‘Trying to make the most of it’
Celtics settling into life in Disney bubble
Some things inside the Disney Bubble resemble the real world, like the long wait for tee times.
But there is still room for the unusual, like 7-foot-5 Tacko Fall spending part of his off-day this week on a bicycle.
“It was funny because he rode up on us when we were at the pool and we were like, Tacko big-ass on the bike,” said Brad Wanamaker. “So it was funny when he pulled up. But it was great to see him out there trying to enjoy himself, too, though.”
Overall, the Celtics seem to be settling into their protective environment.
“I’ve just been relaxing in my room, for the most part. Playing a video game, talking to a lot of family members,” said Wanamaker. “Over this whole pandemic, I was able to catch up with all the family and friends that I haven’t been talking to as much as I would have liked to. But I’ve been chilling. Went to the pool yesterday with a couple of guys for about five hours. Went on a bike ride with Theis one night, so I’ve been trying to make the most of it.”
And nowhere has there been an inclination, at least for the Celtics, to be tempted by life outside the bubble.
“I know for me, it’s not a problem. I’m cool with it, but we got guys that probably don’t think this is the right thing to do,” said Marcus Smart. “I don’t know the right idea. I don’t think nobody does. This is why it takes everybody to get this done. So us being here, this is our first time ever doing this, so we knew coming into it it was going to be new.
“We knew coming into it that things weren’t going to go as perfectly as planned. I don’t think it was that many guys that were breaking the rules, or trying to break the rules or accidentally broke the rules. Like I said, I don’t think it was that many guys or I don’t even know to the extent of who it was and stuff like that. But we all knew coming into it it was going to be a challenge, and it was all new to everybody. So we’re all trying our best.”
‘Tough to adjust’
The basketball part of life in the NBA bubble has been a little unusual as well.
“I’m pretty different than a lot of players. I’ve been overseas for seven years so I’m used to a lot of downtime in a way, just try to compensate that time,” said Wanamaker. “It’s definitely an adjustment, not being in your normal gym, not having a time you want to go shoot.
“Even at night, we have to fill in with other players on other teams,” he said. “Sometimes, we just got a half court and it’s more guys than usually on the court. We try to make the best of it. We try not to complain as much as we can. We still are in a great situation and the NBA has done a great job, but it’s tough to adjust for some guys more than others for sure.
“From our aspect, we just are working on things that we can improve as a team right now. Getting back into rhythm and guys finding their role again. Just being away from basketball for so long, you come back and want to show coach what you can do. It’s roles on the team and the best teams and players play to their role and fill in. It’s been an adjustment. The first couple of practices was just everyone going at each other and showing what they can do to prove themselves. As the days have gone on, it’s back to getting to your role and doing what you can do to help the team improve.”
Smart feels fine
Smart, the only Celtic to test positive for COVID-19, reports that he hasn’t felt any side effects during the early part of training for the season to resume.
“Me personally, no. I thank God for that. Everything is copacetic for me,” he said. “My breathing is fine, my heart is fine. It just feels good to be back out here. I think I’m back to myself if not even getting back to being where I was before the season stopped. So for me personally, nothing’s wrong. Everything is as normal as it’s going to get.
“Every morning we have to fill out a wellness check that includes your temperature and your oxygen level,” Smart said. “They’re taking all the right measures to try to get a better reading and understanding of what’s going on and to try to detect problems before they become problems. So they’re doing everything in their ability and we’re doing everything in ours to try to get this working and keep it going.”