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'In the manner of a great AAU tournament', as 4-time NBA MVP LeBron James put it, the NBA has assembled 22 teams at one destination for basketball purposes. There were misgivings from several onlookers, and many believed that the NBA would fail in its experiment. But so far, commissioner Adam Silver has several reasons for optimism.
Adam Silver to attend NBA season restart
With daily rounds of testing being conducted, no NBA player or even coaching staff member has tested positive for 13 days straight now - since July 13th. The pre-restart scrimmages have started off on a bullish track, and Adam Silver will be on his way to Orlando to watch the Utah Jazz and New Orleans Pelicans tip off the season restart.
From my standpoint, it’s going very well, and I’m cautiously optimistic that we’re on the right track. But I also recognize what we’re doing has not been done before, and the competition is just beginning. The real test will come when players are commingling, playing basketball without masks and without physical distancing.”
This was what commissioner Adam Silver had to say when asked about proceedings thus far in the Disney World bubble.
The players did take some time to adjust to their new surroundings, and there were complaints about the quality of pre-packaged food during their quarantine. But with the jitter of the first few days shaken off and professionalism of the NBA taking over their training and practice regimen, a semblance of normal life has been restored to these players' lives.
Those NBA players residing in the Gran Destino tower of the Coronado Springs hotel have taken to frequenting its Rix Lounge - the lone open restaurant. Besides this, they also have the luxury of being able to fish or go golfing as they like.
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Adam Silver is generally viewed as the best commissioner in all of American sports. The NBA's success in preventing a coronavirus breakout thus far in Orlando has to at least partly be attributed to him.
The NBA is spending around an extra $180 million alongside ESPN on testing, lodging the players and on venues to ensure that the season reaches its end. Failure to do so would mean a financial hit of over $1 billion - a scenario neither Adam Silver nor any of the league's stakeholders could stomach.
