A group of players continue to question the restart of the NBA season, but that hasn’t stopped the NBA and the NBA Players Association from pushing forward with more specifics about the bubble that is shaping up in Orlando.
According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, the Sacramento Kings will reside in the The Yacht Club hotel on the Disney property, along with the Trail Blazers, Pelicans, Suns, Spurs and Wizards - the six teams on the outside looking in of the postseason picture.
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The nautical themed hotel is sprawling and could be the home of the Kings for a month at a minimum. There may be some adjustments to the original memo, but here is a brief overview of some of the new information coming out on Tuesday from Charania.
Dates to keep in mind
Phase 1 - June 11-22 - Kings have the option of working out at the practice facility in Sacramento. Workouts are optional and are limited to one player on the court at a time. Overseas players have to report by June 15. All players must report by June 22. During this phase, players will be asked to stay at home with family members and only go out for necessary items.
Phase 2 - June 23-30 - Testing begins.
NBA
Phase 3 - July 1-9 -- Mandatory individual workouts begin at Kings’ practice facility in Sacramento. No more than eight players can be at the practice facility at one time, although group workouts are still prohibited. Head coach Luke Walton will be allowed to participate and oversee individual workouts during this phase.
Phase 4A - July 7-11 - Kings will make their way to Orlando by chartered jet and introduced to the NBA’s Orlando bubble. Beginning July 7, the league will begin random drug testing limited to SPEDs and Diuretics, but not recreational drugs.
Phase 4B - July 9/10/11-21 - Kings can begin group workouts and other team activities, including practice, weight training and meetings. Individual workouts are also available at this point from the Orlando campus.
During this phase, the players will be introduced to new guidelines while on the court, including, “players must avoid, spitting or clearing their nose, wiping the ball with their jersey, licking their hands, and unnecessarily touching their mouthguard.”
Phase 5 - July 22-29 - The Kings will have three scrimmages during this week against teams in the same hotel as they prepare for the eight game seeding tournament. Beginning July 22, the Kings are allowed to socialize with players in other hotels.
Phase 6 - July 30-Oct. 13 - Game on! The eight-game seeding tournament begins on July 30 and will conclude by Aug. 14. If the Kings are the No. 9 seed after the eight game tune-up and they are within three and a half games of the No. 8 seed, the two teams will have a play-in on Aug. 15-16 with a single elimination for the No. 9 seed and a double elimination for the No. 8 seed. Sacramento still has an opportunity to reach the No. 8 seed, but they currently trail the Memphis Grizzlies by three and a half games in the standings.
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Safety first
Beginning June 23, players and staff will undergo either nasal or oral swab, as well as a blood draw. Players are required to inform the team of any symptoms for both themselves and their families.
Once the team arrives in Orlando, Kings players and staff are quarantined to their rooms pending two negative PCR tests at least 24 hours apart. During this phase, players have the option of wearing a proximity alarm that will alert them if they are within six feet of another individual for more than five seconds. The proximity alarm is mandatory for all staff and team employees.
Face masks are required for everyone at his point except when eating, in their rooms, working out or doing outside activities where they are six feet or more from others. Players will have the option to wear an Oura smart ring that monitors temperature, heart rate and respiratory which will potentially help with early detection of coronavirus.
Players will continue to undergo COVID-19 testing, having their temperatures checked regularly and will have to answer symptom surveys.
Opt out?
Players have until June 24 to opt out of the seeding tournament and Orlando bubble experience. If they are excused (deemed high risk from a panel of doctors) or are injured, they will not have their pay impacted.
If a player chooses not to play, without being excused from the league, their pay will be reduced by 1/92.6 for each game missed, with a maximum penalty of 14 games or 14/92.6 of their salary.
The penalty is roughly 1.1 percent of a player's salary per game. Between the eight-game seeding tournament and a best of seven first and second round, that could add up quickly.
Visits from home
Family members will be allowed to come into the Orlando bubble following the first round of the NBA playoffs. 15-17 additional hotel rooms will be held for each team, depending on size of roster. Guests will have to go through coronavirus testing and be subject to the same constraints as the players. The cost of their rooms will fall on the players, but food will be provided. Once in the bubble, guests are not allowed to leave and return to the campus.
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