The NBA will allow teams to practice again in May
While most cities, states and provinces remain under strict stay-at-home orders, the NBA is starting to look at allowing teams back into practice facilities where orders have been eased. According to a report from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the NBA will allow organizations to open up their practice facilities to players on a voluntary basis for individual workouts and shoot arounds. Larger team practices or group workouts will still not be allowed.
Wojnarowski goes on to suggest that the league is working on accommodating those players in NBA cities where restrictions have not been lifted. However, teams remain adamant that players remain in a safe environment where they will not be at risk to exposure of COVID-19.
The NBA halted the season back on March 11th when Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz tested positive for the virus. A day after Gobert tested positive, his teammate Donovan Mitchell also tested positive. Since then, there have been several NBA players who have had confirmed cases including Kevin Durant of the Brooklyn Nets, three unnamed players on the Philadelphia 76ers, Marcus Smart of the Boston Celtics and Christian Wood of the Detroit Pistons.
Although the NBA is looking at potentially allowing for players to start returning to practice facilities, it remains to be seen if or when the 2019-2020 season can be concluded. Most teams have played around 65 games of the 82-game season and if the league is able to return this year, the decision as to whether the regular season will be concluded prior to the start of the playoffs needs to be made.
Allowing players the opportunity to practice again and get back on the court will surely speed the process up once governments do lift all restrictions, but it still remains a big question as to when exactly that will happen. Most anticipate that even if the league is able to return this season and conclude the campaign, it will have to be done behind closed doors without fans present. An idea that originally didn’t sit well with Lebron James.
“We play games without the fans? Nah, that’s impossible,” James said back on March 6th after his Los Angeles Lakers had defeated the Milwaukee Bucks. “I ain’t playing if I ain’t got the fans in the crowd. That’s who I play for. I play for my teammates, and I play for the fans. That’s what it’s all about. So if I show up to an arena and there ain’t no fans in there, I ain’t playing. They can do what they want to do.”
However, the superstar quickly changed his mind on the issue a few days later once the outbreak started to spread more rapidly.
“It’s funny, because when I was asked the question of would you play without fans, I had no idea that there was actually a conversation going on behind closed doors about the particular virus,” James said.
“Obviously, I would be very disappointed not having the fans, because that is what I play for, I play for my family, I play for my fans. They say no one could actually come to the game if they decide to go to that point, so I would be disappointed in that. But at the same time, you’ve got to listen to the people that are keeping a track on what’s going on.”
Regardless of whether fans will or will not be permitted into arenas, most are just happy that players may be back to training sooner rather than later.
