Woj: Some Players getting cold feet about playing in Orlando

[Johnny Bball]

NBC Sports https://www.nbcsports.com/philadelphia/nba-insider-tom-haberstroh/nba-faces-major-health-safety-obstacles-return

Key component of NBA restart plans as cases surge in surrounding area:

Disney support staff, as of now, will NOT be subject to NBA's bubble protocols with daily testing/quarantine. They are free to go in and out of campus, per a Disney union official.

Why even restart. It's going to be a gong show.

When should we resume? We probably wont have widespread vaccines until atleast the end of the 2020-21 season (traditional schedule). How many seasons are you ok with losing, how many seasons do you think great players are ok with losing?

End of the calendar year for a vaccine like everyone is guessing would seem right. Or find a way to lockdown support staff like pretty much everyone thought they would.

[Johnny Bball]

Not gonna lie, I am pretty far left myself and I am totally on board with what he means. I feel the same thing all the time too.

We do need changes.

IF he is genuine about this, he can't stop but has to stick to his word and try to help make change as a celebrity.

Nah man, Kyrie needs to get the players to shut the up and dribble. Too much protesting going on. Need basketball as a distraction.

Yeah, really need something so you can completely ignore reality, so you don’t have to face it.

[RyderMike]

Whenever Kyrie makes a statement I feel it loses its meaning tremendously because he tries so hard to be extremely articulate, that it comes across as being something else. Oftentimes, less is more. Just use simple, plain language. I get that he's trying to sound educated by forming his responses the way he does, but honestly its not necessary. Just speaking with proper grammar is enough to show educated thought, if that's what his intent is to show. No need for fancy phrases and big words. Especially when your audience is the entire country, which includes highly and lowly educated. By attempting to use fancy phrasing and words, you end up alienating the lower educated base who may not understand what you're saying (and that's when the phrasing is correctly used - when incorrectly used, you're not getting your point across to the remainder either). However, plain language with solid grammar servers a dual purpose - gets message across to everyone, while still demonstrating well thought out ideas.

[nikster]

This whole idea of the owners “scrapping the cba” because players are uneasy about playing in a bubble for 2 months where there IS NO REAL
PLAN going forward? Nobody knows what happens if a team gets hit with the virus... they just automatically get disqualified?

The optics of this aren’t great imo with the nba haphazardly rushing to not lose money , even if their league could take an even more colossal hit for a various of reasons.

I doubt a whole team would get it with daily testing. They came out with a study that asymptomatic people can't spread it. You can only spread it when showing symptoms.

By the way, next year and the year after, players will have the possibility of getting coronavirus.

The WHO did briefly claim that asymptomatic spread was 'rare' (not impossible), but they walked that statement back almost immediately. In any case the WHO has a poor record of Covid-19 predictions and seem to be influenced by optics/politics as much as science at this stage so I wouldn't bet my life, or my league, on their expertise at the moment.

I agree that playing under the specter of pandemic is inevitable unless the league wants to go on a 2-3yr hiatus, but I think it's also true that the league has handled this transition incredibly poorly.

The league is making drastic changes with input from only a handful of representatives when they actually need something close to 90% buy-in from their work force for this enterprise to be feasible at all. The league had to know that at least a few players were going to question the wisdom of the 'bubble' idea so they should have sought out the reasons why those players were concerned and spoken to their concerns directly. At minimum they should have held a vote where all the players got a say just to at least establish the veneer of popular will. Instead the owners voted, representatives from the NBAPA quickly rubber stamped that decision, and now some players feel like they're getting strong-armed into something they never chose.

The situation has been further complicated by new details like how Disney employees can move in and out of the 'bubble', a detail I'm sure many players did not expect. So if a player was shaky about the situation that's just making things worse, the league says 'oh, it's safe, there's a bubble' then you find out the bubble only applies to you not everyone you'll potentially come into contact with. The whole restart has been slapped together too fast, the push back was inevitable. It's up to the league to answer the concerns, if they ignore them it will get worse. They have to be receptive to the worries not only so they can restart in August but also so we can have basketball in 2021 and beyond.

It was an off the cuff remark by a WHO staff member who didnt realize the importance of differentiating between presymptomatic and asymptomatic. Its not like it was an official statement or press release from WHO. That said, it was incredibly stupid

[RyderMike]

Bunch of Einstein’s approving a hurricane hot-bed as the place to resume the season

Not sure why the NBA makes players go to Canada in the winter. We should just have summer league up there and nothing else.

Sent from my SM-G950U using RealGM mobile app

You realize Toronto isn't some frozen tundra. It's actually further south than Minnesota. Exact same weather as New York, Boston, Phiadelphia, Chicago, Detroit.

[Johnny Bball]

My father was a doctor who contracted coronavirus while treating patients with the disease, and died from its complications. I also live in the DMV area, which was hit hard by COVID and has seen its fair share of civil unrest related to George Floyd's murder. As a black man, I know all too well how today's trying times have impacted our community.

With that said, Kyrie's pain points don't make sense...



There's so much to unpack in that quote, and none of the talking points in that quote are related. It just doesn't make sense to me. I shouldn't need a third eye to make sense of what Kyrie is trying to accomplish here.

Sorry to hear that, man.

I agree with you re: that tweet with the Kyrie quote. While I do side with him about the risks of playing in the Orlando bubble, his arguments for it are really head-scratching. He's spouting some conspiracy theory nonsense. I guess his being an inarticulate pseudo-intellectual strikes again

I don't think it's a conspiracy theory that our president has pushed for pro sports to be back (regularly holding meetings with league commissioners), and he's invested in sports being back because of economy reasons, but also that it serves as a distraction in tough times. At least that's what my guess is (what Kyrie is alluding to).

Let’s face it. This level of social unrest isn’t happening without coronavirus and everyone’s patience being wafer thin. And with distractions. So it also isn’t happening to the same level with sports going on - pro and college sports. Nothing provides a better distraction and placates the masses, and suppresses revolt quite like pro sports seems to do (not saying that’s its prime or only function btw). And yeah, he very much knows that. And so does Kyrie. Like I said... I can see a really solid reason for Some not wanting to continue and leaving the focus right where it is.

That’s what I meant by the function of the collluseum.

[Rastas]

Ok Silver - time to present Plan C
Forget Hurricane/Covid /election war world and fly all the boys to the most isolated city in the world.
A city of over 2 million that has had sweet FA Covid-19 cases for the last 2 and a half months. (no need for a bubble)
A city with very nice basketball stadiums, plenty of luxury accommodation and even strip clubs for Harden.
A all guns are banned city , English speaking and great weather.
After flying in they will only be isolated 14 days then free to mingle with all the other covid free citizens.
Go ahead Silver do it - I want to see Kyrie's next excuse.
Bring the NBA to Perth Western Australia. (Adelaide 2nd choice)

[Ill News]

I truly do not understand the idea of sitting out because of "social justice." They can draw more attention to the cause if they're playing in the games than they would showing up to protests.

That’s what I was thinking, I guess they don’t want to draw attention away but, they have to play again eventually..? It’s tough to imagine the NBA returning is going to hurt the protest in a real one.

Maybe they can find a way to do it and draw attention in the process in a bigger way than before.

I think some players don't want to resume the season because they feel that playing would distract people from all the social unrest going on. Because let's face it, the NBA resuming would be a major distraction, and that's exactly what people like Trump want. Not caving in to that and straight up not playing is their way of protesting.

Some players have even expressed that basketball isn't even on their mind right now. If the season does resume, one of the things I'm worried about is the quality of the games--they'll undoubtedly be sloppy as some players might be rusty and mentally checked out, and some teams will surely be missing key players who chose to sat out. I don't think that's worth watching, but people are so starved for distractions right now that many will probably still tune in.

[RaptorsLife]

I truly believe this is kyrie and durant tryna prevent Lebron from getting his 4th ring

[Picasso]

“I demand the NBA to fix the worlds problems, or I’ll never play again” -Kyrie Irving, 2020

Can’t make this up.

Sadly, I've seen a person in a position of far power tweet much worse. In fact they will probably do it again today.

[Spanish_Laker]

These players should stick to their jobs instead of trying hard to become politicians.

[dautjazz]

Why even restart. It's going to be a gong show.

When should we resume? We probably wont have widespread vaccines until atleast the end of the 2020-21 season (traditional schedule). How many seasons are you ok with losing, how many seasons do you think great players are ok with losing?

End of the calendar year for a vaccine like everyone is guessing would seem right. Or find a way to lockdown support staff like pretty much everyone thought they would.

What do you mean like everyone is guessing? The estimates by experts at end of April was 12-18 months as the goal. The more advanced vaccine trials are in stage 2 still, and only a few have betted on themselves to actually start production on their vaccine. I am optimistic and really hoping these vaccines see the light, but it would be an incredible turnaround if they did as vaccines usually take several years.

[mtron929]

The players have every right to not play if they don't want to risk it in these circumstances but teams should have every right to not pay those players who don't want to play.

Although I don't really understand the skepticism of players? Going into the bubble at Disney World is probably the safest place in America.

It might be the case that they don't really trust that everyone would abide by being in the bubble. All it takes is a couple of players to come out of the bubble/get infected and bring back the coronavirus. Then, there is a strong chance that you will be infected during the game. I mean, you can trust yourself to properly quarantine, but can you trust 1000+ other people to do the same? And it is not like you can social distance during an NBA game.

[Klayforspicy]

These players should stick to their jobs instead of trying hard to become politicians.

Shut up and dribble, amirite.

[DaddyCool19]

Even Dr. Fauci called it a sound plan. If you don't want to play, fine. It's the same in germany. Some US players returned home in march and now the league is playing a 10 team tournament to finish the season in 1 city. There were a couple guys who stayed at home and the teams waived them.

[Hellcrooner]

people that think earth is flat shouldnt be allowed to talk in public.

[Roscoe Sheed]

I think the players voices about police reform and other topics would be more widely heard if they are playing- I’m sure Silver would support them in making protest gestures or speeches before or after games

[TheNewEra]

Kyrie, the attention whoring clown... It's the little guys that are affected for years if seasons are cancelled. All the associated jobs.
How risky is it for guys who are in peak physical shape with the best private medical care available to them. I'm far from that and I've started risking it about a month ago.
Pissed me off watching this ultra privileged douche trying to sabotage a season and make it all about himself..

I mean.. he's a (Please Use More Appropriate Word) flat-earther for GODSAKE!
I bet he has no idea about the basics of virology, statistics or anything to analyse the situation properly. On top of that, he isn't playing. Giant **** douche. FOH

Kyrie is worried about the social aspects

[The Duke]

Irving out of touch with reality, only 20 players make money. That's a slap in the face to 99% of AAs.

NBA out of touch with reality, if they think this will remotely work if the workers are not in the bubble.

Disney Union rightfully making it clear to the world, that nothing had been negotiated with them to keep X amount of workers in the bubble (and they will be paid for example 1.5x and get 15hours a day + all expenses paid, to stay in bubble for 3-4 months)

If some players don't want to play, they don't have to and the revenue will be spilt with less higher earning players (as replacements make the bare minimum). Basically each player who plays, effectively will get higher escro payment afterwards.

Are NBA players collectively going to wait years to play? Is social injustice truly going to disappear, if they sit at home? In 2 years, players will get the worse deal from a new CBA, if this one is torn up and NBPA could be disbanded for example.

[j-ragg]

Ignorant question:

didn't the NBAPA agree to the return last week? If there are concerns now that not everyone didn't know/didn't get a vote shouldn't they be upset at the leaders of the NBAPA (CP3, Michele Roberts I think, Kyrie)? Could be mixing up my timelines here.