Damian Lillard questions if NBA players will follow rules inside the Orlando bubble
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NBA teams from around the country will relocate to Orlando early next week for the start of the NBA’s grand bubble experiment at Disney World, and with coronavirus cases spiking in several states, Florida included, the league will be under intense scrutiny over the next several months.
According to reports, 16 NBA players tested positive for coronavirus last week before the restart. Players and staff will be tested multiple times upon arrival before training camp is set to begin on July 9th, with the current return of the regular season set for July 30th.
The NBA has developed a lengthy set of guidelines players are expected to follow within the bubble, with specific protocol for everything from recreational ping-pong to card games. There will also be an anonymous hotline players can call to report people who are violating protocol – which is expected to be an issue, according to Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard.
Lillard said Wednesday that he doesn’t have “much confidence” that every player in the bubble will follow the rules, noting that some players don’t follow rules even in normal times.
Via ESPN:
“My confidence ain’t great. My confidence ain’t great because you’re telling me you’re gonna have 22 teams full of players following all the rules? When we have 100 percent freedom, everybody don’t follow all the rules. I don’t have much confidence. But hopefully it’ll be handled to a point where we’re not putting everybody at risk or in a dangerous position.”
Lillard says he plans to bring his recording studio and his PlayStation to Orlando and simply hang out in his room whenever he’s not playing basketball or working out. He’s dedicated to keeping himself as healthy as possible throughout this process – but it only takes one player’s poor decisions to potentially put the entire team at risk.
It would be a miracle if the NBA can get through the rest of the regular season and postseason without any positive coronavirus tests, but that isn’t necessarily the goal. Given how easily transmissible the virus is, it’s highly likely that at least some NBA staffers or players will test positive at some point. The real test will be whether the NBA can curb the spread of the virus within the bubble – which means players have to do their part and abide by the guidelines.
Thursday’s biggest winner: Jay Cutler
If you haven’t been keeping up with former Bears quarterback Jay Cutler, he’s been having some big problems with his chickens at home. Jay was desperate to find out why his chickens kept dying, so he staked out in a tree stand with night vision goggles to discover that a raccoon was the culprit. Case closed.
Quick hits: A giant new videoboard in LA, the NBA’s bubble cost, Sam Darnold’s potential
– A gargantuan video board that weighs 2.2 million pounds has been completed at SoFi Stadium, which will be the new home of the Rams and Chargers. It’s ridiculous.
– According to a report from ESPN, the NBA’s bill for the Orlando bubble is massive.
– FTW NFL guru Steven Ruiz has a sobering examination of QB Sam Darnold that Jets fans need to read.