The Knicks weren’t on a call with other teams not playing in Orlando to discuss a potential "second bubble" tournament because the club had a previously scheduled coaching interview, sources familiar with the team’s schedule told SNY.

ESPN reported that the Knicks were the only team to not participate in Thursday’s call to discuss a site/format for games among the eight teams not playing in the NBA’s re-started regular season in Orlando.

New York has been in close communication with the NBA and other teams about any further plans involving the eight teams not in Orlando, per a source.

ESPN reported that the NBA is closing in on signing off on a second "bubble" for the Knicks and the seven other teams not playing in Orlando. ESPN reported that those teams would play a mini-camp and games with September being targeted as a time frame and Chicago being targeted as a site.

The eight teams making up this second Chicago bubble would be the Knicks, Charlotte Hornets, Chicago Bulls, Detroit Pistons, Atlanta Hawks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Golden State Warriors.

The idea is that this second bubble would be helpful to the eight non-Orlando teams, so their players can still stay in game shape and get official team workouts in, as to not just sit around for months while waiting for the 2020-21 season to start, whereas the Orlando teams would have played meaningful games much more recently.

Knicks President Leon Rose said in an MSG Network interview that the club was eager to have players participate at team organized practices. As several outlets have reported, some in the organization would prefer not to play formal games. The club has eight free agents and is in the process of hiring a head coach. It seems unlikely that the free agents would want to play in the "second bubble," which is scheduled for late October.

As of Thursday, the Knicks were looking for more clarity on the details of any formal plan to return to play. They weren’t on Thursday’s call due to the previously scheduled coaching interviews, and according to ESPN, the Knicks spoke to Lakers assistant Jason Kidd and Spurs assistant Will Hardy. The club has other second-round interviews scheduled for next week, per an SNY source. Rose, GM Scott Perry and Vice President of Basketball and Strategic Planning Brock Aller, are among the group taking part in interviews, per SNY sources. Executive vice president and senior advisor William “Worldwide Wes” Wesley was also expected to be part of the Knicks’ group talking to candidates, sources said.

So all four executives were likely involved in Thursday’s interviews, which would have prohibited them from taking part in the call on Thursday over the second bubble.

Another concern among some in the Knicks organization over the second bubble is the potential for injury among top young players like RJ Barrett and Mitchell Robinson. The games/mini-camps in September would take place roughly three months before the start of the 2020-21 NBA season.

If the training camp/games took place in September, it would be before the NBA Draft. So none of the clubs involved would have the benefit of seeing their 2020 rookies in game settings.

It is unclear how close the NBA or the teams involved have been to formalizing any plans for training camps/games at a single site.

The NBA Players Association would have to sign off on any plan for the eight teams to participate in a formal setting/games.

“I think there are conversations that could be had if there’s anything we can do with the other eight teams,” NBPA executive director Michele Roberts, said Friday. “I know there are some players, particularly young players, that seem concerned they’re not getting enough [opportunities]. I think our teams are incredibly smart and creative and can come up with ways to get their guys engaged, if not now, before the season starts.”

Roberts also said on Friday, though, that the main concern would be keeping player and staff safety paramount, and that the second bubble would need to have the same health and safety guarantees as Orlando.

Per ESPN, teams are pushing to simply hold mini-camps in their local markets, rather than a bubble environment.

“We'd rather do that than go to the bubble," Pistons head coach Dwayne Casey told ESPN, "because unlike those teams in Orlando, we wouldn't be playing for the same reason.

"The reason we want these mini-camps is to get our team together, to have that camaraderie, to improve and enjoy some competition. We feel we can do that safely in our own environment. We can't let these guys sit around from March 11 to December without something. It's going to hurt their careers. It's too long of a layoff."

If the Chicago bubble does happen, it will likely feature younger players and have a similar feel to the Summer League, ESPN notes.

Still, for a young team like the Knicks, it could provide some very valuable minutes of game action, which would be helpful for Rose as he makes his evaluation of the roster moving forward.

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