NBA delays reopening of facilities
The NBA has pushed back the possible reopening date of some team practice facilities for at least a week until May 8 at the earliest, saying Monday the extra time was needed in part to make sure player training options would be safe and controlled in an effort to try to mitigate the threats caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
The May 8 date is far from firm, the NBA said, warning teams that it “may push this timing back if developments warrant.” The league planned on letting teams reopen facilities Friday, though it decided more time was needed.
But whenever practice courts open — local government clearance is needed in all cases — there will not be an immediate return to normal. A person with knowledge of the league’s plans said players would have to wear face masks inside facilities except when working out, that any staff members present would have to wear face masks and gloves, and that 12 feet would be required between players and staffers working with them.
When teams can reopen, other rules will include no practices or scrimmages, and no coaches can be part of the voluntary workouts.
The NBA suspended the season March 11 after Utah’s Rudy Gobert was the first player to test positive for COVID19. It ordered teams to shutter their facilities eight days later.
The Chicago Bulls hired Philadelphia 76ers executive Marc Eversley to replace fired Gar Forman as general manager.
Sharks plan grants for parttime staff
The Sharks announced a plan to provide grants to 1,800 parttime workers at the team’s arena and practice facility who are unable to work because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Sharks say that ownership, players, coaches, frontoffice staff and corporate partners have pledged more than $200,000 to launch the fund. They are asking fans with available resources to donate at the team’s website to help workers at SAP Center and Sharks Ice facilities in San Jose, Fremont and Oakland.
Sharks ownership will match funds from the online campaign that started Monday and runs through July 25.
The Sharks are paying all fulltime workers who aren’t able to work during shelterinplace rules. They have also paid parttime workers for missed shifts for unplayed games.
Basketball: Forward Filip Petrusev became the third Gonzaga player to declare for the NBA draft. The Zags’ leading scorer and the WCC Player of the Year, Petrusev joins wing
Corey Kispert and guard Joel Ayayi in exploring pro possibilities. None hired an agent, meaning they could return. NHL: The Chicago Blackhawks fired President John McDonough, ending a wildly successful run that included three Stanley Cup championships. Obituary: Harland Svare, a linebacker in the defense that helped take the New York Giants to three NFL championship games in the 1950s, died April 4 at a nursing home in Steamboat Springs, Colo. He was 89. Svare became the youngest head coach in modern NFL history when the Los Angeles Rams hired him in 1962 at 31 years, 11 months, a mark surpassed by the Raiders’ Lane Kiffin (31 years, 8 months) and the Rams’ Sean McVay (30 years, 11 months).