Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Spoelstra defends pandemic approach
In his first public comments since his team’s Sunday game against the Boston Celtics was postponed due to pandemic protocols and then his roster was reduced to the NBA eight-player minimum for Tuesday night’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers, Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said his team had placed the utmost priority on COVID-19 prevention.
“We take great pride in our organization with our structure, our discipline and how it has applied to the protocols and adherence to everything the NBA has set forth, to be able to do everything we possibly can to keep our players safe and healthy,” Spoelstra said ahead of his team’s Tuesday night game at Wells Fargo Center.
“And we had gone weeks without anything to suggest otherwise. So we take great pride in that. There was some level of understanding that things could happen during this season because it is a reflection of what the virus is doing outside this profession.”
Missing Tuesday’s game due to pandemic protocols for the Heat were Bam Adebayo, Avery Bradley, Jimmy Butler, Goran Dragic, Maurice Harkless, Udonis Haslem, Kendrick Nunn and KZ Okpala.
“The most important thing right now is the players that are not here,” Spoelstra said. “And we do
need to keep this in mind.
“Those [eight] players are safe and they’re healthy. They’re continuing to test. And that’s the most important thing.”
Those eight returned Monday night to South Florida. The earliest any of the eight is expected to return is Saturday’s game against the Detroit Pistons at American Airlines Arena. The Heat’s only intervening game between then and Tuesday’s game is a Thursday rematch against the 76ers at Wells Fargo Center.
With center Meyers Leonard out for Tuesday’s game due to a strained left shoulder, it left the Heat with eight in uniform, the NBA minimum for a game to be played: Precious Achiuwa, Tyler Herro, Andre Iguodala, Kelly Olynyk, Duncan Robinson, Chris Silva, Max Strus and Gabe Vincent.
The NBA on Tuesday instituted aggressive measures to combat the NBA’s increase of COVID19 infection. Among changes newly instituted or updated that are expected to be in place for at least two weeks:
Players and team staff are required to remain at their residence (when the team is in its home market) at all times except to attend team-related activities at the team facility or arena, exercise outside, perform essential activities or as a result of extraordinary circumstances.
Away-from-work interactions are limited to those with household members, family and any personal staff working regularly in the home. When on the road, players and team staff are prohibited from leaving their hotel (other than for team activities or emergencies) or interacting with non-team guests at the hotel.
Any pregame meeting in the locker room is limited to no more than 10 minutes in duration and all attendees must wear a face mask. All other meetings involving players and team staff must continue to occur on the court, in a league-approved space, or at the arena in a room large enough to provide for at least 6 feet of distance between individuals. Meeting attendees must continue to wear facemasks at all times.
For team flights, teams must create a seating plan on planes so that players whose assigned seats are closest to each other on the bench for games are also closest to each other on the team plane.
All treatment sessions at a hotel, such as massages and physical therapy, must occur in a ballroom or other large open space, with at least 12 feet between individual stations. Face masks and face shields are required for all individuals during such sessions.
Players are prohibited from arriving at the arena more than three hours before tipoff. During the pregame and postgame periods, players must limit interactions to elbow or fist bumps, avoid extended socializing and maintain 6 feet of distance as much as possible.
All players must wear face masks on the bench at all times. Upon exiting the game, and prior to returning to the bench, players can sit in “cool down chairs,” arranged at least 12 feet from the bench with each chair 6 feet apart, where facemasks are not required.
Once a player has cooled down, he must return to his assigned seat on the bench and wear a face mask until he enters the game again.
Players must always wear face masks in the locker room, during strength and conditioning activities and when traveling with anyone other than a household member.
Any individual who regularly visits the interior of the home of a player or team staff member for a professional purpose must undergo COVID-19 testing twice per week.
For any team with a positive player case or high-risk staff member case, the NBA may require players and team staff to undergo five consecutive days of twice-per-day, lab-based testing, in addition to daily pointof-care testing.
“The virus is still very much out there,” Spoelstra said. “And I think we have to do everything we possibly can to adhere to protocols, to add new protocols, to be even more vigilant than we ever have been, more disciplined, to be able to proceed and do it in a safe manner.
“The events of the last couple of weeks have proven we need to tighten it up, and even more protocols to do everything we possibly can and make the next decision from there.”