Lakers center JaVale McGee unhappy with NBA bubble environment plans

The NBA board, team owners, and players union have agreed to resume the 2019-20 season on July 31 in a quarantined bubble location in Disney World, Florida. But not all players who will continue the season are happy with the scenario. Lakers center JaVale McGee is not satisfied with the restrictions and quarantine protocols.

According to Lakers forward Jared Dudley, McGee was "under the impression" that players can come and go from the bubble as they pleased. This is news he received as the Lakers representative in the Players Union.

However, NBA memos, rumours, and leaks paint a different picture. It would appear that players will not be allowed to leave the bubble for the duration of their team's campaign. The league would also restrict family members from visiting the players until after passing stringent protocols and an isolation quarantine.

According to Silver Screen and Roll, McGee is not happy about all the restrictions in the bubble. He claims that "We're grown men," and his reaction reminded everyone about how NBPA Executive Director Michelle Roberts described the bubble environment as a "prison."

The "prison" comment came out in the first week of May, when the NBA started to consider the bubble environment as a serious alternative to resuming the season. It might include armed guards to keep people from going out and other people from coming in. It is assumed that a security detail will be included in the bubble to enforce quarantine rules and to protect everyone's safety.

There is another issue of age restrictions in the bubble, which would deny a large number of coaches from joining their teams in the resumption of the season. The NBA believes that if they are not extremely vigilant, the bubble could fail and create a coronavirus cluster. Erring on the side of caution, the NBA is looking into preventing high-risk individuals such as people in "advanced" age from going to Disney World. Commissioner Silver did not specify a particular number, but did say that the possibility of them being excluded "in order to protect them," is a matter under discussion.