IN THE FUTURE. At the present they are on extended vacation.
Also, this situation is different from other years DUH. This year does more for creating a two-class separation than any other year due to its long length of time and special camp set-up.
There will be a lot of player-to-player recruiting going on and the main result will be a transfer of players from the U8 teams as they are not invited to be there recruiting.
Why so rude? I have never gone after you personally even though I have had many opportunities in the past. Just unnecessary.
That being said, I am fully aware of the player recruiting and all that other junk that is going to happen. But it doesn’t really hurt any teams in that regard other than maybe the Knicks or Bulls. No super teams are going to form in Charlotte or Minnesota or Cleveland or Detroit.
Plus, how does creating an 8 team secondary bubble stop any of that from happening?
Although they think they are forming another super team in GS.
Those bottom 8 teams wouldn’t have any significant improvement next season by playing amongst the worst teams in the league fir a couple of weeks this summer/early Fall. Sure, the “extra” work would be good for getting some work and camaraderie, but it wouldn’t do more for next season than drafting well and adding some good free agents. The benefits from the actual playing wouldn’t be substantial – and it’s an unnecessary injury risk.
Because one gets better at something by not being allowed to do it.
I don’t understand what’s not to understand. The worse 8 teams do not get organized activities and no competitive basketball. All this does is create a bigger gap between the haves and have nots. No team should have been left out of competitive play.
Obviously I’m a Minny fan and it would have been ideal to let 10 new guys gel with KAT and Okogie. Not to mention not letting the staff assess player talent to be able to make personnel decisions.
No matter how big of a gap there is from 1-30 competitive basketball is better than sitting on the couch.
Ok so NOW can Jim Boylen be fired?
Maybe, if 20/21 starts in early December, the 8 out teams will be fresher and play better. Gotta look forward.