Account
Hornets to Reopen Team Facility Tuesday for Voluntary Workouts amid COVID-19
May 25, 2020
The Charlotte Hornets will reopen their team facility Tuesday, allowing players to take part in voluntary workouts, according to Steve Reed of the Associated Press.
The 2019-20 NBA season has been suspended since March 11, but the league first allowed organizations to open team facilities on May 8, local laws permitting. The teams must still adhere to several restrictions, including no more than four players in the facility at a time and no head coach or assistant coaches in attendance during training sessions.
Though only a couple teams opened on the first date available, Marc Stein of the New York Times reported Sunday all but 11 squads have returned.
The NBA announced it plans to restart its season in late July with games likely taking place in Orlando.
Despite the optimism about a return, there is uncertainty about how many teams will compete going forward. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, general managers were asked to complete a survey about how to proceed, whether going straight to the playoffs or resuming a regular season with all 30 teams.
Another option includes a "playoff plus" with as many as 24 teams involved in play-in games ahead of the playoffs.
This could greatly affect the Hornets, who entered the hiatus with a 23-42 record, good for 10th place in the Eastern Conference. Any system with just the 16 playoff teams would exclude Charlotte, but the squad would be involved in most forms of a play-in format.