The NBA announced that hotels for the Disney re-start will be determined by seeding, which means the New Orleans Pelicans will be sleeping with the enemy.
The New Orleans Pelicans are about to find out what it is like to sleep with the enemy, or at least in the same hotel.
According to Shams Charania, the NBA has decided that Disney hotel assignments will be based on seeding for the 22-team re-start:
Sources: NBA teams Disney hotels based on seeding:
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 16, 2020
-Grand Destino: Bucks, Lakers, Raptors, Clippers, Celtics, Nuggets, Jazz, Heat
-Grand Floridian: Thunder, 76ers, Rockets, Pacers, Mavericks, Nets, Grizzlies, Magic
-Yacht Club: Blazers, Kings, Pelicans, Spurs, Suns, Wizards
This means the New Orleans Pelicans will be sharing living space with most of the teams they are battling for the final playoff spot in the West, including the Trail Blazers, Kings, and Suns.
The Memphis Grizzlies made it into the next tier of teams that will stay at the Grand Floridian, which includes the Thunder, 76ers, Rockets, Pacers, Mavs and Nets.
This could create an interesting dynamic, as teams will potentially face each other on the court, then end up running it back on the ping-pong table.
Reports indicate that the teams will have access to all sorts of entertainment, including pools, video games and ping-pong tables, which could lead to some interesting pre and post game encounters.
The NBA also released a memo stating that players were asked to “not play doubles” in ping-pong in order to observe social distancing guidelines. This seems silly considering they’ll be battling on the court, sweating and breathing all over each other and essentially creating a petri dish for COVID-19.
The New Orleans Pelicans are likely the favorite of the Yacht Club crew, though the Trail Blazers could be a sleeper, as they are finally healthy and have an accomplished superstar in Damian Lillard.
The 2020 NBA season is the strangest on record and it’s about to get even stranger, as players are quarantined at Disney, living with opponents, competing against them by day and potentially watching movies together at night.
Hopefully the New Orleans Pelicans can catch the Grizzlies and claim the 8th seed, but if not, at least Zion Williamson might win the ping-pong tournament.