Practice facility will open next week
Province relaxes rules, setting stage for players to get back to training
The unique nature of the Raptors’ very existence — the only Canadian-based team in what is otherwise an all-American NBA — is limiting what the team can do now that it has permission for limited workouts for players during the coronavirus pandemic.
Franchise officials said Friday the team will make its practice facility available to players starting Monday — one player at a time instead of the fourman groups the league will allow — but not all can actually take advantage of it.
The province announced Friday it was easing restrictions on Ontario’s professional sports teams to open their doors, subject to municipal guidelines.
“We are pleased to see professional sports teams take a leading role in producing new rigorous protocols to keep their athletes safe, while allowing them to train in a voluntary and individualized manner,” Lisa MacLeod, the minister of heritage, sport, tourism and culture industries, said in a statement. Raptors general manager Bobby Webster said about half of the players on the 17-man roster are still in the Toronto area with others scattered throughout the United States. If those players want to come back, the closed border between Canada and the U.S. and a federal government-mandated 14-day quarantine for anyone entering the country presents an issue.
“We’re trying to be good citizens and follow what’s in place,” Webster said in a conference call Friday. “We have had the discussions (with the Canadian government), but that’s where it is.
“I think we’re not a special interest group and we’re not someone that is looking for any exceptions, so as that rule continues to evolve, we will mirror it as well.”
The question of who comes back, and whether they feel a two-week quarantine is worth it, will be an individual choice. Nothing the league or the Raptors have done this week mandates that players return to the cities where their franchises operate.
“It comes down to each person’s situation and the benefit of them coming back and adhering to the 14-day quarantine ... so they can get in a gym,” Webster said.
“Depending on a guy’s situation, he may say ‘Hey, is a (oneon-none) workout in Toronto a better situation than I currently have?’ ”
Still, some Raptors can start taking advantage of the team’s facilities for the first time since the league went on hiatus March11. There are strict guidelines laid down by the league that include:
The court is the only area that will be used by players and coaches — locker rooms, weight rooms, medical facilities, offices and other areas of the building will remain closed;
Though NBA guidelines allow for four players at a time in practice facilities, the Raptors will only allow one player at a time in the building;
The player will be accompanied by one coach, with no overlap between groups;
Staff members will wear gloves and masks at all times when in the building. Players will wear masks at all times except when on court;
A thorough cleaning of all spaces and equipment, including basketballs, will take place before and after each player uses the building;
Symptom and temperature checks will be done by team medical staff before anyone enters the facility.
“We’ve been talking daily with our doctors and specialists in this area and I think, for the time being, everyone feels comfortable with where we came out.” Webster said.
The decision to allow just one Raptor at a time into the building was made after the team consulting with its medical experts and government officials.
“We thought it allowed our guys to start moving and getting out of their apartment a little bit and ... maybe more for mental health, for them to start shooting and doing things like that,” Webster said.
“We erred on the conservative side of saying let’s have one player in the gym at a time because I do think we’re all going to learn things next week and things may have to change. But we do think, with this very limited opening, we’re comfortable and the experts are comfortable with our process and protocols in place.”
While the NBA has given approval for each of its 30 teams to open their facilities, there is no uniformity on what they will all do. Some opened Friday but some, like the Dallas Mavericks, are leaving their facilities shuttered, while others are waiting until local or statewide stay-athome rules are lifted. And with any decision on a resumption of the season nowhere near, it’s hard to see how a few players getting up shots for an hour or so a day will turn into any major competitive advantage perhaps months down the line.
“I’m not sure it’s a huge competitive advantage. I think other people may have different opinions but, for us … what we’re doing here is we’re opening the gym and one player can go in and they can have one coach on the court but they have to practise physical distancing and wear PPE,” Webster said.
“You can kind of imagine how much of a competitive advantage that is. So if you were to put it on the scope of five-on-five practices or three-on-three, I don’t see it as a huge one.”
Even though the opening of training facilities should be seen as nothing more than a very tiny first step, Webster maintains optimistic the season can resume at some point.
“It’s probably a bit of my nature, but I think that by and large we want to get back to action,” he said.
“And I think it has to be done responsibly and I think it has to be done thoughtfully, and I think that’s what we’re doing.”