CEO: Reopening practice facilities first step to resuming
Brown staying in touch with players, says returning helps create routine
Getting Rockets players back to Toyota Center to train at team facilities is the next big step for the NBA, team CEO Tad Brown said Friday.
“The guys are really focused and locked in,” Brown said at event with
Kroger to provide groceries for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Houston, the Association for the Advancement of Mexican Americans, the Houston Urban League and the Chinese Community Center.
“We have a veteran team, and we want to be ready whenever the league comes back,” Brown said.
The NBA, which has been on hiatus since March 12 because of the coronavirus pandemic, said this week that teams could open facilities with several restrictions and guidelines to players on May 8 as long as it met with rules of each team’s respective state.
“Routine is everything for top athletes,” Brown said. “The opportunity to come back and help with that will help a lot.”
Brown said he has stayed in touch with the players during the shutdown.
“They are a group that wants to be ready to pursue their chance at a championship,” Brown said.
The league has no details yet on how, when or if it will resume. Two reported options include playing in a “bubble” environment in either Las Vegas or Orlando.
“Like (NBA commissioner) Adam Silver has said, everything is on the table,” Brown said. “It’s not just us, it’s everything. These are unprecedented times and we will see many options.”
The first step is to let players train at the Rockets facility.
“We all feel like we need to get going … but we want to create a safe environment, first, and follow the advice of health professionals” Brown said.
With the NFL holding a virtual draft last week and the state of Texas reopening in some areas, Brown was optimistic.
“We may see light at the end of the tunnel.”