Account
Cavaliers Plan to Reopen Practice Facility Friday for Limited Workouts
May 6, 2020
The Cleveland Cavaliers are planning to reopen their practice facility on a limited basis Friday amid the coronavirus pandemic, a team spokesman told the New York Times' Marc Stein.
Marc Stein @TheSteinLineThe Cavaliers, according to a team spokesman, will indeed make their practice facility open to players Friday for voluntary workouts ... once the league makes it official and allows facilities to re-open in states (like Ohio) where shelter-in-place restrictions have been eased
Cleveland.com's Chris Fedor, who first reported the news, noted that the NBA set Friday as the date that teams in cities with softened stay-at-home orders can begin to open their facilities under strict guidelines.
Cavaliers general manager Koby Altman and the team's medical staff reportedly informed players during Zoom calls Wednesday that the facility will open back up for individual workouts. While the Cavs are reopening, Fedor reported that not all teams are going to follow suit even if they are located in areas in which opening their facilities would be permitted.
Everyone who has access to the practice facility will have to adhere to strict protocol upon arriving at the building. Per Fedor, those attempting to enter will get their temperature taken and have to answer questions about how they're feeling, where they've been and who they've been around.
According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the NBA has told teams not to test asymptomatic players for COVID-19. Instead, the league has provided teams with updated information on cardiac screening for players if needed.
Under the guidelines, a maximum of four players can be in the facility at any given time, and they must be socially distant from one another. Also, everyone in the building must wear masks at all times, with the exception of the players during physical activity.
While head coach J.B. Bickerstaff and his primary assistants won't be allowed to participate in the workouts, players will be permitted to have developmental coaches present if they desire, per Fedor.
The Cavs will reportedly break down their workouts into two-hour windows from Monday through Thursday, with players able to work on the court and in the weight room.
The reopening of some practice facilities is the first of many steps toward potentially resuming the 2019-20 season, which was suspended in March after Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for the coronavirus.
No concrete plans are in place for when and under what circumstances the season could resume, but there were well over 200 total regular-season games left to be played plus the playoffs.
Unless the NBA decides to go with a revised playoff system that will give every team a chance to qualify for the postseason, the Cavs will miss out for the second consecutive year, as they are last in the Eastern Conference at 19-46.