Celtics coach Brad Stevens and the Clippers reportedly pushed privately for coaches to be allowed to bring family to the bubble. Fed up, Nuggets coach Michael Malone demanded publicly.
Finally, the NBA is relenting.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN:
The NBA is allowing team staff to bring guests into the bubble starting with the conference finals, per memo shared with teams.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 8, 2020
Per league memo, each team may host no more than a total of 10 staff guests in Orlando. https://t.co/VcMFlfyu58
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 8, 2020
Staff guests will quarantine the requisite 7 days upon arriving in the bubble, per memo. https://t.co/VcMFlfyu58
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 8, 2020
Teams were allowed to bring 37 people, including up to 17 players, to the bubble. So, that means at least 20 staff members.
And just 10 staff guests.
Which staff members get to bring guests? Which staff members get to bring multiple guests? Which staff members get no guest because another staff member brought multiple guests?
The intra-team politics could get complicated.
Because this is a complicated situation.
It’s difficult to be separated from family and friends for months. But limiting the number of entrants is a key way to prevent coronavirus from infiltrating the bubble.
Will this compromise satisfy anyone? Ten staff members per conference-finals team -- at most. Even some of them won’t get their full desired guest allotment.