The NBA is allowing teams to begin reopening their practice facilities for controlled individual workouts beginning today, and while only three clubs – the Trail Blazers, Cavaliers, and Nuggets – are doing so immediately, others will follow suit next week. The Raptors are the latest team to join that group, announcing today that they’ll reopen their practice facility on a limited basis starting on Monday, May 11.
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The “strict protocols” outlined by the Raptors in their press release are even more restrictive than the guidelines the NBA has provided to teams. While the league allows for up to four players at a time in practice facilities, the Raptors will permit just one player in their building at a time, according to the team. A single coach will be allowed to accompany the player.
Additionally, the Raptors stress in their announcement that activities which can be done at home – such as weight lifting – won’t be permitted at their facility. The basketball court is the only area that will be open, with locker rooms, weight rooms, medical facilities, and other areas of the building staying closed.
As some teams around the NBA begin to reopen their practice facilities for voluntary workouts, others are continuing to play it safe, with Mavericks owner Mark Cuban suggesting this week that he’s apprehensive about allowing players back into Dallas’ building until the league permits coronavirus testing on asymptomatic individuals.
Although the Raptors’ stance isn’t as extreme as Cuban’s, the measures they’ve implemented as they prepare to reopen their facility suggest they feel the NBA’s safety guidelines could – or should – have gone even further.