The NBA is reportedly focused on resuming the season in a bubble in either Orlando or Las Vegas. Players’ families would be welcome. Older coaches face more uncertainty.
No matter the exact breakdown of personnel, the bubble would include a lot of people – people who had to travel to a new location, interacting with uncountable others en route.
How will the league ensure coronavirus doesn’t infiltrate the bubble from the onset?
Shams Charania of The Athletic:
If reported correctly, this plan seems suspect.
If the test is accurate, why must everyone quarantine? It’d be immediately clear who does and doesn’t have coronavirus.
If the test is not accurate, what’s the point of the first test? The quarantine period would allow anyone with coronavirus – especially asymptomatically – to recover before interacting with others.
How strict will the quarantine be? The worst-case scenario for the NBA is gathering everyone into a centralized location just to quickly spread coronavirus through everyone there. That’d point to stringent rules. But it’s one thing to quarantine at home. It’s another to quarantine in a hotel room.
Perhaps, players – with protocols in place – could take turns working out during a two-week isolation period. Again, though, that only increases the risk of spreading coronavirus.
On the other hand, if players are confined to hotel rooms, they might need longer than 14 days to get into shape. It’s unclear when team facilities will open and how much players are already training.