Milwaukee Bucks: East rivals will need to deal with Orlando absences

As the Milwaukee Bucks prepare to travel to Orlando while expecting to be at full strength, the same can’t necessarily be said for all of their rivals.

There was never really any doubt that restarting the NBA season in a campus environment in the middle of a global pandemic would be incredibly complicated, but it’s safe to say teams are starting to feel the effect of some of those complications.

So far, the Milwaukee Bucks have yet to encounter a notable obstacle on that front, at least in terms of what has been discussed or reported publicly.

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Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry shared his understanding that Milwaukee would have their full complement of players traveling to Orlando to participate in the season’s restart at the Walt Disney World Resort, and that sentiment was repeated by head coach Mike Budenholzer when he spoke to the media earlier in the week.

Other teams haven’t had quite the same fortune, though.

Even removing the obvious coronavirus-related concerns and challenges that have led teams such as the Heat, Clippers, and Nuggets to close their practice facilities again, the nature of the campus-style environment in Orlando will also lead to players ruling themselves out of contention before the fact.

Those decisions will be informed by a variety of complex factors, as has already been illustrated by some of the situations that have presented themselves for some players.

The Los Angeles Lakers’ Avery Bradley opting to sit out due to past issues his young son has had with respiratory illnesses and the risk that COVID-19 poses as a result.

Washington Wizards sharpshooter Davis Bertans has decided against playing with a potentially lucrative free agency looming for him, and his team’s chances of making the playoffs still miniscule at best.

Now, though, news has started to emerge related to key players on two teams the Bucks could face on their way through the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Victor Oladipo has decided not to play in Orlando in order to prioritize continuing his rehabilitation and working toward getting his game back to where it was before his achilles injury ($$).

What’s most interesting on that front for the Indiana Pacers is that it takes an option off the table that could have been available to them at a much later date under normal circumstances. If the Pacers pick up some real momentum, and potentially make their way through a first round series with the Heat or Celtics, they may find themselves in a situation where Oladipo would have liked to return but won’t have that option available to them.

Of course, with the Bucks owed Indiana’s pick in this year’s draft, any dip in form from the Pacers in the seeding games without Oladipo could also move that selection up a slot or two in the order before Milwaukee eventually find themselves on the clock.

In another incredibly different scenario, Gordon Hayward will be heading to Orlando, but with plans already in place to leave at what may well be a crucial juncture for Boston.

Hayward’s wife is expecting their fourth child in September, and Hayward will leave Walt Disney World Resort at that point, which will then require him to quarantine for at least a period of multiple days before even having the opportunity to re-enter.

Interestingly, he’s not the only Celtic in that scenario, as Vincent Poirier also plans to leave for the birth of a child in September too. That means before even having to deal with the increased potential for injuries upon the restart, and the possibility of players becoming infected with COVID-19, the Celtics know they will be weakened for what could be the Conference Finals.

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It’s certainly too early to say all of this could play to Milwaukee’s advantage, as quite simply these are just examples of the unforeseen obstacles that could present for all teams at some point, including the Bucks.

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