NBA Starts Allowing Teams To Test Asymptomatic Players For Coronavirus
After previously being advised by the NBA not to test asymptomatic players for COVID-19, teams have now been informed by the league that they’ll be permitted to administer those tests — as long as they’re in areas where testing is readily available to at-risk health care workers, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
The Magic, for instance, have been granted written authorization from the Orange County Department of Health – as well as approval from the NBA – to test their players and staffers for the coronavirus, whether or not they’re exhibiting symptoms, a spokesperson confirmed. A Magic official told Josh Robbins of The Athletic (Twitter link) today that May 12 is the most likely target date for the team to reopen its practice facility.
“We have been assured we are not taking any tests from healthcare workers, first responders, or anyone whether they are experiencing symptoms or asymptomatic,” the Magic told Woj in a statement (Twitter link). “As we’ve been told, the general public in our community can go to numerous locations to receive a coronavirus test.”
The Lakers and Clippers are among the other clubs that are expected to receive permission soon from the NBA and local health authorities to conduct coronavirus tests on players entering their facilities, according to Wojnarowski.
Although the NBA is allowing teams to reopen their practice facilities, the league has been reluctant to ramp up testing for its players and staffers yet. When the NBA suspended its season in March, multiple teams were able to conduct immediate tests on dozens of asymptomatic players and staffers, drawing criticism from politicians who were dealing with local shortages.
The NBA doesn’t want to create the impression that the league is receiving preferential treatment, which is why any teams in municipalities with testing shortages still won’t be permitted to test asymptomatic players for now.
However, if an increasing number of teams get the go-ahead to move forward with testing asymptomatic individuals, that will represent a crucial step forward for the NBA. If the league wants to resume its 2019/20 season, it will need access to thousands – and potentially tens of thousands – of tests to regularly administer them to players, staffers, and other officials.
As long as those tests still aren’t readily available for asymptomatic people in many areas of the country, it would be a bad look for the NBA to procure them in massive quantities. But if and when shortages are no longer a concern, that would no longer be a roadblock for a potential return to play.
NBPA’s Roberts Expresses Concerns About ‘Bubble’ Concept
The possibility of resuming and completing the 2019/20 NBA season in a “bubble” location is widely viewed as the most viable path to playing games this summer. In theory, bringing the necessary players, staffers, and officials to a single location where they can be quarantined and tested for COVID-19 would be far less risky than having teams traveling to and from their home cities for games.
[RELATED: Latest On NBA’s Discussions To Resume Season]
However, while the idea of making Walt Disney World or Las Vegas that bubble in which to resume the NBA season has gained momentum in some corners, NBPA executive director Michele Roberts tells ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne that the players’ union has some reservations.
As Roberts explains, via Shelburne, players would have to submit to some level of surveillance in order to enforce a quarantine for several weeks – or months – and to ensure the “bubble” is impenetrable. That idea is somewhat unsettling for Roberts and a number of players.
“Are we going to arm guards around the hotel?” Roberts said. “That sounds like incarceration to me.”
Of course, while the NBPA may have concerns about bubble enforcement being too “draconian,” as Shelburne writes, creating restrictions that are too lax could also be a problem. In that scenario, the league would risk having a player or staffer leave the bubble, contract the coronavirus, and put those inside the bubble at risk, potentially necessitating a shutdown.
The NBA continues to explore all potential options, so there’s no guarantee that the league will move forward with the bubble-location concept. If it does, there are concessions that could be made, such as allowing family members to join players in the bubble location. Still, Roberts tells Shelburne that regardless of what the NBA decides, the league and its players will have to prepare for some level of coronavirus-related risk.
“This is a world with the virus,” Roberts said. “And we have to figure out a way to work, play and live in a world with the virus. The questions have now evolved from, ‘Are we going to play again?’ to, ‘If we play, what are the risks going to look like?'”
As Roberts point out, even after the NBA makes a decision on what it feels is the safest possible path for resuming play, there may still be players who aren’t comfortable with those risks. She’s not sure yet how to address that issue.
“That is the million-dollar question,” Roberts told Shelburne. “I’ve got to confront that. It’s an issue employers everywhere are going to have to confront. Because I guarantee there’s going to be at least one player, if not many more than that, that are going to have genuine concerns about their safety. We have to figure out what the response is to that. It’s a tough one, and I don’t pretend that I have an answer to that one yet.
Nuggets Postpone Reopening Date To Monday
Initially expected to be one of three teams opening their practice facilities for individual voluntary workouts on Friday, the Nuggets will delay their reopening until Monday, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).
May 8 is the first day that the NBA is permitting teams to reopen their buildings for individual player workouts, with strict regulations in place to help avoid the spread of the coronavirus. As far as we know, the other two teams expected to reopen today – the Cavaliers and Trail Blazers – are still moving forward with those plans.
The Nuggets will now join the Kings and Raptors as clubs targeting May 11 as their reopening date.
It remains to be seen how many players will take advantage of the newly-reopened facilities in Denver and elsewhere. Some players have access to their own workout equipment and private baskets and may not need to use a team facility. A few may stay away from team facilities for now due to ongoing COVID-19 concerns.
[RELATED: McCollum apprehensive about Blazers’ reopening facility]
Of course, not every player remained in his team’s home city during the NBA’s shutdown either. Mike Singer of The Denver Post said earlier this week that a “significant portion” of the Nuggets aren’t currently in Denver.
Raptors To Allow Limited Access To Facility Starting Monday
The NBA is allowing teams to begin reopening their practice facilities for controlled individual workouts beginning today, and while only three clubs – the Trail Blazers, Cavaliers, and Nuggets – are doing so immediately, others will follow suit next week. The Raptors are the latest team to join that group, announcing today that they’ll reopen their practice facility on a limited basis starting on Monday, May 11.
[RELATED: Kings, Heat Plan To Reopen Facilities Next Week]
The “strict protocols” outlined by the Raptors in their press release are even more restrictive than the guidelines the NBA has provided to teams. While the league allows for up to four players at a time in practice facilities, the Raptors will permit just one player in their building at a time, according to the team. A single coach will be allowed to accompany the player.
Additionally, the Raptors stress in their announcement that activities which can be done at home – such as weight lifting – won’t be permitted at their facility. The basketball court is the only area that will be open, with locker rooms, weight rooms, medical facilities, and other areas of the building staying closed.
As some teams around the NBA begin to reopen their practice facilities for voluntary workouts, others are continuing to play it safe, with Mavericks owner Mark Cuban suggesting this week that he’s apprehensive about allowing players back into Dallas’ building until the league permits coronavirus testing on asymptomatic individuals.
Although the Raptors’ stance isn’t as extreme as Cuban’s, the measures they’ve implemented as they prepare to reopen their facility suggest they feel the NBA’s safety guidelines could – or should – have gone even further.
Latest On NBA’s Discussions To Resume Season
As the NBA considers how and when to resume its 2019/20 season, commissioner Adam Silver and his team have been “making contingency plans for every imaginable scenario,” writes Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer. Ideally, the NBA would like to complete as much of its regular season and postseason as possible, but if necessary, the league is prepared to cancel some or all of the remaining regular season games, and potentially even truncate the playoff schedule.
While Silver and the league office are considering just about every possibility, the idea of a postseason play-in tournament is considered highly unlikely, sources tell O’Connor. It’s an option the NBA has considered for this summer or for future seasons, but O’Connor suggests it isn’t feasible to introduce it at this point, likening it to a fantasy basketball league changing its scoring format a week before the playoffs start.
O’Connor’s article is jam-packed with details on scenarios being weighed by the NBA. Although no concrete decisions are being made yet, here are some of the most interesting tidbits passed along by The Ringer’s top basketball reporter:
- Although the NBA is prioritizing playing as much of the remainder of the ’19/20 campaign as possible, some people around the league believe it’s unlikely that bottom-feeders like the Warriors, Timberwolves, Cavaliers, and Pistons will play again this season. Those teams are already looking ahead to 2020/21 and there’s a belief that if the NBA opts for a “bubble city” approach, it might not make sense to bring all 30 teams into that bubble.
- Some teams believe that none of the current non-playoff teams will end up resuming their seasons, with one source telling O’Connor, “The first game when we get back will probably be a playoff game.”
- In terms of an actual location for the “bubble,” O’Connor suggests Walt Disney World in Florida seems to have the edge over Las Vegas because it’s a private property with several thousand hotel rooms available. At Disney, the league could theoretically designate certain areas of the park for players and staffers to watch movies or eat together, according to O’Connor, who adds that players could have even more freedom at Disney than in other cities, where stay-at-home orders may still be in effect.
- League sources tell O’Connor that there’s an increasing belief among NBA front offices that the 2020/21 season could end up starting in January. The later next season starts, the more likely it is that fans will be allowed back into arenas, which is an important consideration for the league. One Western exec told The Ringer that it’s “pretty brutal” to the NBA’s financial model if there’s no revenue coming in from ticket sales or in-game purchases (suites, concessions, etc.).
- According to O’Connor, sources say the NBA is hoping that players, coaches, and staffers will all be back in their respective teams’ cities by early-to-mid-June as the league prepares for a potential training camp.
- O’Connor’s story includes several more interesting details on the NBA’s discussions, and is worth checking out in full.
Coronavirus Notes: McCollum, Nance, D’Antoni, More
The Trail Blazers are one of three teams reopening their practice facilities on Friday, and CJ McCollum plans to visit this weekend, writes Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports. However, McCollum remains apprehensive about the fact that team facilities are opening at all.
“I am worried like the rest of the world, but I like that it is optional and I’m pleased with the caution, structure, and measures the Blazers organization has put in place to ensure the safest environment possible for all parties involved,” McCollum said. “I get the measures (the NBA is) taking, but you have to think at some point when there are drastic measures that need to be taken, ‘Is it really worth it?’ It’s either safe or it’s not.”
As McCollum explains to Haynes, he’s unsure how the social-distancing measures in place for individual workouts will work (“They’re talking about (how) you might have to be 12 feet away from your strength coach. How are you going to lift 12 feet away from somebody?”). However, he intends to go into the Blazers’ facility on Saturday to assess whether it’s possible to safely conduct a workout with so many restrictions in place.
McCollum also admitted that it’s difficult to know how intensely to work out, since players have different regiments for the season and offseason. While he continues to prepare as if the season could be back this summer, he doesn’t know what the future holds for the league.
“I’m probably as optimistic as the casual fan,” McCollum told Yahoo Sports. “Some days you feel like there’s a chance, and then some days you’re like, ‘I don’t know.’ But in the meantime, if you go to work out at the facility, I get it. Work out, but we’ve got to figure out a balance between what’s safe and what’s forcing it.”
Here’s more on the coronavirus shutdown and the NBA’s response:
- Cavaliers big man Larry Nance Jr. tells Marc Stein of The New York Times (Twitter links) that he plans to visit the Cavaliers’ practice facility after it opens on Friday. As Stein explains, that’s significant because Nance deals with Crohn’s disease, which is generally treated with immunosuppressive medication that can make patients more vulnerable to infections. Nance has confidence in Remicade, the drug he takes to combat the disease, per Stein.
- Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni is the league’s second-oldest head coach at age 69, which could put him at greater risk if he were to contract the coronavirus. However, sources tell Tim MacMahon of ESPN that D’Antoni would feel comfortable being on the sidelines if the NBA resumes the season, since he has confidence that Adam Silver and the league would create as safe an environment as possible.
- Appearing today on CNBC (video link), Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry expressed optimism that all NBA teams will be able to reopen their practice facilities by the end of May and that – if there are enough COVID-19 tests to make it possible – games could start by August (Twitter link via NetsDaily).
Kings, Heat Plan To Reopen Facilities Next Week
The Kings and Heat are among the NBA teams that intend to reopen their practice facilities for individual, voluntary workouts next week, according to reports.
Sam Amick of The Athletic first tweeted that Sacramento is planning to reopen its facility on Monday, with the City of Sacramento allowing non-contact recreational facilities to open. The Kings issued a press release today confirming that May 11 is their target date and noting that they’ll remain in “constant communication” with the NBA and public health officials during the process.
As for the Heat, after head coach Erik Spoelstra suggested the team is moving closer to being able to resume individual workouts, Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press reported this morning (via Twitter) that Wednesday, May 13 is the team’s target date for reopening its facility. As Reynolds cautions, that date is “fluid.”
For the Kings, Heat, and the other teams that plan to make their facilities available to players in the coming days, a series of regulations and restrictions will be in place to ensure the safety of players and staff.
No more than four players will be permitted in a facility a time, no group activities will be allowed, rigorous cleaning and disinfecting procedures must be followed, staffers will have to wear face coverings (as will players when not engaged in physical activity), and certain medical and temperature checks will be required for those entering the gym.
Although teams have been asked by the NBA not to conduct coronavirus tests on any players or staffers who aren’t showing any symptoms, an increase in testing will be necessary if and when the league begins to allow group workouts and takes other steps toward resuming its season. For now, some teams are wary of even reopening their facilities without testing procedures in place — Mavericks owner Mark Cuban expressed that concern on Wednesday, as we detailed this morning.
Latest On NBA Teams, Players Returning To Work
NBA teams have been given the go-ahead to begin opening up their facilities on Friday, but they will face restrictions. Among them will be the team’s head coaches not being allowed to participate or observe players workouts, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Teams will be able to designate up to six assistant coaches or player development personnel to provide supervision of player workouts, Woj adds.
The Cavaliers, Nuggets, and Blazers all plan to reopen facilities on Friday. Other teams are expected to follow suit next week.
Commissioner Adam Silver and NBPA executive director Michele Roberts will host an all-player call on Friday as well, Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com reports. The call is intended to be an open forum for players to address any concerns and ask questions, Shelburne writes.
Multiple Teams Plan To Reopen Facilities On Friday
3:29pm: The Rockets have now postponed the target date for reopening their facility to May 18, according to Medina (via Twitter).
2:03pm: Although the NBA is still expected to allow teams to reopen practice facilities for individual voluntary workouts this Friday, only a small handful of clubs are expected to take advantage right away. The Rockets, Trail Blazers, and Nuggets intend to reopen their facilities on May 8, according to USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt and Mark Medina. The Cavaliers will do so as well, per Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.
Not all players have remained in their teams’ respective cities since the NBA suspended its season in March, so some Rockets, Blazers, Nuggets, and Cavs players may have to return from out of state before they can resume working out at their clubs’ facilities.
As Zillgitt and Medina detail, several other teams – including the Hawks, Heat, and Bucks – could reopen their facilities as early as next week. However, clubs like the Celtics, Mavericks, Grizzlies, and Timberwolves haven’t shared details on their plans, and many other teams will remain in limbo for the foreseeable future, deferring to local government ordinances and health experts.
The Warriors, for instance, are following the City of San Francisco’s lead, as Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area writes. USA Today’s report suggests that Golden State is unlikely to reopen its facility until at least June, since the city’s stay-at-home order runs through May 31.
As for the teams that are opening this Friday, they’ll face strict regulations on the number of players who will be permitted into their facilities at a time (four), and how their workouts will be conducted (no group activities are allowed). The league recently issued a long, detailed memo outlining the safety measures that teams must put in place to reopen their buildings.
“This isn’t a hangout session for the guys,” a Cavaliers source told Fedor. “We’ve read the riot act – so to speak – to these guys. I think they are appreciative of us trying to find the right way to get the building open because they need the outlet and want to work out and this is the safest place for them to do it.”
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter links), the NBA informed teams this week of updated measures on cardiac screening for certain players prior to their voluntary workouts. Clubs have also still been told not to conduct COVID-19 tests on asymptomatic players, since the league is sensitive to an ongoing shortage in some areas of the country. If and when the NBA is able to open camps for a resumption for the 2019/20 season, there’s an understanding those testing protocols would change, Woj adds.
Latest On Team Facilities Opening Up
While shelter-in-place restrictions are easing up in some locations, NBA teams in those areas are still likely to wait until next week to open up their practice facilities, Marc Stein of The New York Times tweets. The Magic, one of the teams in a state where restrictions have been loosened, have not committed to opening up yet, telling Stein that they want to reopen as smoothly as possible.
Before anything happens, the NBA must officially allow facilities to reopen, which is still expected to take place on Friday. Even with facilities open, there are specific guidelines teams must follow, such as having a maximum of four players in any facility at once. Only one player can be at a basket at a time. Participation in the facilities will be voluntary, meaning players may not even take the opportunity to use the facilities.
The league is set on attempting to finish the 2019/20 season, even if it means extending the campaign to September.
“Our league has decided that we’re going to try to get in as much of our season and playoffs as the data will allow us to,” Magic CEO Alex Martins said. “We’ll play as late as Labor Day if we have to and we’ve been having initial discussions about even delaying the start of next season based on trying to get as much as this season in as possible.”