Baynes focused on safety after COVID recovery
Players, staff will need constant reminders about guidelines, Nurse says
The spectre of COVID-19 will hover over the NBA to some extent for the entire season to come. The risk of getting it, the repercussions of a large outbreak and the cost it exacts from individuals who are infected and their family members will be a constant.
Raptors centre Aron Baynes knows what that is like. He was “knocked on his butt” by the coronavirus in July and he can make a firsthand case to his new teammates on just how important it is to follow protocols, to conduct themselves with equal parts caution and awareness, and to be worried about those around them as much as themselves.
“It’s something we take serious to this day and try to practise the best possible isolating and cleaning (protocols) and looking after ourselves and doing the same for others,” Baynes said in a video conference call Tuesday. “We don’t want to put others in the same position that
our family went through, even though at the end of the day they were mostly asymptomatic — a couple little things, but they were more on the very mild side.
“Myself, I was symptomatic and had some things that knocked me on my butt. Thankfully, I’m fit and have a good diet, so I was able to overcome it.”
Compounding Baynes’ illness in the summer — he tested positive in July and missed the NBA restart of the 2018-19 season —
was the fact he wife was pregnant at the time and one of their children suffers from asthma. It made him acutely aware of the trickle-down dangers of the insidious disease, an awareness he feels today, especially since the couple’s latest child was born this week in Florida.
“The worst thing about it was the stress of initially not knowing if I was going to pass it on to my family, not knowing if they were going to get extremely sick and what the repercussions were going to be on their end,” he said. “It was just complete dread and scared as to what was going to happen for them, for their safety.”
Safety is paramount in all facets of Baynes’ life now, and is first and foremost with the entire Raptors organization.
Three unnamed members of the team’s Florida-based entourage are in isolation today after testing positive for COVID-19, hammering home the seriousness of the still-raging pandemic.
While the players were able to get in a spirited full-contact training camp workout Tuesday, coach Nick Nurse said there will need to be nearly constant reminders of following rules laid down by the NBA to make sure as many people stay as safe as possible.
“Wake-up call might just be a little too strong, but it does add a sense of awareness,” Nurse said of the positive tests. “I think a lot of things do. You look around and see something happen in another sport, or another team, or college, or whatever, and you’re kind of getting these awareness reminders because it’s kind of what’s going on.
“That’s the way things are moving in the world of sports right now. But, yeah, it hits a little closer to home … Do I get in front of the team and have some commentary on it? Yeah, I do, and that’s probably because of those results coming in. I envision myself having to do that, not every day but maybe every other.”
There is no information on whether any of the three infected Raptors personnel are players — the team cites privacy concerns in keeping names out of the public realm — but dealing with absences is something the Raptors are well versed in.
The scope and seriousness may have been different, but they went through an injury ravaged 2019-20 season and thrived, posting the best regular-season winning percentage in franchise history.
“I think as we all look around, this pandemic in the sports world and other sports and things, there’s obviously a lot going on and not much you can prepare for other than say, ‘Hey, let’s stay flexible and do the best we can,’” Nurse said.
“When something comes up, do the best we can. I know that’s a pretty simple answer, but that’s the way I look at it.”