Zach LaVine is upset that the Chicago Bulls will not be part of the 22-team tournament that will restart the NBA season.
The 2019-20 campaign has been on hold since March because of the coronavirus pandemic, but on Thursday plans to recommence the league in Florida next month were approved.
However, only 22 teams will head to Orlando - the 16 teams currently occupying the playoff spots and the six that are within eight games of the eighth seeds in each conference.
Chicago, who had a 22-43 record when the season was halted, missed the cut-off by two games, much to LaVine's frustration.
"It sucks," he told reporters.
"You've got to understand it. It's a weird time, especially with everything that's going on right now, but it's upsetting too.
Zach LaVine dropped 32 in tonight's win (on 11-20 shooting) and set a Bulls franchise record for triples in a season in the process. Oh, and got the W.
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) February 24, 2020
Solid night's work. pic.twitter.com/057EQuzc1Z
"We weren't even good enough to get to the play-in game, so it's upsetting and it just shows that we've got to do a lot of things differently to get ourselves that recognition to get to that spot."
With the 2020-21 season not due to start until December, players like LaVine will have gone nine months without playing a competitive game.
However, those whose teams are still alive this season will have to live at a campus and remain on site for all practices and games under the NBA's proposals.
That scenario brings its own concerns, according to LaVine's team-mate Thaddeus Young.
"For me, it's two-fold. Obviously, I wanted to play. I wanted to be a part of it," he said.
"But another side of me was worried about being away from my family or if they were to even come down. Just me being around everybody in general, playing basketball and then going back to my family and not knowing if I contracted the virus. Or not knowing if my family contracted the virus.
"As I said before, I have two young kids and I have a wife and my major concern is their health.
"Me, personally, I think I can fight it off, but I don't know if my kids would be able to do that. I don't know if my wife would be able to do that. So I don't want to put them in harm's way."
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