The harsh reality of this ready-or-not NBA season is buried deep within the league’s 139-page “Health and Safety Protocols” memo, jammed among the jargon about face masks, social distancing, regular testing and the like.
Just skip ahead to Page 118 if you want to truly understand how challenging the league’s maiden voyage outside of a bubble will be.
Advertisement
“It is likely that some staff, players, and other participants in the 2020-21 season nonetheless will test positive or contract COVID-19, particularly as the virus remains prevalent in particular team markets and surrounding communities,” it reads. “The occurrence of independent cases (i.e., cases not spread among players or team staff) or a small or otherwise expected number of COVID-19 cases will not require a decision to suspend or cancel the 2020-21 season.”
Translation: Hold on for a bumpy ride, basketball fans.
The document is nothing if not thorough, much like the one that came before it when the league was preparing to pull off the Orlando bubble that was such a smashing success. But this time, of course, they’re venturing back out into the real world again — this COVID-19-filled landscape where the NFL, NHL, MLB, NCAA and so many other sporting entities have struggled to stay safe and, in the end, stay in season.
Training camp starts as early as Dec. 1, with opening night Dec. 22 and 72 in-market games planned for all 30 teams. As the memo states, the protocols were “based on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”); review with medical experts advising the NBA and NBPA (National Basketball Players Association), respectively; consideration of health and safety measures enacted by the NBA and NBPA during the course of the 2019-20 Season Restart in Orlando and in-market camps for teams that did not play in the Season Restart; similar protocols enacted by other sports leagues, teams, and event operators; and input from infectious disease and other health and medical experts advising the NBA and NBPA, NBA players and teams, and public health officials.”
Here are some of the more interesting highlights from the memo that was obtained by The Athletic, with memo excerpts in italics for the sake of clarity …
What if a player tests positive?
By the time the games begin, players, coaches and staff members alike will have self-quarantined, tested regularly and been subject to the restrictive rules regarding movement that are set forth by the NBA. But positive tests will come — and likely quickly.
Advertisement
Remember, many players have been out of market in recent months, and the restart of regular testing is sure to reveal infected players who will be subject to this protocol immediately. What’s more, the household members who are also being asked to self-quarantine are — for obvious reasons — much tougher to monitor.
Players, coaches and staff members are organized into tiers (1 and 2) that determine which rules and regulations apply to them. In the case of a positive or inconclusive test of a player, the following must occur for them to return to the court, per the memo.
“At least 12 days have passed from the later of (i) the individual’s first positive PCR test result or (ii) the resolution of symptoms (if any):
• The individual is asymptomatic and there are no clinical concerns regarding a possible risk of infection;
• A team-designated physician has cleared the individual to participate; and
• The physician has reviewed the case with a league-designated physician, who does not object to the team-designated physician’s determination that the individual may participate.
But what if the player merely was around someone in his household who wasn’t feeling well?
“Any Tier 1 or Tier 2 Individual whose household member or close personal contact experiences such symptoms (and the Tier 1 or Tier 2 Individual interacted with such person in the three days prior to the person’s symptom onset) may not enter a team facility, participate in team-organized workouts or activities, or interact with Tier 1 or Tier 2 Individuals until a medical and risk exposure review can be performed by a team-designated physician and that physician clears the Tier 1 or Tier 2 Individual (with written notice to a league-designated physician, who may direct a different course in his or her medical opinion). Such risk exposure review is expected to be informed by, among other things, whether the Tier 1 or Tier 2’s Individual’s household members or close personal contacts are regularly undergoing (or recently underwent) diagnostic testing.”
Advertisement
Along these same lines, consider this much: “By the end of Phase 2 (Dec. 5), teams must make available at least an initial PCR (COVID-19) test for all household members of Tier 1 and Tier 2 Individuals (including minors). Any such household member who will undergo testing must be registered prior to testing.”
(A diagram from the NBA’s Health and Safety protocols manual, obtained by The Athletic.)
(A diagram from the NBA’s Health and Safety protocols manual, obtained by The Athletic.)
How will they handle travel?
It was one thing when you had all 22 teams inside the Orlando bubble. By the time that grand experiment began, it was a (mostly) controlled environment.
The league is using the same expert-advised caution in determining how team facilities and arenas are handled now, as well as mandating private flights and ground transportation for traveling parties that cannot exceed 45 people. But there’s a new element that presents a daunting challenge when it comes to minimizing infections: hotels on the road.
Beyond all the specifics shared below, the inclusion of this component underscores the fact it will be really hard to avoid some serious spread among the league’s players and staff. What do you do when a non-NBA person follows you onto the hotel elevator where so much oxygen is shared in that small space, or when a player grows tired of all the restrictions and wanders down the street for a bite to eat? Can players use the hotel gym or the gift shop? They did their best to address those sorts of issues, but this is an extremely tall task.
“Members of the Traveling Party may not utilize the fitness center, pool, sauna, spa, gift shop, or other shared hotel amenities during their stay at the hotel. As a limited exception, members of the Traveling Party may use the hotel’s fitness center or pool if the team (in coordination with the hotel): 1. Privatizes the fitness center or pool immediately preceding and during the team’s stay, such that it is not used by or accessible to any other guests for at least 12 hours prior to the team’s use, during which time the facilities are cleaned and disinfected in accordance with these Protocols and left unoccupied for at least one hour; 2. Ensures that any players or staff utilizing the fitness center maintain sufficient physical distance (i.e., 12 feet) when engaged in Extended Distance Activities (Section E.6.a.1.); 3. Prevents overlapping use by Tier 1 and Tier 2 Individuals; 4. Ensures that a player who utilizes the fitness center will not need to access any area of the hotel accessible to other guests; and 5. Requires the use of a facemask at all times by anyone using a hotel fitness center. The sauna, spa, gift shop, or other shared hotel amenities remain off-limits.”
Advertisement
How will they enforce these rules?
As The Athletic’s Shams Charania tweeted earlier Saturday, the anonymous reporting hotline is back. The league didn’t detail what sort of discipline might come from not following the rules, but a system is in place to alert league officials if and when a breach of etiquette occurs.
“Teams are required to report immediately to the league office any information regarding any potential or actual violation of these Protocols by a player or team staff member. Teams are also required to report immediately to the league office any discipline imposed by the team upon a player or staff member for a violation of these Protocols. … All players and team staff are strongly encouraged to report any potential or actual violation of these Protocols by any individual to the league office or may report anonymously through an established NBA hotline. Players may also report any potential or actual violation to their team and/or to the NBPA.”
But what about the age-old fear of retribution? The memo addresses that possibility as well.
“Retaliation: It is prohibited to retaliate, or threaten to retaliate, against any individual who, in good faith, reports a potential violation of the Protocols or who honestly participates in an investigation of such a report. It does not matter whether the investigation establishes that a violation of the Protocols occurred, as long as the report of the violation or participation in the investigation is in good faith. Such retaliation includes, but is not limited to, threats, intimidation, harassment, and any adverse employment or other action, whether express or implied. Anyone who retaliates, or threatens to retaliate, against an individual who reports, or participates in an investigation into, an alleged violation of the Protocols will be subject to independent disciplinary action. As with any complaint brought in bad faith, any individual — including players, coaches, general managers, or other team staff — who reports a violation of the Protocols knowing such claim is malicious, false, or fundamentally frivolous, shall be subject to disciplinary action.”
What about the basketball part?
Oh, yeah, that. You almost forget about the sport itself as you sift through the massive document, but they saved the best for last when it comes to the basketball basics here. On Page 134, there’s a breakout box that details the rules regarding “initial workout activities” for each of the five phases of this plan.
• In Phase 1 (Nov. 24-30), only two players and staff members are allowed in the team facility for court work and weight room work. The number increases to four for Phase 2 (Dec. 1-Dec. 5), and there is “no maximum” beginning on Dec. 6. At that time, no more than 50 people from Tier 1 and Tier 2 are allowed in the facility.
Let the season begin — and end — safely. Or so they hope.
(Photo: Nathaniel S. Butler / NBAE via Getty Images)