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The 2019 NBA champions spent a couple of months in Orlando — about an hour and 10 minutes east of Tampa – in the bubble before being eliminated by Boston in the Eastern Conference semifinals. (The Raptors were also the first non-Florida team on the ground in the Sunshine State, having held camp at Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers in late June.) They have some recent intel on life in Florida. But this is still going to be a major disruption. While the NBA’s other 29 teams will have at least some sense of normalcy being back in their home arenas this season, the Raptors will be displaced — again — and likely practicing at hotels and other makeshift locations. How big will Toronto’s competitive disadvantage be?
Having his father a short drive away, in Fort Myers, also could play in the Heat’s favor in free agency. “Me and my father speak every day,” Crowder said. "If it wasn’t for him, there’s wouldn’t be a Jae Crowder in the NBA, honest to God’s truth. It’s no if and or buts about it. He helped me lock in mentally and he helped me diagnose the game mentally. He really molded me into who I am today as a basketball player and how I approached the game and my outlook on the game.”
Nurse and the rest of his squad have been isolated within a private facility in Fort Myers since June 22, where they will remain until the NBA starts moving teams into ESPN’s Wide World of Sports complex on July 9. For now, Nurse says it’s not so bad being in the bubble. “It’s a different feel. The rules and stuff about how many players and coaches are on the floor and at each basket, it feels like we’re going to basketball camp a little bit. We go in at 8:30 and stay there all day because we’ve got limits on how many players and coaches there can be,” Nurse explained.
Josh Lewenberg: Masai Ujiri, speaking on video conference, Re: the Raptors' pre-camp setup in Fort Myers, Florida: "It's a safe environment. We continue to think that it's a safe environment for us, and it has been so far."
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The Toronto Raptors have gone to Dunk City to prepare for the resumption of the NBA season. The defending champions were scheduled to charter Monday to Florida where they will train in the Fort Myers area. The club will continue its voluntary individual workouts at Alico Arena, home of the Florida Gulf Coast University Eagles.
Tim Reynolds: The Raptors' plane has left the gate in Toronto. It is en route to Fort Myers. For the first time in 3-1/2 months, an NBA team is headed ... somewhere.
Josh Lewenberg: The Raptors confirm that they'll hold their pre-Disney camp in Fort Myers, Florida. Select players and staff will travel there from Toronto today, reconvening with players/staff who were already in the U.S. Mandatory COVID-19 testing begins tomorrow.
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