Massachusetts started the initial phase of allowing some non-essential businesses to open up this week just as rumors of a July timetable for a return to play target for the NBA began to heat up. While over 20 NBA practice facilities around the league have opened up for individual workouts this week, using strict safety protocols, the Celtics find themselves waiting for direction and approval from the state to open their doors for players in the region.
Currently, less than half of the Celtics roster remain in the Boston area, with several players exiting to offseason homes once the stay-at-home order went into place.
"A lot of guys are in different places," Grant Williams said. "Some guys stayed in Boston, other guys went to other places and either went home to their families or went to places with less regulations so they could stay with gym access and stay in shape."
Multiple reports indicate that those out-of-town players will be recalled to their home market around June 1st for the beginning of a quarantine period for those travelers and likely some authorized group team workouts in their practice facilities to follow. For now though, there are still Celtics like Jayson Tatum, Gordon Hayward and Jaylen Brown that remain in the Boston area and are working out at their own homes. The team remains hopeful the Auerbach Center will open up to them in a matter of days.
“I think that we’re just hoping,” Danny Ainge told Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald. “I mean, we’re hoping it’s any day. We’re just waiting to hear. But everybody’s got their own things they’re doing, so it’ll happen soon enough. ...
“It’s just not that complicated. What we’re trying to do is have one-on-zero workouts. Like, it’s probably the cleanest environment that anybody’s working at in the country, with the sanitization that has to go on and the coaches wearing masks and gloves. I mean, heck, it doesn’t seem that complicated."
While Celtics players have been getting plenty of workout equipment and guidance from the team's coaching staff during the downtime, many of the players are eager to return to the two-year Auerbach Center and the various amenities it offers, assuming it can be done safely.
“I feel like we’re all professionals, and we definitely trust not only each other, but the league,” Williams said in a conference call on Thursday. “They’re going to do their best to protect us. I feel like they wouldn’t ask us to come back unless they had every precaution they needed, and they’re going to keep everything clean and make sure that we’re well put and able to do things that we can, as well as be understanding that guys definitely have those concerns. They’re going to help mitigate the risk as much as possible. I feel like for myself, at least, I know that I can say I trust not only the Celtics and what they’re going to provide with our facility when it’s all set and ready to go, and then same with the league when it comes to wherever we play or when we play, they’re going to have every single thing locked down.”
According to Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie, he hears rumors that the league plans to start authorizing full practice on June 21st with the expected resumption of games at a neutral site such as Orlando or Las Vegas on July 15th. In the meantime, several issues (testing, safety protocols, salary cuts) will need to be hashed out between the players union and owners before both sides given the green light to proceeding with moving forward towards resuming the season. For now, there appears to be far less dissension in player ranks compared to other pro unions about getting on the floor.