What isn’t a preexisting, underlying condition?
Windhorst’s comments:
“Most of what the NBA is working on right now is trying to get their teams back into gyms so they can start talking about the season. The draft could come in the fall, it depends on how things go.
Testing, testing, testing. I know (Adrian Wojnarowski) said 15,000 tests, the experts I talked to for this story said it could be closer to 100,000 because you have to keep an eye on the testing. And right now, the NBA is not interested at all in taking any tests that would go away from somebody who wants a test or would need a test. They sent a memo to their teams last night instructing them, unless your players or staff are sick, do not even seek a test. And here we are, six weeks off the NBA playing its last game, and they’re no closer to where they need to be in terms of being tested.
We did a lot of work, and we determined in talking to dozens of people that you’d need 1,500 people, from hotel maids to scoreboard operators, to the coaches and players themselves. Here’s the issue, Sage — the NBA is not interested right now in a bubble where they could not bring their families in. League sources and officials told me that.
So without the testing, which you’d need to get everybody in the bubble, and without the expansive testing that you’d need to get the family in, the NBA is not ready to go there right now. They’re not in a rush, and that is guiding their way forward.”
MGM Group pitch to complete coronavirus-hit NBA season in Las Vegas: Report
MGM Resorts International has pitched a proposal to the NBA to complete the coronavirus-halted 2019-20 season on courts in Las Vegas convention centres, the New York Times reported.
The plan, according to the newspaper, would have players and their families, plus other essential personnel, stay in a quarantined area in MGM hotels along the Las Vegas Strip while practicing and competing on courts in the same facilities.
Players and broadcasters would have access to the usual resort facilities while in the protected area under the plan by MGM, which has 13 Vegas resort properties.
The plan would convert MGM convention centers into 24 basketball courts, five of them equipped with cameras to permit television coverage, and players would reside in connected or nearby hotels.
ESPN has reported the NBA is looking at a similar quarantined area in Orlando involving hotels and courts in private Disney World areas.
The NBA halted its season in March after Utah’s Rudy Gobert tested positive for the virus and the league has announced no plan for resuming games or even a timetable for returning to competition.
GMs concerned about coronavirus risk for older coaches, staff if NBA resumes play
One NBA general manager, speaking on the condition of anonymity, pointed to the age of the team’s head coach and others on the staff and said he would feel uneasy about those coaches being present for games, given the factors that place some people at a higher risk for serious issues because of the virus.
“I don’t want to put them in harm’s way,” the general manager said.
Another general manager echoed the point regarding team staffers who might be at a high risk because of underlying health conditions or their age. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said that adults over 65 are at a higher risk of severe illness or death from COVID-19.
“Based on all the information that we have today, probably people over 60 with preexisting conditions can’t go, for sure, no matter what their titles are,” the second general manager said. “Whether it’s a father of the star player or whether it’s the general manager of the team, they can’t go there.”
The first general manager said these issues apply to staff beyond coaches.
“I worry about those guys,” the general manager said. “That’s an exposure that I don’t think we can afford.”
The first GM also said that what an individual is essential for must be defined, from player health to broadcasting to other elements of behind-the-scenes production.
Jimmy Butlers reaction to Kawhi’s Game 7 shot
25 little-known facts about Toronto Raptors jerseys – Raptors HQ
An Origin Story
1. The inaugural Raptors jersey was to be the “Happy Meal box of jerseys.”When John Bitove sat down with NBA Creative Director, Tom O’Grady, to create the inaugural logo and jersey, he wanted the design to appeal to women, kids, and new Canadians. Toronto was very much a hockey town, so Bitove wanted to go in a different direction with the Raptors, “Let the old white guys follow hockey, but we’re going to get the next generation.” He wanted O’Grady to create something that elicited the same feelings children associated to Disney World (Mickey Mouse) and McDonald’s (Happy Meal).
2. O’Grady drew inspiration from the Charlotte Hornets logo
He appealed to the cartoon look of the Hornet and especially liked the use of teal. That was a big reason why the original sketches included some vibrant, rarely utilized colours.
3. Dye sublimation played a huge role in the jersey’s design
The Raptors joined the league during the rise of dye sublimation — printing images directly onto the jersey, instead of stitching. This allowed O’Grady more creative space to make Bitove’s wishes a reality.
Raptors awards: handing out hardware for the paused 2019-20 season – Sportsnet.ca
MVP – Pascal Siakam
Pascal Siakam came into the season expected to be the best player on the team, took the challenge on and ended up becoming just that.
His growth into the Raptors’ No. 1 option has been a roller-coaster, with times where he’s looked comfortable roasting opponents for 30-plus points, and others where he’s seemed lost as to how to make the adjustment to being atop opposing teams’ scouting reports, and unable to get uncorked when double teams come his way.
Through it all, he’s battled and learned from his mistakes enough to not only become the team’s leading scorer, but also probably its most all-around efficient player as his 18.7 PER leads the club for players who have logged at least 725 minutes this season.
Defensive Player of the Year – OG Anunoby
Snakebit by extenuating circumstances, such as injury and personal matters, during his first two campaigns, OG Anunoby was in the midst of his best season as a pro, playing in 63 of the team’s 64 games, averaging career-highs in scoring, rebounds and assists, and shooting the ball both from the field and beyond the arc better than ever.
Most pertinent to this award, however, is the fact Anunoby looked to have taken the first major step in realizing his massive potential on the defensive end of the ball.
Anunoby has been Toronto’s most consistent defender and it’s on this end where his value to the team has proven the greatest.
His 3.3 defensive win shares – a stat that estimates the amount of wins a player contributes because of their defence – lead the Raptors and his plus-1.8 defensive box plus/minus – an advanced statistic that estimates the defensive points per 100 possessions a player contributed above a league-average player – is second only to Marc Gasol’s plus-2.7, among players with at least 990 minutes.
And to put that stat into greater context, the 1,897 minutes Anunoby has logged is nearly double Gasol’s time on court, meaning his defensive impact on the Raptors is still probably greater in the long-term.
