After a weekend report suggested the NBA was aiming to allow teams to reopen their practice facilities as early as May 1, the league has told teams that its new target date is Friday, May 8, league sources tell Marc Stein of The New York Times (Twitter link). The league’s full announcement can be found right here.
The NBA is hoping to allow teams to open facilities for voluntary individual workouts if the stay-at-home orders in their respective home states allow, but will wait at least another week-and-a-half to move forward with that plan.
Assuming it sticks to the May 8 target date, the league will allow up to four players in a facility at a time, with no more than one team staffer in attendance, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. Group activities will remain prohibited and head and assistant coaches can’t participate. Additionally, players would be required to wear face masks at all times except when engaged in physical activity, and staffers working with players must wear gloves and practice social-distancing of at least 12 feet, according to Charania (Twitter link).
The NBA had received “significant pushback” from teams about the idea of reopening facilities in select states and municipalities on May 1, officials tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). While competitive imbalance is a potential issue – given the disparity between how certain states are handling the pandemic – teams are more concerned about player and staff safety, says Wojnarowski.
The Hawks were one team that appeared to be a strong candidate to reopen their facilities this Friday, if permitted, since Georgia is among the first states to roll back stay-at-home restrictions. However, as general manager Travis Schlenk first told TV host Matt Stewart (Twitter link), the Hawks didn’t plan to reopen their facilities this week, preferring to play it safe and assess the effects of the loosened restrictions in the area.
“We’re going to put the health of our players and staff at the forefront,” Schlenk told Sarah Spencer of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Despite the Hawks’ reticence and some league-wide pushback on the initial May 1 date, there have been other teams embracing the idea of reopening their facilities, according to Wojnarowski (Twitter link). As Woj explains, those clubs would prefer players to be in a “clean, safe, and monitored team environment” rather than risking those players working out at public gyms.
Relatedly, clubs were reminded today that their players remain prohibited from using non-team facilities such as public health centers and gyms for workouts, as Charania reports (via Twitter).
The NBA should be paying non-partisan monitor salaries instead of giving money to charities. Same effect. Teams will break the rules to gain an advantage.
Rules without punishments only help the rule-breakers.
Dude f sports and f basketball. Man covid19 is deadly and they got worry about everybody safety. Just prepare for the darn draft. Its gonna boring and idc anymore, I like college ball better but, just say season is over. Omgosh not hard. Yall gotta grow up and who cares for it. It’s ready to be may bro!
The same thing will happen in the fall. It will be worse then with no or limited football. Society has to get used to not having a vaccine.
If you’re referring to the limitations of commissioners Silver or Goodell, then you have a point. They’re just rung-climbers on the banned ladder.
Dude I know cause its supposed to come back. No they’ll prolly have to play the games in places inside or something. Idk they’ll figure it out. Cause they know all about it. Idgaf that much about that much. But bro I know everything. I got family that works in the medical field. Sad ppl are dying from the left to the rite.
Like I they had to have the NFL draft. You know buddy? Who knows if they’ll ever get chance to play this yr or meet the players or coaches.
@Jcool90
Get a grip at yourself & stop panicking, there are at least a dozen viruses more lethal than this one out there, so no need to worry so much, the show must go on!
And all ppls want is sports. Who cares about sports rite now.
Spectator sports are as useless as ever. But I need it to keep myself aligned properly. Bad dreams can ruin a day.
And all ppls want is sports. Who cares about sports rite now.
Me-
Life is going to move forward-
If you want to live in your bunker the rest of your days feel free