We may not have seen the last of the Knicks, or the other seven teams not included in the 22-team NBA restart in Orlando.
As the league’s contenders and pretenders will be at Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports in mid-July for training camp followed by the resumption of the postponed season on July 31, the have-nots may have more than an October NBA Draft and free agency to prepare for.
Several teams, hoping to avoid months of inactivity that could be detrimental to the development of their young players and their brand in general, are seeking to stay active with a number of ideas, according to ESPN.
Those ideas include July training camps, joint practices, shortened summer leagues determined by region in August and organized team activities in September like the NFL typically has in its offseason. Another suggestion was allowing the teams not part of the restart in Orlando beginning training camp up to 10 days earlier for the 2020-21 season. These teams have opened up their practice facilities for voluntary, socially-distanced workouts, like the rest of the league.
“Nine months is too long without organized basketball,” Hawks owner Tony Ressler told ESPN. “We just can’t risk that. I think the league has heard that loud and clear. We are pushing to remain competitive. That’s what our players want. We were desperate to have something that helps us to stay competitive.”
For any of the aforementioned things to take place, the NBA and Players Association would have to negotiate the terms, since they are not in the current collective bargaining agreement. The two sides already have to agree on several financial and competitive issues relating to the restart, though ESPN reported that the league has told the eight teams they plan to make their offseason requests a priority.
The teams not in Orlando are the Hawks, Hornets, Bulls, Cavaliers, Pistons, Timberwolves and Knicks.
It’s uncertain if the Knicks are one of the teams pushing for these new concepts. New president Leon Rose is in the process of looking for a new coach — interim coach Mike Miller is expected to get an interview, but is considered a long shot to land the job full-time — and his roster will have plenty of turnover, with up to eight free agents.
A truncated summer league or training camp of some sort would give the new Knicks coach, whoever it is, a head-start at getting to know his roster, in particular young players RJ Barrett, Kevin Knox, Mitchell Robinson and Frank Ntilikina in advance of whoever Rose adds in the draft and free agency.
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June 07, 2020 at 11:08AM
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NBA teams left out of Orlando looking to stay active amid hiatus - New York Post
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