NBA at ESPN/Disney looks like a "Go"

[bcla]

I wonder where the teams stay, when they play the Magic. If they want to stay close to WDW, I'm surprised they're not booking all the rooms at the Ritz first. Many college teams stay at hotels that are nicer than WDW Deluxe resorts. It's hard to imagine that the NBA would stay in a WDW value or moderate resort. I've seen several people suggest that they'll stay at CSR. If that's the case, CSR will probably have to make significant upgrades to the rooms & dining options.

Supposedly the most common hotel used in the Orlando area by visiting NBA teams is the Grand Bohemian.

https://www.cntraveler.com/hotels/united-states/orlando/grand-bohemian--orlando​

Any notable clients?​

Stay during basketball season and you may notice some rather tall guests here; the Grand Bohemian regularly hosts NBA teams in town to play the Orlando Magic.​

Of course this wouldn't be likely if there are all NBA teams in town at the same time. But it really doesn't matter to the NBA about staying at a specific site. If they stay on Disney property they would be bussed around. If they stay at a hotel in downtown Orlando, they would be bussed around. This is pretty much the lifestyle they have. When the Warriors were playing in Oakland, most visiting teams stayed in San Francisco. NBA teams playing against Brooklyn stay in Manhattan like they did when they played the Knicks.

 

[bcla]

I thought the "bubble" was the whole point. All teams sequestered within the resort/bubble.

The bubble requires bus transportation. It's not qualitatively different than bussing teams from a downtown hotel. I know it's not that close, but I'm pretty sure the players would prefer it.

 

[disneychrista]

The bubble requires bus transportation.

I was just under then impression that them playing at WDW was because they could be contained. Eat, Sleep, Work all in one location with limited exposure to outsiders. When this was first being talked about NOTHING at WDW would be open, so they'd have the entire resort to themselves.

For the same/similar situation to occur outside the "bubble" they would need to find a hotel that also has dinning and buy out the entire hotel. All teams and associates would be required to remain at the hotel unless they were at the sports complex.

 

[NotUrsula]

They care about the bubble this time, because they have already been hit by COVID-19 once, with a dozen players down with it. They do not want contagion in the player ranks again, so they do not want people not affiliated with the event coming and going where they can come into contact with the same surfaces as players. Every CM is going to have a temperature check at the beginning of each shift, if not being put up onsite for periods of time (they could easily get CM's to volunteer to do that, probably in 2-week shifts), and so will every team staff member. You cannot insist on that with unaffiliated guests staying at the same hotel; those people would have access to the public areas, and thus possibly bring infection into the facility.

Disney will do what it has to to make the players physically comfortable, but this is not business as usual, and they will probably have to live without some of the luxuries that they normally have access to when on the road. These guys are paid a LOT but most have contracts that allow the team to cut them loose pretty easily; the teams have leverage to win concessions from the players' union for a one-time event. Changing the dining options for training tables is easy; WDW definitely has access to plenty of chefs who can handle it, and convention hotels have expanded kitchen facilities.

As to the gyms, the building built for cheerleading can be set up as an additional 6 courts, for a total max of 12 in simultaneous use for games. if it came to that. Practices will probably be rotated around at all hours so as to keep them fairly far separated, but they should be able to set up enough temporary walls to allow at least 4 simultaneous private practice courts. The problem I see is the weight room; there is only one large one in the WWOS complex, and I imagine that each team will want a private one set up in the hotel area, which is why a convention hotel makes logistical sense. (For that matter, I'm pretty sure they can easily lay down a temporary court or two in the main convention hall; the ceilings are plenty tall enough.)

 

[bcla]

Disney will do what it has to to make the players physically comfortable, but this is not business as usual, and they will probably have to live without some of the luxuries that they normally have access to when on the road. These guys are paid a LOT but most have contracts that allow the team to cut them loose pretty easily; the teams have leverage to win concessions from the players' union for a one-time event. Changing the dining options for training tables is easy; WDW definitely has access to plenty of chefs who can handle it, and convention hotels have expanded kitchen facilities.

Cutting a player loose in the NBA is not easy. Their collective bargaining agreement requires that all multi-year contracts be guaranteed, although player options aren't unusual. Cutting a player loose in the middle of a season would be difficult - especially since they still get the salary cap hit. There are short term contracts to fill rosters when there are injuries, but there are limits on 10-day contracts.

The NFL is the only big league that has lots of non-guaranteed contracts. And even then their contracts become guaranteed for the season past a certain date. The occasional player gets a guaranteed contract, a big signing bonus, or guaranteed money even if cut.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

Cutting a player loose in the NBA is not easy. Their collective bargaining agreement requires that all multi-year contracts be guaranteed, although player options aren't unusual. Cutting a player loose in the middle of a season would be difficult - especially since they still get the salary cap hit. There are short term contracts to fill rosters when there are injuries, but there are limits on 10-day contracts.

The NFL is the only big league that has lots of non-guaranteed contracts. And even then their contracts become guaranteed for the season past a certain date. The occasional player gets a guaranteed contract, a big signing bonus, or guaranteed money even if cut.

I agree. There are very few players on NBA teams that can be cut loose easily. Sure, some have short term contracts, but the large majority don't.

 

[NotUrsula]

I'll certainly admit being more knowledgeable about hotel contracts than NBA contracts, but while NBA players do have a lot more protections than most pro athletes, and are customarily disciplined via fines (including some really hefty fines that the average non-superstar would find painful to pay), my understanding is that teams do usually retain the option to trade athletes (though not always immediately.) I would think that the prospect of that would be somewhat daunting from a player POV.

We all know that the star players can get away with just about any demand, but they are a small minority in the league at large. The majority of players know that a certain amount of compliance with the business objectives of the team & of the NBA is going to be required if they want their careers to continue to prosper for as long as possible.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

I'll certainly admit being more knowledgeable about hotel contracts than NBA contracts, but while NBA players do have a lot more protections than most pro athletes, and are customarily disciplined via fines (including some really hefty fines that the average non-superstar would find painful to pay), my understanding is that teams do usually retain the option to trade athletes (though not always immediately.) I would think that the prospect of that would be somewhat daunting from a player POV.

We all know that the star players can get away with just about any demand, but they are a small minority in the league at large. The majority of players know that a certain amount of compliance with the business objectives of the team & of the NBA is going to be required if they want their careers to continue to prosper for as long as possible.

That's not how the NBA works. Being traded & being let loose is two very different things. Yes, there are players with limited contracts that can be released, but the vast majority of them have guaranteed, multi-year contracts. When they're traded, their contract is secured. They also have a very strong player's union supporting them.

 

[bcla]

That's not how the NBA works. Being traded & being let loose is two very different things. Yes, there are players with limited contracts that can be released, but the vast majority of them have guaranteed, multi-year contracts. When they're traded, their contract is secured. They also have a very strong player's union supporting them.

Yeah. It's pretty tough for a team to try and get out of a multi-year contract. I have heard of some players signing 1+1 contracts where the first year was fully guaranteed and the second year was a player option. I believe that's what LeBron James did every year in his second stint with the Cavs. Kevin Durant did that 3 straight years with the Warriors.

However, a lot of multiyear contracts in the NFL are jokes since they're not guaranteed.

 

[bcla]

I'll certainly admit being more knowledgeable about hotel contracts than NBA contracts, but while NBA players do have a lot more protections than most pro athletes, and are customarily disciplined via fines (including some really hefty fines that the average non-superstar would find painful to pay), my understanding is that teams do usually retain the option to trade athletes (though not always immediately.) I would think that the prospect of that would be somewhat daunting from a player POV.

We all know that the star players can get away with just about any demand, but they are a small minority in the league at large. The majority of players know that a certain amount of compliance with the business objectives of the team & of the NBA is going to be required if they want their careers to continue to prosper for as long as possible.

You'd be surprised how difficult it is to pull off a trade in the NBA - especially a mid-year one. The biggest problem is balancing the salary cap. They have little wiggle room if a team is above the cap, although "Bird rights" (to go above the cap) transfer with a player when traded. Bird rights (named after Larry Bird) are based on the tenure with one team as well as combined tenure when a player is traded. However, true free agents have their Bird rights starting point reset.

When Kevin Durant was a free agent, he was about to sign a true free agent contract until the Warriors arranged for a sign and trade. That allowed the Brooklyn Nets to have full Bird rights on him, allowed them to trade a player no longer in their plans, and gave the Warriors a player to work with. The other thing about that trade was that according to the CBA the Warriors weren't allowed to trade him until sometime in December. They actually did trade him midseason, but that was carefully arranged with another set of players with about the same combined salaries. A lot of times teams will throw in a lower salaried player. It may also help if one of the teams has available cap space to take on a higher salaried player.

But there are are people who specialize in analyzing the salary cap and various free agent/trade implications.