Clippings: Family members could join NBA players in bubble

If NBA players get back into action eventually, it turns out they may be able to bring some of their family members with them to a likely neutral site.

That’s the word from ESPN, which reported Wednesday that players could be allowed to bring “limited family members” with them to a bubble location to restart the season. While the number or relation of said relatives was not specified, allowing families to stay together if they choose would help quality of life for all and would make a long-ish term stay at a neutral site more palatable for players.

The report notes anyone who joins players in the bubble resort location would have to abide by the same testing and isolation regimen as everyone else, which makes sense. I think this proposal could help tip the balance in getting players on board. In other sports, like soccer, approaches have varied so far. While NWSL players will be allowed to bring their children and an additional caregiver to their upcoming bubble tournament in Utah, MLS players are balking at having to leave their families for a neutral venue to resume play and a plan has yet to be finalized.

While there’s no indication there’s a set deadline for the NBA to settle on a format to return to play, upcoming calls this week around the league make it sound as though a plan could be well on its way to being hashed out soon.

More news for Thursday:

• Cooking a la NBA players: Terance Mann recently shared his stew chicken recipe, but he does it in written form as part of a NBA players cookbook compilation on SI. I don’t want to pass judgment on people sharing their recipes, as my own cooking skills are nothing special, but let’s just say there’s a wide range of ability levels here.
• Morris twins weigh in on Clippers-Lakers series: Bleacher Report talked to the Morris twins, and asked which of the LA teams would advance in a playoff series. Probably not a big surprise how they responded here:

• Looking back on “NBA Inside Stuff”: I remember watching the kid-friendly NBA and culture show on Saturday mornings, between “Saved by the Bell” and Casey Kasem’s music video countdown. This feature in The Athletic explains it was a show well ahead of its time.
• Basketball Hall of Fame ceremony postponed: The 2020 Basketball Hall of Fame class is more star-studded than even the usual group, but the ceremony itself won’t take place until next year because of coronavirus, per ESPN. To complicate matters, there will be a separate 2021 Hall of Fame class, and there will be two separate ceremonies next year, apparently.
• R.I.P. Chris Dufresne: Former LA Times sportswriter and Fullerton native Chris Dufresne died this week, of an undetermined cause. He was 62. NBA basketball wasn’t his beat, but Dufresne was an award-winning journalist whose writing style and general demeanor was widely loved. Our thoughts and condolences go out to his friends and family.