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NBA hoping for return in late July at Walt Disney World

By Net Income

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The entrance to Disney World is deserted on the first day of... Photo by Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

It’s official: the NBA wants to return to play in late July and has begun “exploratory talks” with the Walt Disney Company to use the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando as a “bubble” for games, practices and housing.

Mike Bass, the NBA spokesman, released this statement Saturday afternoon...

A mid-to-late July start state —Marc Stein said July 17 — would mean training camp would begin around the third week of June. Some 22 teams already working out players at their training facilities, but the Nets are not among them because of local stay-at-home orders. The Nets, Knicks, Celtics and Raptors have all appealed to the league to let them send players to the bubble early.

There are obvious hurdles still to go, including whether the league will return to the regular season or jump straight to the playoffs. Shams Charania reported Friday that the league is still trying to figure that out, even resorting to a poll of basketball executives...

The NBA has sent a survey to its 30 general managers regarding competition formats for the resumption of the 2019-20 season, sources told The Athletic. This continues the NBA’s process of gathering information and input from its organizations prior to a restart amid the coronavirus pandemic.

GMs received the survey late Friday night, which included polling on whether the NBA should do a play-in tournament, the preferred number of teams to enter the playing site and the preferred number of scrimmages or regular-season games prior to the playoffs.

The feeling is that GMs across the NBA believe that this survey allows them to have input, but also believe the league’s ultimate decision-making power remains in the hands of commissioner Adam Silver and the Board of Governors, as well as the players. Further clarity is expected to come during the upcoming week.

The Board of Governors meets again Friday and will reportedly make final decisions, but Saturday’s announcement indicates the league has a timeframe and a venue in mind.

The players union will have to sign off as well and Spencer Dinwiddie, raised one of the issues the league and the union will have to navigate if the league returns and goes straight to the playoffs, Marc Stein reports.

Dinwiddie is active in the NBPA but is not the team rep for the Nets. Two Nets are on the union board, Kyrie Irving and Garrett Temple, both vice-presidents.

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