By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
The NBA and NBPA agreed that the eight teams not part of the resumption of the 2019-20 season in Orlando can conduct voluntary workouts at their own facilities from September 14 to October 6. Discussions regarding the teams excluded from the bubble were underway, per a recent report.
The Atlanta Hawks, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, Golden State Warriors, Minnesota Timberwolves, and New York Knicks were not invited to the single-site season-ending tournament.
Per NBA: “The National Basketball Association and the National Basketball Players Association announced today that they have finalized an agreement on a program for each of the eight NBA teams that did not participate in the resumption of the 2019-20 season to engage in voluntary group workouts at their team facilities while residing in a campus-like environment under controlled conditions. The agreement includes comprehensive health and safety protocols that will govern the program for the benefit of all participating players, coaches and other team staff.
Scheduled to take place Sept. 14 – Oct. 6, the program will be implemented in phases. The first phase (Sept. 14-20) will consist of the continuation of voluntary individual workouts at team facilities and the commencement of daily COVID-19 testing for all players and staff planning to participate in group workouts.
The second phase (Sept. 21 – Oct. 6) will consist of group training activities in market, which may include practices, skill or conditioning sessions and intra-squad scrimmages, and the continuation of daily COVID-19 testing. For this phase, each team will create its own campus-like environment in its home city. The “campus” will include the team’s facilities and private living accommodations for all participating players and team staff. To participate in group training activities, players and team staff must remain on the campus.
Player participation in individual and group workouts and training activities is voluntary. In addition to players under contract with the team, each of the eight teams may also include in the program up to five players who are not currently under an NBA contract, but who were under an NBA G League contract and assigned to the team’s NBA G League affiliate during the 2019-20 season.”