Stevens copes with shutdown
Says all basketball concerns remain secondary right now
Even at such an anxiety-provoking, endangered time, Brad Stevens has found a way to lay it all out in a way that makes sense on a clipboard, or a screen.
The Celtics coach has put together a PowerPoint presentation for his kids, Brady and Kinsley, that illustrates the spread of COVID-19.
“I was just putting together a PowerPoint today to show our kids today where this is nationally, where this is locally in the New England region, and all the ways people are helping and doing their part as we’re kind of sitting in our own little bubble being self-quarantined and isolated,” Stevens said today during his first media conference call since NBA Commissioner Adam Silver suspended the season on March 12.
“I’m trying to do everything that we’re asked to do,” he said. “We get out and we can go for walks, but I haven’t been in my car other than to quickly move it into a new spot in 16 days, or 15 days. But my thoughts are with everybody who’s really facing this thing. You feel so bad.”
Like an increasing number of Americans, Stevens knows someone who has tested positive. Marcus Smart, who Stevens reports is in “great spirits, joking as always,” is one of eight NBA players known to have been infected by the virus.
This naturally drives the international calamity home to even greater effect.
“I think the seriousness was being driven home before we even shut down games,” said Stevens. “I think when people started talking about the media restrictions in the locker room and how close we could be when interviewing — we were all flying to Milwaukee that Wednesday after we played Indiana
thinking we would probably play the Milwaukee game with no fans.
“But obviously that all changed during the Oklahoma City (vs. Utah) game. And I think in a unique way that was a starting point for the whole country in recognizing that. I know a lot of people that have experienced symptoms or that ultimately — throughout this NBA family — that have gotten this. So I think it hit home well before that. But I do think that Wednesday night (when Rudy Gobert tested positive) will be something that we all remember and obviously the days following that as we entered this kind of new world. My heart goes out to all the people (impacted by this).
“We’re calling sitting at home an inconvenience. What a joke. There are so many people that are working so hard every day to try to help our communities and help the sick and putting their own selves at risk. And I think any time you turn on the TV it hits home even more.”
The NBA’s fortunes, in comparison, are secondary in the mind of the Celtics coach. For the moment discussions about resumption of the season – when and if that may be – are happening on a level above Stevens’ job description. For now, he’s good with that.
“Some of that stuff is being brainstormed and bandied about from a 10,000-foot view, and then I’m sure they’ll zero in when some possible scenarios become more clear,” he said. “But you turn on the TV and there’s different viewpoints of how long this is going to take. But anybody speaking scientifically says it is going to take awhile. You see the schools are closed here until May 4, you see all the stay at home advisories. There’s a lot to determine, and you can’t determine any of that until you get a timeline, and it’s almost impossible to get a timeline right now.”
In the meantime, readiness is the keyword for Stevens and his players. The entire concept of selfquarantine has merely redefined how the Celtics attempt to stay in condition.
“There’s all kinds of things going on. There’s been bikes delivered, there’s been the individual weights delivered, there’s some voluntary virtual training sessions,” said Stevens. “Because now, obviously, we can’t do workouts in person because the facilities are closed, so anything basketball related for us right now is just a voluntary strength and conditioning session.
“As a coaching staff, we’ve talked a lot about, we’re keeping a pulse on all of our team and all of our individuals, we’re on Zoom teleconferences a couple of times a week so we can all see each other’s faces and talk about non-basketball things. But we’re like the rest of the world that basketball has taken a far backseat. I think it’s more important right now that we’re a community of coworkers and a community of friends and people that care about each other that get online and make sure we’re all doing OK. So everybody’s checking in every day, either individually and then a couple times – two to three times a week – we’ve already had a couple Zoom conferences this week and we’ll have a couple more next week.”
Eventually, if the season resumes, there may also be the need for a mini-training camp.
“If the facilities were open, if they had access to courts right now around the league, then I would say it would take less time,” said Stevens. “But obviously with that (not) being the case, there’s ultimately going to be a need for (some) kind of reacclimation to just the individual drills, to ramp up your own individual conditioning, which our guys are trying to do as much as they can in their homes and in their apartments and in those type of things right now.
“It’s a better question for our sports scientists and medical staff, but I think it will be interesting. And that’s assuming that we get back to playing. I know they’re bouncing around a ton of scenarios right now, but there’s no doubt that there would be a kind of getting in shape, reacclimation phase that would have to be a part of that.”