Carmelo Anthony Says He's 'Optimistic' and 'Open-Minded' About NBA Restart Plan

Portland Trail Blazers star Carmelo Anthony offered his thoughts on the NBA's plan to stage games at Walt Disney Resort in Orlando, Florida.

During a discussion with Los Angeles Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma, Anthony said he has "mixed feelings." He wants to return to action but is still concerned about the coronavirus and being isolated inside the NBA's Orlando bubble.

Anthony added "the actual thought of playing basketball again excites me" and that he's staying "optimistic about it, open-minded" about the general details behind the league's resumption.

The comments begin at the 24:08 mark.

The NBA confirmed what many had come to expect when it announced last Thursday it's planning to restart the 2019-20 season on July 31 with 22 teams in Orlando. There will be eight "seeding games" before a 16-team postseason tips off.

The players will have to make a number of adjustments, not limited to competing for an NBA title at a point in the year when they'd usually be enjoying their offseason. They'll be playing in empty areas and have roughly a month and a half to get themselves back into game shape.

Arriving in Orlando will present challenges of their own as the league looks to limit any exposure to the coronavirus.

The players might be at Disney, but they won't get to enjoy many of the perks that entails. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported NBA stars won't be walking around the various parks during their downtime.

Wojnarowski also reported only a limited number of family members can be with a player in Orlando because the NBA is looking to cap the total number of personnel to 1,600. Once the first round of the playoffs start—when six teams would be removed from the equation—a player might be able to have three members of his family enter the bubble.

Many of Anthony's colleague are probably feeling the same way. The fact that meaningful games could be right around the corner is cause for excitement, but no one can really know how things will unfold once the NBA's plan goes into action.