Opening Up NBA Practice Facilities is Just a False Beacon of Hope
By Liam McKeone
Over the weekend, news broke that the NBA would consider allowing teams to re-open their practice facilities in states that have relaxed stay-at-home orders put in place to prevent spread of the coronavirus. On Monday, a series of reports emerged that the league faced pushback from multiple teams over the idea as the Atlanta Hawks said they wouldn't be re-opening their facility despite relaxed restrictions in Georgia.
Hawks President of Basketball Operations/GM Travis Schlenk tells ESPN that Hawks won’t be opening team facility to players Friday. “We are going to wait and see what happens in the state over the couple of weeks,” Schlenk tells ESPN. Georgia relaxed stay-at-home policies.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 27, 2020
NBA has received significant pushback from teams about idea of re-opening practice facilities in selected states and municipalities, team officials tell ESPN. Competive balance hasn't been issue -- player/staff safety has. Teams are still awaiting a more detailed NBA plan today.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 27, 2020
There's some expectation the NBA could move that re-opening date back from Friday -- perhaps a week or so -- especially with Hawks now holding off on re-opening their facility until they have a better sense of how loosening of restrictions impacts region. https://t.co/0vsP7L6WJT
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 27, 2020
Despite pushback among many franchises, there are still other teams embracing idea of re-opening facilities, believing that a clean, safe and monitored team environment is needed now to keep players from potentially searching out less safe gymnasium environments to stay in shape.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 27, 2020
This idea was always just going to be a beacon of false hope for all of us scanning the horizon, desperate for any indication sports may return. Putting aside the issue of competitive balance, letting teams go back to the facility wouldn't bring us any closer to normalcy as we once knew it. States that do have relaxed stay-at-home orders are doing so against the advisement of medical experts; allowing teams to return to their facilities implicitly rewards those states and sends the message that things are on the up-and-up.
They aren't. Not really. We're still a long ways from feeling safe while out and about, much less bringing back a massive operation like a basketball game. I'm sure opening practice facilities can be done safely; as Shams Charania reports, the league has already laid out specific rules and regulations for the teams that choose to do so.
Sources: When NBA’s facilities open as soon as May 8, players must wear facemasks at all times, except when in physical activity; staffers working with players must wear gloves; physical distancing of at least 12 feet.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 27, 2020
The NBA also informed franchises that players must conduct a resting ECG and troponin test before they resume engaging in activities at facility. https://t.co/FiRXGVnGhD
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 27, 2020
But, sadly, this doesn't mean anything. Some NBA teams have the option of using their facilities while the fans are all still supposed to stay indoors. That's nice and certainly a step in the right direction, but it's a small, tiny step. We all want this to be a sign of better times ahead. I do, too. I wish I wasn't writing this. But we all are better off buckling up and putting our heads down instead of investing our hope for sports in this.