Detroit Pistons: How essential is a second bubble in Chicago?

How important would a secondary bubble in Chicago be for the Detroit Pistons and other non-playoff teams?

In a story filed by Jackie MacMullan from ESPN, the NBA has laid down tentative framework that would allow the Detroit Pistons and the other seven teams who weren’t invited to Orlando to participate in a second bubble located in Chicago.

Not many details are currently available other than the fact that they’re aiming for this to become a reality. Scrimmages/exhibition games would likely be played, and it would be structed similarly to the Orlando campus.

Daily tests screening for COVID-19 would be included, and the same level of security would likely be upheld.

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One of the initial thoughts among the fan base was that maybe this would be a way for the main lottery teams to better solidify their odds to land the top pick. For a team like Detroit, that could go a long way.

However, it was noted that these teams are requesting a 1-2 week delay behind the Orlando bubble, in order to see how it goes. Because of this, these eight teams wouldn’t be expected to play until September.

The Draft Lottery is currently scheduled for August 25th. So that wouldn’t be the case.

Speaking as someone who lives in Chicago, this is certainly an interesting idea. As things are beginning to open back up, it’s gotten off to a shaky start. (This has more or less been the case all over the country though)

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The players on each of these teams cannot go from March to December without playing organized basketball. They need to be in their team settings. However, it may be wiser to do it individually with each franchise, instead of adding more risk.

If the NBA follows through with their secondary bubble in Chicago, players like Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Kevin Love, and Zach LaVine (just to name a few) have no reason to play. In all likelihood, they wouldn’t.

So in a sense, it’s great that the younger players of each of these teams would get more run. Sekou Doumbouya would be able to ease back against some weaker competition, and even Jordan Bone and Louis King would likely get to see the floor.

However, throwing all these teams into the mix just for the sake of doing it may not be wise. If anything, teams could travel locally to hold mini-camps with other teams. The Pistons could easily travel to Cleveland or Chicago for this sort of thing.

Here’s what Dwane Casey had to say on the matter:

"“We’d rather do that than go to the bubble,” Casey said, “because unlike those teams in Orlando, we wouldn’t be playing for the same reason.“The reason we want these mini-camps is to get our team together, to have that camaraderie, to improve and enjoy some competition. We feel we can do that safely in our own environment."

He’s right. If we’re assuming that draft positioning is out of the question, then what exactly is the incentive for these teams to participate? It’d be safe to trust that whatever they’d get out of these scrimmages would be about as good as they’d get from a mini-camp.

On the plus side, it would give new General Manager Troy Weaver a first look at the team he’s inherited.

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