The NBA is closing in on signing off on a second “bubble” in Chicago for the eight teams that were not invited to play in Florida at Walt Disney World.
However, most NBA coaches prefer holding their own mini-camp instead of competing in games that are meaningless.
Teams continue to push for an alternative plan that would enable them to hold mini-camps within their local markets, per Jackie MacMullan of ESPN:
Pistons coach Dwane Casey said he took an informal poll among the coaches who are not in Orlando, and he claims the majority of them prefer holding their own mini-camps.
“We’d rather do that than go to the bubble,” Casey said, “because unlike those teams in Orlando, we wouldn’t be playing for the same reason.
“The reason we want these mini-camps is to get our team together, to have that camaraderie, to improve and enjoy some competition. We feel we can do that safely in our own environment. We can’t let these guys sit around from March 11 to December without something. It’s going to hurt their careers. It’s too long of a layoff.”
The Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, Golden State Warriors, Minnesota Timberwolves and New York Knicks were the eight NBA teams not invited to Orlando for the league’s restart, which is taking place at the Walt Disney Campus in sunny Orlando, Florida.
One NBA GM told MacMullan that veteran guys such as Pistons forward Blake Griffin — who has an extensive injury history and is currently recovering from knee surgery — probably won’t partake in the games if this Chicago idea comes to fruition.
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