Warriors: Team may resume workouts at Chase Center soon
The Warriors are expected to follow city guidelines and reopen their facilities in the coming days, an NBA source told The Chronicle.
Since Golden State shut down Chase Center in midMarch to help curtail the spread of the coronavirus, the team has maintained that it would follow Mayor London Breed’s lead in terms of reopening for voluntary workouts. Though the Warriors don’t know whether or not they’ll play another game this season, they plan to soon start allowing players at the facilities to get
up shots, undergo treatment and lift weights — all while following socialdistancing protocols.
This decision comes after Breed’s announcement Thursday that San Francisco will allow professional sports practices, games and tournaments with no spectators beginning June 15. Under the city’s reopening guidelines, approved professional sports practices can actually happen before June 15.
The Warriors hope to get approval from a county health official to resume voluntary workouts, which could come as early as next week. What is known is that, even though Golden State will start to train at Chase Center soon, it won’t host any games in the near future.
The NBA is targeting a return to play in July or August at Florida’s Walt Disney World without fans, which could push the start of next season back until around Christmas. That means that Chase Center might endure a ninemonth hiatus between NBA games.
The league already has around a dozen teams conducting voluntary workouts, but the Warriors are in an area dealing with a higher number of coronavirus cases than other NBA cities. San Francisco has had more than 2,400 confirmed cases.
The Chase Center will be an important resource for Warriors players who’ve struggled to find places to work out and get up shots. Given that gyms are closed and many of Golden State’s players live in San Francisco apartments, they’ve had to get creative to stay in game shape, working out on their own, asking friends for permission to use private gyms and even joining the franchise’s Peloton group.