NBA, NBPA reached agreement on in-market workouts, which is nice for Cavs

Cleveland Cavaliers guards Collin Sexton (left) and Darius Garland high-five. (Photo by Bart Young/NBAE via Getty Images)
Cleveland Cavaliers guards Collin Sexton (left) and Darius Garland high-five. (Photo by Bart Young/NBAE via Getty Images)

The Cleveland Cavaliers and other non-Orlando teams got some pretty good news on Tuesday.

The Cleveland Cavaliers and other non-Orlando teams have been missing out from competing in Orlando, and realistically, when it came to seeding games.

There had been prior reports involving a potential second bubble to play out in Chicago involving non-Orlando teams having mini-camps and perhaps even four Summer League-type games, along with potential two non-Orlando cities hosting team workouts and even perhaps some scrimaging.

Additionally, there was reported details involving maybe non-Orlando teams going into the Orlando bubble after teams were eliminated, but that was then kiboshed. As far as all of those reported potential outcomes/then-updates for non-Orlando getting structured work in before the formal end of 2019-20, you can view those here.

The last few reported suggestions, though, which came first via ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, did end up sticking. That key there was along the lines of the “inevitable solution” will be “the NBA and NBPA agreeing upon voluntary workouts in the team facilities,” and that stood out.

Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium last week reported after that from Woj about how the NBA and NBPA were in “serious talks” about an in-market program for non-Orlando teams.

In terms of details he provided, you can view those here, in relation to daily testing, individual workouts first for a week, two weeks of group works and then noted how what was proposed was eventually one hour of 5-on-5 work per day.

Moreover, what Charania and Woj reported would ring true for non-Orlando clubs, as on Tuesday, the NBA and NBPA reached an agreement on in-market workouts for non-Orlando teams, per a league announcement.

This is obviously nice to hear for non-Orlando clubs, and from the Cleveland Cavaliers’ perspective, in particular.

For the Cavaliers, this was pretty good news to hear, especially from a player development standpoint, and seemingly for head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, one would think.

More from King James Gospel

The Cavs were playing better and seemed more engaged with Bickerstaff taking over the head coaching reigns post-All-Star break, as they were 5-6 and sixth in assist rate and 10th in effective field goal shooting percentage in that span. Then the novel coronavirus-induced hiatus happened and the Cavs 2019-20 season, in terms of formally/games, would end out with them not being invited to the season resumption in Orlando.

On the plus side, for again, mostly player development, both first in the individual workout sense, and in the group workout sense/eventual intra-squad scrimmage sense, this should aid young pieces.

Darius Garland, 2019-20 Cavaliers scoring leader Collin Sexton (20.8 points per game) and Kevin Porter Jr., I would assume would be participating fully, as though participation is voluntary, young players need the reps.

We’ve seen recent Cavs tweets showing KPJ and Garland in the team facility already last week, anyhow. That was nice to see, too.

Also, it should be beneficial for Dylan Windler hopefully to participate, at least to some extent given that he is reportedly recovering well in relation to complications involving a stress reaction in his left leg that kept him out of 2019-20.

Windler could establish himself as a sharpshooter and versatile offensive player for the Cleveland Cavaliers this next season, feasibly after some time to adjust, as he hit 40.6 percent of his 534 career three-point attempts in a four-year career at Belmont.

In addition, just getting guys together from a team camaraderie standpoint, even in a voluntary sense in an in-market bubble, could be beneficial for Cavs head coach J.B. Bickerstaff and company. Plus, based on Kevin Love’s comments on a recent Talkin Blazers‘ podcast with former Cleveland Cavaliers teammate Channing Frye, I’d imagine Love would be participating in this in-market bubble, to play out, per the agreement from Sep. 14-Oct. 6.

Of course, COVID-19 player/team staff safety needs to be ensured and it should be/I’m sure will. But anyway, this NBA/NBPA agreement was nice to hear on Tuesday regarding the development of young pieces such as Darius Garland, at least, as a Cavs fan.