Hoops Habit
Fansided

Report: NBA’s Delete-Eight second bubble seems unlikely to happen

By Duncan Smith

LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA - JULY 30: A general view the court with Black Lives Matter written above the NBA logo is seen at center court prior to the game between the LA Clippers and the Los Angeles Lakers at The Arena at ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on July 30, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA - JULY 30: A general view the court with Black Lives Matter written above the NBA logo is seen at center court prior to the game between the LA Clippers and the Los Angeles Lakers at The Arena at ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on July 30, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

According to a report from The Athletic’s Sam Amick, the NBA’s rumored Delete-Eight second bubble seems unlikely to happen after all.

Just over a month ago in early July, the NBA appeared to be considering an ambitious addition to their Orlando restart bubble. Not only would they have 22 teams coming to Orlando to resume the season and playoffs, but according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, there was talk of an additional second bubble in Chicago sometime in September.

It was an interesting idea, if a bit bizarre. For starters, the Orlando bubble was essentially a campus where players and personnel could be contained, keeping them in and most of the outside world at as safe a distance as possible. There is not likely to be any such facility or group of facilities in Chicago, so a bubble would barely even be that in theory let alone practice.

According to The Athletic’s Sam Amick and Shams Charania, it appears the idea hasn’t gained traction:

It’s a challenging situation for everybody involved. Clearly the safety of players and personnel is paramount, and providing for that may be a task too tall for the league in these COVID-centric days.

However, if the NBA begins its 2020-21 season in December (currently the plan, but nothing is certain in these strange times), players from the Atlanta Hawks, Golden State Warriors, Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, Minnesota Timberwolves, New York Knicks and Chicago Bulls will have gone almost nine months without playing anything more intense than unauthorized pickup games.

For both veterans and young players, the layoff could be a major issue with regards to skill development, game fitness and a whole host of unanticipated areas.

In the meantime, without a second bubble involving multiple teams, it seems as though the next priority for the so-called Delete Eight teams is to figure out a way to conduct mini-camps in their own facilities. Perhaps quarantining players who opt into participating in these mini-camps is the answer, or maybe there’s simply no way to do a structured and organized training and development program for the eight non-Orlando bubble teams.

It’s a tricky situation for the NBA, but hopefully, something can be done so that the Delete Eight doesn’t get left behind.

Next. Small Sample Size Theater: NBA highs and lows. dark