In a show of solidarity the NBPA agrees to resume the season.
Report: NBA to test players every night upon return – TSN.ca
The NBPA informed players today that NBA/NBPA will conduct coronavirus testing every night during resumed season — likely mouth swabs/light nasal swabs and not full invasive nasal swab. Minimum seven days quarantine for a player if positive.
Charania also reports the league does not plan to shut down the season should a player test positive for the coronavirus. Players are expected to stay inside the league’s bubble environment in Orlando, while families are allowed to enter after the first round of the playoffs.
Meanwhile, Charania also reports the NBPA has unanimously approved a 22-team return to play format beginning July 31 at Disney World. The news comes one day after the league’s board of governors voted 29-1 to approve the NBA’s summer restart plan.
The league and the union will continue to work though a number of details in the next week on the Orlando resumption.
NBA players approve league’s 22-team resumption plan for late July | CBC Sports
The players union responded Friday in a statement, “The Board of Player Representatives of the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) has approved further negotiations with the NBA on a 22-team return to play scenario to restart the 2019-20 NBA season. Various details remain to be negotiated and the acceptance of the scenario would still require that all parties reach agreement on all issues relevant to resuming play.”
According to the NBA’s outlines, the 22 invited teams will each play eight regular-season games at the Walt Disney Resort near Orlando, Fla.
A play-in competition for the last postseason berth in each conference would be held if the ninth-place team winds up within four games of the eighth-place team. The ninth-place team would need to beat the eighth-place team twice in a row to advance, while the eighth-place team would need just one win.
After that, the standard playoff system would be held, with four rounds of best-of-seven series.
The plan is to have training open at the Disney Resort in mid-July, with games to start July 31. Game 7 of the NBA Finals, if necessary, would be Oct. 12.
Among the issues team owners and the union still need to work out is the calendar for the 2020-21 season. The league reportedly wants to start the next season on Dec. 1 after teams hold three-week training camps. However, The Athletic’s Shams Charania tweeted Friday that the Dec. 1 date that the NBPA told players that the Dec. 1 date is “unlikely” to be confirmed, with plans in place to negotiate a different timeframe.
As N.B.A. Mulled Return, Financial Needs Emerged as Central – The New York Times
“I’m not proud of shutting down,” Silver told the players. “I would be proud of finding a path that was safe and as risk-free as possible for us to play. I think that would be much more of an accomplishment than shutting down the league.”
Nearly a month later, Silver and the N.B.A. have committed to a path to putting the game back on hardwood amid evolving attitudes about the risk of the virus nationwide. It materialized in large part through Silver’s strong relationship with the Oklahoma City Thunder guard Chris Paul, the president of the players’ union, and their shared close ties to Robert A. Iger, the executive chairman of Disney, which Silver described on that same conference call as the N.B.A.’s “largest partner.”
Yet just how safe and close to risk-free the return will actually be, when 22 of the league’s 30 teams convene next month at Walt Disney World near Orlando to live and play out the rest of the season, is likely to be determined only once this first-of-its-kind reboot is operational. The N.B.A. has said it is working with infectious disease specialists, public health experts and government officials to establish safety guidelines to minimize the chances that the coronavirus can infiltrate its “campus,” but negotiations with the National Basketball Players Association are ongoing about the depths of the restrictions that will be implemented, which will not be publicly revealed until next week at the earliest.
“It’s a start and a good plan,” Robert Sarver, the owner of the Phoenix Suns, said via text message after his team, six games out of a playoff spot when they last played, was chosen for the restart as the last of 22 invitees.
“But there are a lot of variables — many of which we don’t control,” Sarver added.
“Lots,” said Mark Cuban, the owner of the Dallas Mavericks, echoing Sarver.
CJ McCollum speaks with players association about moving up dates for contact – The Athletic
Sources told The Athletic’s Shams Charania that players will report by June 21, coronavirus testing will be June 22 and training camps will begin June 30.
Before the official practices start, McCollum said he would like players to be allowed to have contact in their personal workouts — at least one-on-one — to expedite the process for those returning from injury. The Blazers, for example, have two key players — big men Jusuf Nurkic and Zach Collins — who will be rejoining the team after long injury rehabilitations.
“We have players that need to get contact in for the last steps of clearance,” McCollum said. “I don’t want anyone to get injured because of having over 100 days of no games.”
McCollum, who is the NBPA vice president, said the union listened to his idea and will discuss it further but added there are complications.
“It’s hard for them to gauge because we aren’t all in a bubble,” McCollum said. “Guys are still going home, coming and going, going to grocery stores, etc. So they are not sure it’s possible to get clearance earlier … until we begin testing. So, I’m still waiting on more confirmation, but it’s looking like no contact or even one-on-one for a bit longer.”
The Blazers will be one of the 22 teams headed to Orlando, where an eight-game schedule will be played. Portland (29-37) is in a three-way tie with New Orleans and Sacramento for ninth place, 3 1/2 games behind Memphis for the eighth and final playoff spot. If after the eight games the gap between eighth and ninth place is four games or fewer, the eighth- and ninth-place teams will face each other for the final playoff spot, with the eighth-place team needing to win one game and the ninth-place team needing to win two games.
Toronto Raptors superfan joins in drive to donate 273 meals to Vaughan group homes | YorkRegion.com
“There are roughly 600 staff (who work in Reena) and approximately 20 people attended yesterday’s event,” DeFrancesa’s office said. “The meals were served to the front-line workers.”
The meals were also prepared by the Kosher Pickle and were served along with fresh fruit donated by Longo’s Supermarket and water donated by Allmart Distributing.
The event also saw support coming from Toronto Raptors SuperFan Nav Bhatia to show solidarity with the local front-line workers.
Bhatia is a GTA businessman who leads a charitable foundation and works closely with Reena Community Residence in Thornhill, and other Reena facilities in York Region.
Established in 1973, Reena has been caring for people with developmental disabilities within a framework of Jewish culture and values.
Oshae Brissett Just Became A Dad And The Baby Pics Are Too Sweet – Narcity
Some great news to brighten your day. Toronto Raptor Oshae Brissett just announced the arrival of his baby girl. The Mississauga-raised athlete posted the first pictures of his newborn with a heartwarming caption.
“Ellai Aria Brissett. With everything that’s going on, the lord blessed me with the best gift possible. I promise to protect you forever,” the 22-year-old wrote.
His post shows three sweet pictures of him holding baby Ellai and enjoying his time being a dad.
“I promise to be the best daddy ever,” he writes.
His teammates extended their well-wishes and congratulations, including Fred VanVleet, who dropped a big ole’ heart emoji in the comments.
Nike Shox BB4 Black Court Purple CD9335-002 | SneakerNews.com
After playing an illustrious 22 seasons in the league, Vince Carter is certainly going to go down in the history books as one of the greatest NBA players to ever set foot on the hardwood. And while he didn’t quite get the storybook ending and standing ovations he deserved, Nike has decided to celebrate the hoops veteran with a Raptors-inspired colorway of his Shox BB4 as a proper send off. Essentially an alternate version of the white colorway that debuted back in August 2019, this forthcoming pair composes its upper with black leathers that deviate in textures between smooth on the heightened panels and tumbled on the lower half. For the latter, you’ll notice that a nod to the Toronto franchise is graphically executed as tonal claw decorations rest along the lateral/medial walls. Accents are found down the throat/heels which feature three-toned striped banners that alternate in Raptors team colors, as well as on the Shox pistons which are treated with “Court Purple” exteriors. For loyal “Air Canada” fans thinking about adding these to your collection, you can expected them to drop in select Asia retailers on June 15th, but sit tight as stateside drop on Nike.com is likely to occur in the coming weeks.
Serge Ibaka reflects back on Raptors Championship one year later | @ Home – Sportsnet.ca
Danielle Michaud recently spoke with Serge Ibaka for Basketball Central. They discussed how Serge has been keeping himself busy, keeping fit, as well as reflecting on winning a Championship nearly a year later.
