Damian Lillard not confident in players 'following all the rules' of NBA bubble
Damian Lillard’s moved past threatening to sit out the NBA’s reboot.
He’s planning to be at Disney World. He’s just not confident about the behavior of his fellow NBA players once they get there.
The Portland Trail Blazers guard told reporters on a video conference call Wednesday that he has his doubts about players adhering to NBA COVID-19 guidelines once inside the bubble.
“My confidence ain't great," Lillard said, per ESPN’s Royce Young. “My confidence ain't great because you're telling me you're gonna have 22 teams full of players following all the rules? When we have 100 percent freedom, everybody don't follow all the rules.
“I don't have much confidence. But hopefully it'll be handled to a point where we're not putting everybody at risk or in a dangerous position.”
Bubble league under scrutiny amid outbreak
The NBA’s bubble league has undergone increased scrutiny in recent days as COVID-19 cases have spiked in Florida, with skepticism over whether the NBA can actually resume the season safely at Disney World.
Commissioner Adam Silver reiterated his confidence in the NBA bubble on Tuesday, saying in a Time 100 talk that it was designed precisely to protect those inside from these kinds outside factors.
“Our model was designed to protect us and our players from cases outside the community,” Silver said, per the New York Times’ Sopan Deb. “Maybe at the time we designed it, we didn’t think it would be as necessary as it is now.”
The idea is that players and staff in the bubble will be safer there than they would be in their every day lives. Lillard bought into that thinking and did express confidence in the bubble’s ability to protect players from what’s happening in Florida.
But like most everybody else, he doesn’t see the bubble as a cure-all for coronavirus risk.
“The fact that we're going to be in a bubble, it kind of knocks it down and limits the chance of us being exposed to everybody else outside the bubble in Orlando," Lillard said. "I think it is a safer situation.
“But I don't think it's possible for them to protect us 100 percent. I think everybody's going there understanding that.”
Dame’s ‘gonna be chilling’ during downtime
Players will be presented with a bevy of entertainment options while at Disney World. They’re expected to have access to movie screenings, video games, golf, pools, hiking, DJ sets, bowling and fishing. They may even end up with access to Disney attractions.
Lillard says he’s passing on all of it. He plans to hole up in his room with video games and recording equipment when he’s not practicing, working out or playing.
“I'm gonna be chilling,” Lillard said. “I feel like there's still a possibility for something to spread within that bubble, just with so many people doing so many different things that we've got to follow to be safe, even though we're not exposed to the public.
“I'm gonna have my PS3, my PS4, I'm gonna have my studio equipment, my mic, my laptop, I'm gonna have all my books. That's it, man. I'm gonna be in the room, chilling.”
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