NBA Concerned About Older Coaches and Staff Going Back to Work

While the NBA shoots for a target date of May 8th to reopen facility doors, some General Managers are concerned about older coaches and staff going back to work.

The Oklahoma City Thunder have not committed to reopening team facility doors on May 8th. While that is the NBA's target deadline to start allowing players back in the doors, there is still concern about how safe the environment will be for everyone. 

An unnamed General Manger is worried about older coaches and staff coming back too soon, considering they are higher risk for COVID-19. Per ESPN, one source is saying, "Based on all the information that we have today, probably people over 60 with preexisting conditions can't go, for sure, no matter what their titles are."... "Whether it's a father of the star player or whether it's the general manager of the team, they can't go there."

MGM reportedly offered to create a "bubble city" for leagues like the NBA WNBA on the Las Vegas Strip: https://t.co/HfJLcqQfeF

— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) May 2, 2020

The league must also define what an essential worker is. GM's will want medial staff on hand when players are in team gyms to be able to check on their health and well being.

When asked about opening-up Thunder facilities, Sam Presti says "With respect to the May 8 date, what I can say is that the league has stated it's a target date, and we're still a week or so away from that before we even can get there."... "And I think what we've all seen and lived through this experience is that things are changing like literally day by day." 

"We're evaluating that."... "I wouldn't say that we're committed to doing that." 

"We have to work through that a little bit."... "We're going to continue to speak with our players about that whole entire concept of coming back, but the league has given some flexibility, obviously, to the teams to determine what is best for them."

Opening the 2020-21 NBA season in December could potentially get fans into arenas for the most possible games https://t.co/7ydwKo2fsx

— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) May 2, 2020

"And for us, we're operating on the assumption that the league wouldn't be permitting players and staff members back into facilities unless they felt it was absolutely safe."..."With that being said, we still have some time before we would even be able to take that option, and we're going to be thorough in how we look at it."

When it comes to essential personnel, including medical staff, most teams take 40 or 50 people with them on the road. One GM says that number could be cut in half with careful calculation.