Now that the final details are being put in place for the scope and schedule of the NBA’s season in Orlando this summer, some of the finer points are being nailed down as well.
According to Keith Smith of Yahoo! Sports, who has been on top of the Walt Disney World story from the start, Disney has enough professional-level courts available at the Wide World of Sports complex where the season will be played, but is leaving it up to teams to transport their home courts if they want.
On the flip side, the idea of transporting a home floor is on the table. Disney is prepared to provide all the courts necessary at ESPN Wide World of Sports, but will welcome teams shipping their welcome their own floors if that's the direction that this goes.
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) June 3, 2020
Admittedly, if one team does this, they sort of all would need to follow suit. If there are eight games in one night and two of them have Mickey Mouse at center court and the other six have NBA logos, it’s going to seem a bit silly.
However, the NBA has been highly focused on the legitimacy of this season, wanting to keep intact the traditional playoff structure and not condensing things too much. They’re giving teams a long runway for training camps and practices to avoid major injuries. They tried to wait as long as possible to not absorb needed testing supplies as America continues to fight against its pandemic.
Home courts may seem like a trivial thing, but if branding and team pride are the reasons to try something like this, a sense of home for teams is a nice touch.
