NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - MARCH 01: Head coach Alvin Gentry of the New Orleans Pelicans reacts ... [+]
It is official. The NBA Board of Governors approved a plan to resume the season that will involve the New Orleans Pelicans and star rookie Zion Williamson. The league will partner with the Disney
As one source explained the Pelicans position with the NBA, “How do you leave the most marquee player in Zion, he is the future of the NBA, how do you leave him out?” Not to mention the differences in strength of schedules, this bubble plan is an opening to experiment and increase the visibility of the league’s stars on fringe playoff teams. Still, the New Orleans Pelicans have more obstacles in their way now than they did before the Covid-19 pandemic paused the season. In fact, the Memphis Grizzlies should be thanking Adam Silver, not cursing the Orlando format.
Challenge 1: Format and Schedule
The easiest part of the schedule was in front of the New Orleans Pelicans but now those games are lost. Thanks to the format the Pelicans’ strength of schedule advantage is all but gone. There will be 13 Western Conference and 9 Eastern Conference teams in Orlando. The conference format will be kept in place for the NBA Playoffs. While some fans may accuse of the league of doing New Orleans a Zion-sized favor, the league’s plan to resume the season gives Memphis an advantage for any play-in scenario.
The Pelicans rumored eight-game schedule has them facing the Sacramento Kings and Memphis Grizzlies twice each, along with single games against the San Antonio Spurs, L.A. Clippers, Utah Jazz, and either the Orlando Magic or Washington Wizards. Those games against the Atlanta Hawks and New York Knicks were replaced with tougher opponents.
Challenge 2: Play-in Pressure
The ninth seed will have to beat the eighth seed twice to advance, while one loss sends the lower seed home. As long as Memphis can win a couple of regular-season seeding games, they will have a better than 50% chance to advance to the playoffs. That was not the case before the Covid-19 pandemic brought a halt to the season.
New Orleans beat Memphis twice in January but the playing environment has changed dramatically since then, same as the team’s on-court fitness and form. The second game was an especially impressive blowout, with the Pelicans winning 139-111 at home. Counting the ‘seeding games’ and a possibly play-in scenario, New Orleans may have to beat Memphis four more times just for the opportunity to play the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the NBA Playoffs.
The Pelicans margin for error in beating Memphis in the standings just got a lot slimmer, with the Grizzlies gaining a bit more of the upper hand. If that pressure gets to the Pelicans during the first two games, New Orleans will still have a small chance to rebound and win the ninth seed. New Orleans would be playing for their season in the third game. The fourth game would be a win-or-go-home situation.
David Griffin said he wanted to build a sustainable championship culture. There is no better way to judge a team’s development and maturation than watching them play under pressure. However, these are unique circumstances in Orlando. If the team failed to advance, would that pressure linger in the locker room until next season? Would that pressure push the front office into a few roster changes this offseason?
Challenge 3: Rules Titled Against Lower Seeds
The road to a play-in scenario will be more difficult should the NBA institute special rules for the ‘home’ team, like extra possessions or fouls. The Pelicans are 3.5 games behind the Grizzlies in the standings and will need to be within four games to qualify for a playoff play-in tournament opportunity. As things stand, New Orleans are tied in the standings with Sacramento and Portland.
New Orleans would be giving up possessions, giving up advantages, in every game of every series. If the NBA really wants to avoid an asterisk on the eventual champion, these gimmicks should be avoided. However, it seems more ideas are being thrown against the wall instead of truly creating a blank slate for the actual games and competition. Every one that sticks on the walls, is an obstacle to the Pelicans’ chances of advancing.
Challenge 4: Travel, Testing and Practice Logistics
The road to Orlando begins with training camp, which will open on June 30. Most of the team is already in New Orleans. The team will travel to Orlando on July 7-8. After a few exhibitions/scrimmages, the 2019-20 season will officially resume on July 31.
Regarding safety and entertainment in the Orlando campus environment, players and coaches will be allowed to enjoy some Disney attractions provided they also maintain proper social distance from each other. Extensive daily testing procedures will be in place, and those procedures will face an immediate stress test of sorts. Many NBA players, including Jaxson Hayes, have recently taken part in protests alongside thousands. Some players will be returning to their NBA jobs after months overseas.
According to the Pelicans’ press release following the NBA Board of Governor’s vote, the league and the Players’ Association (NBPA) are working with “infectious disease specialists, public health experts and government officials to establish a rigorous program to prevent and mitigate the risk related to COVID-19, including a regular testing protocol and stringent safety practices.”
That sounds like a disruption to a gameday routine, especially when there will be several games per week.
Challenge 5: Alvin Gentry At A Disadvantage
The first bit of friction in the league after the vote to approve the Orlando campus bid came not from the players, but the more experienced coaches in the league. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver floated the idea of possibly having certain coaches wear a mask, or sit further from the action than the rest of the team instead of on the bench.
Gentry told ESPN he would understand any mask-wearing protocol that included every coach but did not believe that only the coaches over 65 years of age should be required to wear protective equipment or avoid the bench. Lead defensive coach Jeff Bzdelik (67) would also fall under these rules, leaving Chris Finch to lead the squad from the sidelines.
Gentry explained his position saying, “That doesn't make sense. How can I coach that way? Is everybody under 60 in great health?...Unless we're going to line all the coaches up and give them physicals to determine all the underlying conditions, how are we going to determine who is at a high risk?...At the end of the day, they're the league. They're going to make the choice...I think it's unfair if that's what they're doing. To base something strictly on age when there's nothing out there that says I'm more susceptible to catching it than anybody else. I understand the risk that I'm taking if I do get it. But hell, I want to be with my team and do my job. That's what they hired me for."
There will be many more on-court challenges to come but the team is just happy to have the chance to compete. A traditional format would have robbed the team of a season, not just the easiest part of the schedule.
