Jared Dudley Says He's '90 Percent' Confident The NBA Will Resume
Jared Dudley expressed strong optimism that the NBA will resume after being suspended since March 11 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Right now, 90 percent confident of returning," Dudley said on a conference call Wednesday. "The only reason why I wouldn’t say 100 percent is because you’re dealing with the unknown virus that can happen at any moment. They keep talking about the second wave or something unexpected."
The NBA began allowing four players at a time to use their practice facilities for individual workouts May 8. Dudley expects restrictions will be further loosened on June 1 or June 5.
"I don’t think you’re going to go from zero to 100," he said. "...I think they’ll give us seven-to-10 days of individual workouts. Then that next seven days practice. And then you’ll get your two-to-three week training camp before we head to Orlando and Vegas."
Dudley said if the NBA resumes, the league won't force players to stay in a bubble. That being said, if a player chooses to leave and gets sick, he's putting himself and his team in jeopardy.
"If you come back with corona, you can’t play," Dudley said. "We’re gonna be tested all the time...So like 'Bron [LeBron James], AD [Anthony Davis] and all the top guys we have, we’ll be wrapping them in a bubble and not letting them go anywhere."
Dudley acknowledged that he thinks it would be "somewhat selfish" of players to leave the bubble and take risks, adding that if a player tests positive for the virus, he could miss the entire playoffs while in quarantine.
"We gotta stay isolated," Dudley said. "It’s gonna be hard for two months, but it’s something we have to sacrifice."
But he knows there will be outliers.
"Every team got a [Dennis] Rodman, he just doesn’t have green and blue hair," Dudley said. "There’s always someone who’s outside the box, who does that, takes the risk and says, ‘Hey listen, man, I’m healthy and I feel good.’"
But Dudley said he's heard that that Walt Disney World in Orlando, which is being discussed as a possible site for games, could make it especially enticing for players to remain in the bubble.
"I’ve heard different stuff that Disney could put like restaurants that are open that are clean just for us," he said. "Golf courses, so you would have extra activities for players potentially to be able to use."
The Lakers opened their practice facility in El Segundo on May 16 and Dudley said working out now feels similar to going to the hospital. Dudley said after pulling up to the facility, players get their temperature taken and then are asked some basic questions, such as, "Have you been around anyone with COVID-19? Do you have any symptoms? And have you been coughing or sneezing?"
Dudley says that process takes about two minutes. Players then have to remove their shoes before entering the facility, and put on a mask before entering the training room.
"But once you get to the court, it might look funny with your assistant coach wearing a mask and gloves, but basketball takes over," Dudley said. "You’re not even thinking about it. I’m not thinking about the 12-foot distance, even though they are. It’s for me just to get my workout in."
Dudley said there are strict protocols in place off the court as well.
"In the weight room, I’m not wearing a mask, both coaches and strength coach are wearing a mask and gloves [and] they all have stuff under their shoes," he said. "There’s really attention to that. And then when you go into the training room, your mask has to be on. Then when the trainers are working on your body, they have to have gloves on."
Dudley said if play resumes, he's not sure if there will be a regular season.
"I’ve heard two or three different scenarios," he said. "I’ve heard one scenario that there would be five to seven regular season games to get them to the 70-game mark...That’s iffy on that. I’ve heard if it wouldn’t be everyone coming back, maybe a play-in game for that eighth spot, maybe up to 11th seed."
Dudley said if it were up to him, the league would skip the regular season.
"I think straight to playoffs is easier," he said. "We’re on a time, a little time constraint when it comes to finishing in September and preparing for the next season, getting the draft in. I just think going right to playoffs, getting some preseason games, maybe three to four in Orlando or Vegas and get right to it."
Dudley said teams' reserve players would become especially important if play resumes, especially considering there won't be fans. He joked that he wished DeMarcus Cousins, who was waived in February, was still on the team so he could bark from the sidelines.
He added that the fanless experience could potentially be even more intimate in some ways.
"You guys are probably gonna get more sound bites and be able to hear exactly the trash talking and what goes on and maybe even the conversations between refs and players," he said. "So it’s gonna be kind of a unique dynamic, one that might not be better than with fans, but something that you guys will be able to gain more information than you had before."
Dudley acknowledged that the hiatus will be a setback for the Lakers, who are atop the Western Conference with a record of 49-14 and whose superstar LeBron James is 35 years old and in his 17th season in the league.
"I ain’t going to lie to you, it hurts older teams," he said. "I think the teams that are in the age from 26 to 30, they benefit."
That being said, Dudley believes the Lakers have other advantages.
"I like our size," he said. "I like our chemistry. And I think chemistry is a huge factor because some of these teams that made trade deadline moves to try to win a championship, they haven’t seen each other as much. We talk on a consistent basis. We know what everyone is doing. And we’ve definitely prepared for this moment."
