Patrick Beverley on Resuming Play: "Everyone on our team is ready"
It's been roughly one and a half months since the NBA season was suspended, and there's still no telling whether it will come back at all this season. But in true LA Clippers fashion, Patrick Beverley believes his team is prepared to play as soon as tomorrow.
In an Instagram Live interview with ESPN's Cassidy Hubbarth this afternoon, Beverley talked about the Clippers' readiness amid the coronavirus outbreak.
"If we were forced to play a game tomorrow, everyone on our team is ready," he said. "They're prepared."
It's a message that's been promoted by several members of the franchise since play came to a halt in March. Head Coach Doc Rivers said something similar late last month on the team's Twitter page:
"We can't wait to get back and play," he said. "I'm going crazy right now. Every day I'm watching video and preparing. We have this saying around our team right now, it's, 'Win the Wait' and that's what we're trying to do, just win the wait."
Many players have limited access to equipment right now, given they aren't allowed to be at team training facilities. Some have home gyms and courts, but that isn't a luxury that every player can afford.
That said, the Clippers have made an effort to stay in shape by participating in team workouts on Zoom. Ivica Zubac told AllClippers about how the players and trainers are staying connected and active.
"We're divided into groups of players," he said. "There are groups of 3 or 4 players and our strength coaches. We do it every other day. We've all got the equipment at home. The Clippers provided everything we need for the workouts... [They're] about an hour. It's like a real workout that we would do during the season, the same thing."
If the season does resume at some point this year, the NBA could go a number of routes. Playing the rest of the regular season out doesn't seem likely, but a few games could be played to finalized playoff seeding. Otherwise, the league could jump straight into the postseason with the current standings.
Regardless of what that decision may be or when it happens, it's clear that the LA Clippers will be among those most prepared to get back on the floor.