The managers of the equipment, the obscure heroes of the revival of the NBA

For this trip, Jacob Diamond, the equipment manager of the Magic Orlando has a two-room suite at the team hotel.

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13 July 2020 10: 08

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The managers of the equipment, the obscure heroes of the revival of the NBA

Tim Reynolds

Associated Press

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Rob Pimental has given much thought to all the Heat would need for what could be a journey of three months to Disney World.

He is the equipment manager of the club. All the shirts, stockings, chassures — regardless of the needs, it is up to him to make sure to have them.

“I’m the kind who wants to have everything on hand, has said Pimental. I literally packed all my equipment room and I brought her with me.”

It is not the only one.

The 22 teams of the reboot of the NBA have had to pack more than ever, for a stay not like the others.

Every club will spend at least five weeks at Disney; some may be there during three months.

The challenges for the players and the coaches are evident. For managers of equipment, unsung heroes of the recovery, the task is not at all as visible for the uninitiated.

“It’s part of our DNA, honestly,” said Jacob Diamond, which manages the equipment of the Magic. There are some of the guys the most intelligent of the league who do what I do.

“Ultimately, for us, there is no load too heavy or too small. The players and coaches are counting on us, and we are part of something historic. So it’s cool to be a part of it, even if it is extra work.”

For this trip, Diamond has a two-room suite at the hotel of the Magic — this is not a luxury, but a necessity.

The baggage are lined up around the four walls. In the middle of the room, a support garment, a safety deposit box and also a bunch of bags with the logo of the team, near the balcony.

Diamond knows the content. If Nikola Vucevic is in need of such low, or if Aaron Gordon was in need of a certain piece of compression, it finds it in a flash.

“I brought more things than less, said Diamond. This is not so easy to send things here. I prefer to have them already.”

The equipment manager of the Raptors, Paul Elliott, brings usually more than you need. It tends to take 45 bags during a trip classic; according to the standards of the NBA, he has to travel light.

Not this time. For this trip, Elliott had 176 bags.

And most teams have had to make a move : arena at Disney. Elliott has had to do this twice : Toronto in a sort of prelude drive, Fort Myers, and back to the complex from Disney.

“I looked at it as a two week trip in the West, and I quadrupled the items, said Elliott. I just had to make sure I have enough options for our guys. I want to be ready, just.”

For all of the teams of the stimulus, one speaks of more than 4,000 shirts. Each club has three sets of uniforms — generally, there are two shirts for each of the players. This time, there will be a third, because the players will be able to have a shirt with a social message. These deliveries are expected to arrive in the next few days.

When Elliott began to unload the 176 bags of Raptors, several members of the staff, generally not assigned to the equipment, ran to her aid.

“We have the best group for this kind of things,” said Elliott. No one is above anything. They just want to make sure that everything is done correctly.”

Each team sent a person : it is not unusual that a typical trip for a two. It is not possible to Disney, having regard to the maximum number of employees that may be in the bubble.

After training or matches, the managers of equipment, shall coordinate the shipment to the laundry room to the recovery : 66 washers and 66 dryers, in which was a cage of batting, with the former complex spring of the Atlanta Braves.

There is a code of honor among these workers : the 22 teams compete, but the managers of the equipment, themselves, work together, and help each other to the extent possible.

“We understand the daily struggles, told Diamond. We have the same.”

It is necessary to leave the comfort of the house in the next few weeks. The trick, says Pimental, is to ensure that players do not have to worry about to get what they need.

“It is never seen, but we’ll make it work,” said Pimental.

Le Soleil