"We're going to Disney World!" NBA to resume season July 31 at WDW

scottyno

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I don't understand any of the bolded. Vegas will have dozens and dozens of mostly empty hotels this summer to provide isolation and they can easily have their own floors secured. The Summer League in Vegas runs 10 games a day at the Thomas & Mack Center.....5 on the main court and 5 on the Rebels practice floor, The Cox Pavilion, which is a 3,000-seat area in the same building.
Plus they've run conference tourney games at tmobile arena, have a wnba court at mgm grand, and a court at orleans that they use for conference tournaments, so at minimum NBA could run 5 games at quality courts at the same time. I have no idea what disney is supposed to have, but no way they have better facilities for basketball than vegas.
 

Lose Remerswaal

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Only thing more insane than CG in Vegas is that hotels are still requiring resort fees. $45 at the Bellagio, for example (from June, seems it's closed now and in May, or at least not taking reservations). That town is so greedy, it may fall just like Rome.
Resort fees are meaningless. It is total cost that matters.

if the room is $49 and the fee is $45 I will stay there every day as opposed to at a $109 room with no fee.
 

Smokey Joe

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Plus they've run conference tourney games at tmobile arena, have a wnba court at mgm grand, and a court at orleans that they use for conference tournaments, so at minimum NBA could run 5 games at quality courts at the same time. I have no idea what disney is supposed to have, but no way they have better facilities for basketball than vegas.
There’s no question that Vegas has the facilities, the problem is keeping 100s of young males in isolation in the adult entertainment capitol of the world...when it’s shut down...and thousands of bartenders, waitresses, dealers, showgirls and hookers are sitting around at home with nothing to do...And all the young men are in big hotels along the strip and easy to find...and the mayor is insane....Capiche?
 

ElUno20

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Another piece is how open Florida is. If Nevada is tied into this western states pact and takes it seriously, judging by how slowly CA is going to open, a restart of the season wont be possible anytime soon
 

scottyno

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There’s no question that Vegas has the facilities, the problem is keeping 100s of young males in isolation in the adult entertainment capitol of the world...when it’s shut down...and thousands of bartenders, waitresses, dealers, showgirls and hookers are sitting around at home with nothing to do...And all the young men are in big hotels along the strip and easy to find...and the mayor is insane....Capiche?
It's not the entertainment capitol of the world if those bars clubs and casinos are all shut down which they are right now, so I'm not sure what would make those it any different from disney in that regard.
 

Smokey Joe

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It's not the entertainment capitol of the world if those bars clubs and casinos are all shut down which they are right now, so I'm not sure what would make those it any different from disney in that regard.
It’s the difference between being surrounded by thousands of unemployed people who are used to making a living by separating (mostly) men from their money by giving them gambling, drugs, alcohol and sex and being surrounded by thousands of unemployed people who are used to making their livings by entertaining your kids.
Honestly, if you want to party in Vegas, you don’t need bars clubs and casinos.
 

Pablo's TB Lover

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Plus they've run conference tourney games at tmobile arena, have a wnba court at mgm grand, and a court at orleans that they use for conference tournaments, so at minimum NBA could run 5 games at quality courts at the same time. I have no idea what disney is supposed to have, but no way they have better facilities for basketball than vegas.
The Vegas facilities are high end which I can vouch for going to the WNBA all-star game last summer, but without fans the NBA will only care about proper facilities for player comfort and ability for media coverage with limited personnel. Larger arenas are almost a hindrance in that regard, both for players shooting to a background of a sea of empty seats, and the league not wanting to highlight all the empty seats the cameras would pick up. As @Smokey Joe referenced above the ESPN facility has a lot of courts, and these host high school tournaments and a preseason college tournament, the Orlando Invitational. The courts are more cozy in their confines so they could actually work better for camera angles and so forth. As long as the players don't have to stay at a value resort on property like Pop Century or some bullshit. ;)
 

Pablo's TB Lover

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Not even the Hornets?
Nah, they're contractually obligated to one of the best resorts, Port Orleans of course. And the Magic and Heat would get to split another prime location, the Grand Floridian.

However without human activity on that pond for the past month, the gators may have taken over the whole park for all I know.
 

HomeRunBaker

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There’s no question that Vegas has the facilities, the problem is keeping 100s of young males in isolation in the adult entertainment capitol of the world...when it’s shut down...and thousands of bartenders, waitresses, dealers, showgirls and hookers are sitting around at home with nothing to do...And all the young men are in big hotels along the strip and easy to find...and the mayor is insane....Capiche?
The Strip is not in Las Vegas and not under Mayor Goodman’s jurisdiction. It is in Paradise, NV and under the Clark County Commissioners. Goodman only controls downtown. Las Vegas is going to be a ghost town this summer with foreign travel restrictions and limited flights coming into the city so it isn’t going to be like the Vegas we are accustomed to seeing. Players who want to go out can do the same in Florida.
 

Smokey Joe

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The Strip is not in Las Vegas and not under Mayor Goodman’s jurisdiction. It is in Paradise, NV and under the Clark County Commissioners. Goodman only controls downtown. Las Vegas is going to be a ghost town this summer with foreign travel restrictions and limited flights coming into the city so it isn’t going to be like the Vegas we are accustomed to seeing. Players who want to go out can do the same in Florida.
You seem to think that a mile is an insurmountable distance and there is barbed wire and check points along Desert Inn road. Nevertheless, the whole point of this exercise was to point out to those who think that Las Vegas is the obvious place to reopen the NBA that there are very real alternatives and there are very real reasons not to do this in Las Vegas. I still find it hilarious that people think that the thousands of people who live in Las Vegas (and are currently unemployed) who usually make a living off of exploiting and preying on (mostly) male gamblers are going to sit on their hands when someone drops 600 millionaires into their laps.

And no, it is not the same in Orlando. (But I have to say, in Las Vegas you have an insane mayor and a sane governor, in Orlando you have a sane mayor and an insane governor. I don’t know which situation is more dangerous.)
 

JCizzle

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Not a huge shock, but it looks like the NBA is starting to leak their plans in more earnest.

View: https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1255629641286594560?s=20


"One possible playing ground for NBA if finishing season becomes safe for league and players: Walt Disney World Resort property in Orlando, sources tell
@TheAthleticNBA

@Stadium
. League has kept different scenarios in mind."

Following that report, some writers started circulating a story from Keith Smith: https://sports.yahoo.com/why-walt-disney-world-would-be-the-ideal-spot-for-the-nba-to-salvage-its-season-142557713.html

Many sites — Las Vegas; Atlantic City, New Jersey; and Nassau, Bahamas — have been suggested for this type of event. Some locations have even lobbied for it. The challenge comes with finding somewhere that can provide the necessary housing, basketball facilities and the ability to create the absolutely mandatory bubble.

While many locations might come close, only place can offer all of those things with relative ease: Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.
 
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Marciano490

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You seem to think that a mile is an insurmountable distance and there is barbed wire and check points along Desert Inn road. Nevertheless, the whole point of this exercise was to point out to those who think that Las Vegas is the obvious place to reopen the NBA that there are very real alternatives and there are very real reasons not to do this in Las Vegas. I still find it hilarious that people think that the thousands of people who live in Las Vegas (and are currently unemployed) who usually make a living off of exploiting and preying on (mostly) male gamblers are going to sit on their hands when someone drops 600 millionaires into their laps.

And no, it is not the same in Orlando. (But I have to say, in Las Vegas you have an insane mayor and a sane governor, in Orlando you have a sane mayor and an insane governor. I don’t know which situation is more dangerous.)
Do you think it’s harder for wealthy people to sin in cities other than Vegas?
 

Smokey Joe

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Do you think it’s harder for wealthy people to sin in cities other than Vegas?
Not at all. You’re looking at it wrong way around. The NBA finishing the season in Vegas under normal circumstances would be no big deal. There would be plenty of marks around, plenty of things to do and money to be made. Under current circumstances it would be like dropping chum in front of a school of bored and hungry sharks. The same would be true of Atlantic City and to a lesser extent (maybe) The Bahamas. Orlando is a different story. Not that you can’t find sin in Orlando, it’s just harder.
For example, if you are young and pretty, you like to sing and dance, and you like to party, you go to Vegas or LA and look for work. If you are young and pretty and like to sing and dance, and are an evangelical Christian you go to Orlando.
 

Marciano490

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Promoters/agents have/bring women and drugs to wherever the action is at. If they can get everything to Mykonos they can hook up Orlando.
 

Smokey Joe

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Promoters/agents have/bring women and drugs to wherever the action is at. If they can get everything to Mykonos they can hook up Orlando.
Very true, but they are also going to make sure they are Covid-19 free cause they have a stake in this. Really, the NBA (and I) are not worried about sin, They are worried about spreading the virus and looking really bad to the public and their sponsors. (and the health of their multi million dollar investments.)
The reason that they would avoid Vegas is that it is very difficult to insulate the players from the virus there and the best way to catch it is partying with the wrong people.
There is a very good case developing now against Orlando though. It is becoming pretty clear that Florida's announced Covid numbers are about as accurate as China's. I am getting an uneasy feeling that Florida may be the next New York and you don't want to drop your league into the middle of that.
 

Smokey Joe

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Game of Zones is awesome. On the list of apprenticeships, Kevin O'Connor is assigned to Bill Simmons as "Yes Man".
 
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Sam Ray Not

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So... with the draft pushed back till the fall, do guys like Cade Cunningham and Evan Mobley who turn 19 this summer suddenly become eligible?
 

InstaFace

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That was so good to watch. Dont usually like parodies, but that was great.
It's just a cut above. The writing is professional-quality now, even if the whole thing started out as a one-off joke. And now they have a paid team of animators and like a real studio, because of how popular the whole thing ended up being.

Go back and watch their old "seasons", it's amazing how many jokes and storylines they can cram into 5-minute episodes.
 

Kliq

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That was excellent; you need to pause the video at certain points to take in all the jokes. I’m a huge fan of The Champions; which is also extremely well done.
 

InstaFace

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yeah, "Metta World Travel" really got me, along with "Actual Player Heights" in the secret-book section. And Sports-Reference definitely needs a Memes section of every one of their sites.
 

SemperFidelisSox

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The scenarios Brian Windhorst and others are reporting on to resume the season just seem so...implausible and unrealistic. 1,500 players and employees, all living in isolation for four months, with testing readily available for all involved. No wonder the players, owners and medical experts are all balking at the idea of a return to basketball. A lot can change in a month, so maybe we’re in a different place on June 1st, but I’m starting to accept the real possibility the season is canceled.
 

lovegtm

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The scenarios Brian Windhorst and others are reporting on to resume the season just seem so...implausible and unrealistic. 1,500 players and employees, all living in isolation for four months, with testing readily available for all involved. No wonder the players, owners and medical experts are all balking at the idea of a return to basketball. A lot can change in a month, so maybe we’re in a different place on June 1st, but I’m starting to accept the real possibility the season is canceled.
Agree the plan has way too many moving parts.

Throwing everyone over to Iceland or Taiwan sounds realistic by comparison.
 

cardiacs

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I hope they keep the season opener in December (preferably have the opener on Christmas) for reasons stated previously in other threads.
 

JCizzle

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The scenarios Brian Windhorst and others are reporting on to resume the season just seem so...implausible and unrealistic. 1,500 players and employees, all living in isolation for four months, with testing readily available for all involved. No wonder the players, owners and medical experts are all balking at the idea of a return to basketball. A lot can change in a month, so maybe we’re in a different place on June 1st, but I’m starting to accept the real possibility the season is canceled.
I heard on a Ringer podcast that the NBA has contacted private testing manufacturers and it won’t be an issue for them to buy the required numbers. However, the question becomes how the public takes that rather than any holdup on the NBAs end.
 

ElUno20

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The scenarios Brian Windhorst and others are reporting on to resume the season just seem so...implausible and unrealistic. 1,500 players and employees, all living in isolation for four months, with testing readily available for all involved. No wonder the players, owners and medical experts are all balking at the idea of a return to basketball. A lot can change in a month, so maybe we’re in a different place on June 1st, but I’m starting to accept the real possibility the season is canceled.
Yeah and at this point it's just so far removed from the last time they played that it's another season. Just call it and spend this time to plan and ensure we have a 2020-2021 season.
 

ElUno20

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I heard on a Ringer podcast that the NBA has contacted private testing manufacturers and it won’t be an issue for them to buy the required numbers. However, the question becomes how the public takes that rather than any holdup on the NBAs end.
I know people will be pissed but they're a billion dollar corporation. They're always going to have access and preferential treatment. I mean Gobert got tested early March. If they're waiting for public testing to catch up, they'll be playing basketball next in November or December.
 

Red Averages

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If there are milllions of tests available (and there should be in a month), I suspect the public won’t care and badly wants sports to return that it won’t be a huge issue. Or maybe that’s just me. Clearly some will complain, but people always complain.

As always Adam Silver showing he gets it.
 

Smokey Joe

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Of course Lebron doesn’t want to cancel the season. He is trying to cement his legacy and he thinks the Lakers have a chance to win the championship. He is hearing the footsteps of Father Time behind him.
 

ElUno20

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It was mentioned upthread but if the goal is to play games, why not see if they could somewhere else? The premier league is looking around and Australia seems like a viable option.
 

Smokey Joe

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I
It was mentioned upthread but if the goal is to play games, why not see if they could somewhere else? The premier league is looking around and Australia seems like a viable option.
I think Australia and New Zealand are both still closed to non-citizens.
 

InstaFace

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Also, if you send a bunch of American former city kids to New Zealand for 4 months, a fraction of them might never come back.
 

Smokey Joe

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Hey. How bout they rent a cruise ship, put a bunch of basketball courts on it, and do a 2 month cruise. I bet they could get one cheap.
 
Is this thread a catch-all for anything basketball related at the moment? I'm generally frustrated about the lack of news about what the NBA, NFL, MLB, etc. are planning and how and when they think they *might* get started again...mainly because I'm desperate for any meaningful, present or future tense sports content, even of the "informed speculation" variety. So when I click on this thread I'm hoping for news relating to the restart, good or bad, not articles about the past. (Nothing personal, SRN!)