NBA Practice Facilities Could Open For Limited Workouts In Certain States On May 8
NBA players could start practicing basketball again soon.
The NBA said Monday that no earlier than May 8, up to four players at a time can use their team's practice facilities in states that have modified their stay-at-home orders. No head coaches or assistant coaches could participate and group activity remains prohibited.
"The purpose of these changes is to allow for safe and controlled environments for players to train in states that allow them to do so, and to create a process for identifying safe training options for players located in other states," the NBA said in a statement.
But what about states that have stricter stay-at-home orders? Are some teams going to have a competitive advantage over others?
The city of Los Angeles has a safer-at-home order in place at least through May 15, meaning the Lakers and Clippers won't be able to use their practice facilities for at least a week longer than some other players.
The NBA said they're going to try and figure out a workaround to keep things fair.
"For any team that, due to a government restriction, is prohibited from making its facility available for use by the team’s players, the league will work with the team to identify alternatives," the NBA said in a statement.
It's not yet clear what those alternatives would look like.
Many players haven't played basketball since March 11, when NBA commissioner Adam Silver suspended the season after Utah's Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19.
Practice facilities were shut down. Gyms closed. Stay-at-home orders were created. And players had to workout at their homes with limited equipment.
Players are going to be in various forms of shape. And it would be imperative for them to have enough time to get into game shape before playing to prevent injuries.
In a conference call with a handful of reporters three weeks ago, Lakers' general manager Rob Pelinka said one of the team's greatest concerns was making sure its players remain safe if the season were to resume.
"If we get the green light to play, there are a lot of internal discussions going on, just about what it would look like in terms of the ramp-up to getting back in shape and in terms of what playoff series or matchups would look like," Pelinka said. "We want to be prepared that, if that avenue opens up, that we've forward-thought through all the issues. So there's a lot of strategic thought going on, a lot of discussions going on with the players and the coaches, of how this thing may unfold and being ready if it does."
The Lakers have been doing virtual workouts together over Zoom. And the players have gotten creative to remain in shape.
LeBron James has been lifting weights and doing various exercises with bands and different equipment. Danny Green has gone on runs with his dogs. Quinn Cook even did sprints in his condo at one point.
But it's hard to be in basketball shape without playing basketball.
And an extra week of practice could make a world of difference if the season were to resume.
