Potential “immunity certificates” and increased testing nationwide could create a clearer picture of the NBA’s likelihood of finishing this season.
The NBA wants to finish this season. These medical experts know how that can happen —
NHL official says number of cities offer to host neutral-site playoff games: report The NHL will have no shortage of possible venues if the season resumes as several cities across North America have reportedly volunteered as hosts for neutral-site playoff games, according to a report. via FOX NEWS https://ift.tt/34v1nh4
FOX NEWS: NHL official says number of cities offer to host neutral-site playoff games: report — Auto World
The NHL will have no shortage of possible venues if the season resumes as several cities across North America have reportedly volunteered as hosts for neutral-site playoff games, according to a report.
NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said during an interview with ESPN Friday that the league has been contacted by a number of cities offering to host 2019-2020 playoff games if the season resumes.
EDMONTON OILERS’ COLBY CAVE DEAD AT 25, FAMILY ANNOUNCES
“We do have people putting together the comprehensive laundry list of what we would need from facilities and evaluating some facilities on some level,” Daly said. “But I can’t tell you we’ve even finished creating a list [of potential sites], much less narrowed it down.”
According to the report, the locations include arenas in Grand Forks, N.D.; Manchester, N.H., and Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
The season was suspended March 12 with 189 regular-season games remaining. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said Tuesday that finishing those games would be the “best” solution but given the current circumstances surrounding the coronavirus pandemic that “may not be possible.”
Daly told ESPN there’s no table as to when the league will decide if it’s going to play out the rest of the season or move forward with the playoffs.
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“We’re just starting to get our minds around that,” he said. “It’s kind of a combination of things, like when we can start a regular season [in 2020-2021] and how much time we need for an offseason, and then what does the playoff format look like, in terms of knowing what you need to have a regular season.”
He added: “It may not be on the calendar a real long way away, but it is on a decision tree, a real long way away.”
The Dalglish family released the following statement to supporters regarding Sir Kenny Dalglish on Friday: Sir Kenny was admitted to hospital on Wednesday, April 8 for treatment of an infection which required intravenous antibiotics. In keeping with current procedures, he was subsequently tested for COVID-19 despite having previously displayed no symptoms of the illness. Unexpectedly,…
Kenny Dalglish, Liverpool Legend, Tests Positive For COVID-19 — NESN.com
Gordon Hayward has more than just himself to worry about when it comes to the coronavirus pandemic. The Boston Celtics forward and his wife, Robyn, have three young daughters and she’s expecting the couples fourth child — their first boy. Robyn is considered to be high-risk when it comes to COVID-19, and Gordon revealed he…
Celtics’ Gordon Hayward Was ‘A Little Nervous’ About Coronavirus Outbreak — NESN.com
Gordon Hayward has more than just himself to worry about when it comes to the coronavirus pandemic. The Boston Celtics forward and his wife, Robyn, have three young daughters and she’s expecting the couple’s fourth child — their first boy. Robyn is considered to be high-risk when it comes to COVID-19, and Gordon revealed he and his wife were a bit nervous once the NBA indefinitely suspended its season due to the virus.
“We were definitely a little nervous about the whole thing,” Gordon said on a conference call, via MassLive’s Tom Westerholm. “Definitely didn’t want to let her — I mean anybody, but specifically her — get the virus because of the baby and we didn’t know what could exactly happen with that. So we were just very pre-cautious with everything and I didn’t go anywhere or isolate myself or anything besides just being at the house. But I did — our doctor said, ‘Not as many hugs, not as many snuggles,’ until we can figure out if I’m positive or negative. So that’s kind of what we did until we got back the results.”
Marcus Smart was the only member of the C’s to test positive for the virus. He since has recovered. And while this is giving Gordon some extra time with his wife and daughters, we’re sure he, along with the other NBA players, are missing the game they love.
Read more at: https://nesn.com/2020/04/celtics-gordon-hayward-was-a-little-nervous-about-coronavirus-outbreak/
One thing hasn’t changed about this not-very-normal new normal: LeBron James setting the tone. Even from home, James’ perspective has been sought regularly by Lakers Coach Frank Vogel and General Manager Rob Pelinka, the latter said. “Everybody knows that LeBron is a pro’s pro,” Pelinka said on a recent Zoom call with reporters. “The way…
LeBron James leading the Lakers even during coronavirus shutdown — Press Telegram
“Everybody knows that LeBron is a pro’s pro,” Pelinka said on a recent Zoom call with reporters. “The way he dedicates himself to his profession is unparalleled and has been in this time. And in terms of what he does on a daily basis … I know he’s been committed to leadership, he’s been committed to continuing to inspire his teammates.
“Anthony Davis has also done that. It’s a special group of guys. They want to stay connected, they want to stay ready. If we’re fortunate enough or blessed enough that the health officials and the league find a way for us to get back to playing basketball, I know from a physical standpoint and a mindset standpoint, those two guys will be as good as any athlete in the world at staying mentally and physically ready.”
And mentally, James expressed a determination to remain upbeat, sounding not like a leader of the Lakers alone, but a leader in a broader sense.
“I think for me, mentally, I’m always pretty optimistic about everything. I feel like there’s always greener on the other side of the fence,” James said on a different Zoom call Wednesday. “I believe that this is a roadblock for all of us, not only as Americans, but for the world. This is a roadblock, it’s a test for all of us. It’s a test of our mental side, our spiritual side, it’s a test for everything.
“We grew so comfortable with how we live our life that it’s now time to take a pause. I’m very optimistic about not only just basketball, but sport. It’s not just about the Lakers, it’s not just about the NBA, but it’s everything.”
That said, James is very much in tune with what’s happening with his team – which was 49-14 and sitting atop the Western Conference standings at the start of this unprecedented pause, brought about by the pandemic that’s killed more than 100,000 people worldwide.
Donovan Mitchell has overcome COVID-19, the bout with the virus might prove to have a lasting impact on the Jazz guard. Saturday will mark one month since the NBA officially put the 2019-20 NBA season on pause. The decision came after it was revealed Utah big man Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19. Days prior…
NBA Rumors: Donovan Mitchell ‘Reluctant’ To Mend Fences With Rudy Gobert — NESN.com
Donovan Mitchell has overcome COVID-19, the bout with the virus might prove to have a lasting impact on the Jazz guard. Saturday will mark one month since the NBA officially put the 2019-20 NBA season on pause.
The decision came after it was revealed Utah big man Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19. Days prior to the positive test, Gobert seemingly mocked the severity of the virus by touching all the microphones at a media availability and he reportedly was careless in the locker room as well. Mitchell turned in a positive COVID-19 test one day after his All-Star teammate. But despite both players being cleared of the virus for weeks now, their relationship reportedly remains fractured, per a report from The Athletic.
“The Jazz have already begun working on the Mitchell-Gobert relationship, but sources say Mitchell remains reluctant to fix what might have been broken,” the report reads. The Athletic also was told by a source that the Mitchell-Gobert relationship “doesn’t appear salvageable.”
It will be difficult for all players and teams across the league to pick up where they left off whenever the NBA deems it is safe enough to resume play. But judging from The Athletic’s report, it sounds like it will be particularly challenging for the Jazz, who held the fourth seed in the Western Conference prior to the pause.
Read more at: https://nesn.com/2020/04/nba-rumors-donovan-mitchell-reluctant-to-mend-fences-with-rudy-gobert/
A poll from Seton Hall University found 72 percent of respondents wouldn’t attend sporting events until a COVID-19 vaccine is devleoped.
Poll says 72 percent of Americans would not attend games until coronavirus vaccine developed — HardballTalk | NBC Sports
A poll conducted by The Sharkey Institute at Seton Hall University found that 72 percent of respondents would not attend sports games until a cure for coronavirus (COVID-19) is developed. 12 percent would attend if social distancing practices were instituted and 13 said they would attend, feeling as safe as they had prior to the pandemic.
The sample size was 762 respondents, 348 of which responded from a landline phone and 414 responded via cell phone.
76 percent of respondents felt the leagues acted at the right time to shut down operations and an additional 16 percent felt that the leagues didn’t act quickly enough. Also of interest, 76 percent of fans said they would have the same interest in sports even if they are played without fans.
This poll is of interest, of course, to those running national sports leagues, including Major League Baseball. In recent days, we have learned that MLB was considering having an abbreviated schedule play out entirely in Arizona. Other ideas floated have included running the schedule deep into the fall, playing in largely warm-weather areas, and making use of frequent doubleheaders. Sports leagues and their associated business interests are losing money every day due to the pandemic, so it is understandable why many are willing to get creative to put on a show.
Auston Matthews can’t say why reality dating shows appeal to him, finds it “cool and humbling” to be in the same conversation with superstar Alex Ovechkin, and isn’t surprised that Sheldon Keefe doesn’t have a Netflix account. Read More
Leafs’ Matthews misses game, but it’s ‘irrelevant when we’re talking about human lives’ — Toronto Sun
Auston Matthews can’t say why reality dating shows appeal to him, finds it “cool and humbling” to be in the same conversation with superstar Alex Ovechkin, and isn’t surprised that Sheldon Keefe doesn’t have a Netflix account.
Matthews, who was on track for a 50-goal season with the Maple Leafs when the COVID-19 pandemic caused the National Hockey League to go on pause on March 12, joined the media on a conference call on Thursday from his home in Arizona and touched on a variety of issues.
While the conversation was light-hearted at times, the 22-year-old Matthews didn’t waver from the fact that what he is paid millions of dollars to do — put the puck in the net and help lead the Leafs to wins — diminishes greatly in the wake of what’s happening on a global scale.
“Anybody would love to be playing hockey and be able to live a normal life, but this thing is bigger than sports, bigger than a lot of things,” Matthews said. “The most important thing is being safe and trying to stay as healthy as possible.
“It’s frustrating and disappointing to have this season go on pause, but when you think about being really close to scoring 50 goals, it all becomes irrelevant when we’re talking about human lives and what kinds of things are going on around the world.”
Matthews had 47 goals, one less than NHL leaders Ovechkin and David Pastrnak, when the NHL put a halt on the 2020-21 schedule. The Leafs were in third place in the Atlantic Division with 81 points, three up on the Florida Panthers, and had 12 games remaining.
Among the topics Matthews — who has Leafs teammate Frederik Andersen as a house guest during the pause — discussed with reporters on Thursday (some questions and answers have been edited for length):
♦ Keefe was saying recently he wants his players to come back as better versions of themselves. How do you address that and what facilities do you have at home for keeping in shape?
MATTHEWS: It’s tough to have all the resources you would have if we were all training in the summer. I’ve been watching some video, watching clips, trying to stay as active as possible while respecting social distancing. I’ve been shooting pucks and stick-handling. I have free weights and I have a sport court being built. I have rollerblades. I’m trying to do everything I can to stay in shape and try to not lose that focus.
♦ Assuming the NHL finishes the regular season, how much would it mean to you to (possibly) score more goals than Ovechkin?
MATTHEWS: It’s pretty cool and humbling to be in the same conversation as a guy like him. He has been a generational player and has made a big impact beyond the game and led the way for lots of players. Hopefully, we get back to playing hockey and can compete again. There is unfinished business considering we have 12 games left to play and there is close races for spots in the playoffs. But like I said, this is bigger than sport.
♦ If the season doesn’t resume, how will you wrap this season up if we go right to 2020-21?
MATTHEWS: That’s a scenario that we would all not like to see happen. If that’s the case, there were lots of ups and downs, lots of growth and room for growth. We had our fair share of adversity. That kind of stuff builds character and leadership and all that, but hopefully, hypothetically speaking, (going right into next season) doesn’t happen.
♦ Brendan Shanahan was saying recently that on the upside you guys responded from having your backs up against the wall quite regularly, including your last game where you beat the Lightning. On the downside, he was wondering why this team had a tendency to put its back against the wall so often. Thoughts on that?
MATTHEWS: I don’t really know how to answer that. For a big part of the season, starts for us were a bit of an issue … trying to have more of a killer mentality and a killer instinct to start games no matter who we’re playing, making sure we’re all ready. That should be taken upon the leaders to set that example. I think all of that showed a bit of an immature side of us, but I think that’s all stuff that can be fixed. It’s more of a mentality than anything.
♦ It’s looking like the NHL draft will have to be done either online or remotely or at a hotel if distancing rules get relaxed. As a No. 1 pick (in 2016), do you feel for guys like Alexis Lafreniere or Quinton Byfield who won’t get to hear their names called the way that you did?
MATTHEWS: Hearing your name called and going up there, getting your jersey, it’s all extremely surreal. It’s an experience that you dream of as a kid and if that’s not the case, it’s going to be tough. In the long run, they’re going to be great players in this league, and hopefully they’ll have more memories and experiences to cherish.
♦ Have you envisioned what it might be like playing in an empty rink, because there’s a high probability of that happening if we are to squeeze in the playoffs?
MATTHEWS: It would feel kind of weird. Fans are such a huge part of the game and not only inside the arena, but when we’ve got the playoffs going on and we’ve got Maple Leaf Square and everybody out there, the atmosphere shifts to another level. It would definitely be pretty strange to be playing in an empty arena with no crowds and no noise or atmosphere.
♦ Keefe said he is binging on the Leafs and that he doesn’t have a Netflix account. Does it surprise you that he hasn’t shut his brain off? And what — other than an apparently relentless work ethic — stood out to you about his first few months on the job?
MATTHEWS: No, that’s not really too surprising. Since he has taken over, his work ethic and his commitment to the players and the team — not just on a hockey level but on a personal level — has been amazing. I think he has been great. Everybody has been really receptive to him and I think he has been extremely receptive to us. That’s all you can really ask for. The fact that he has continued to watch film and find different ways for the team to be better, areas of weaknesses and strengths, that’s just a commitment to be the best coach he can be.
♦ Has your mind wandered to idea that the end of the pause might not happen in (or before) September and we’re looking at a lot longer than the next several months?
MATTHEWS: You never know what the case is or what’s going to happen. It’s just important that everybody is really practising social distancing and staying healthy. When the time comes, we can get back on the ice again and health officials and everybody declares it’s a go. There are a lot of hypotheticals, so it’s tough to really pinpoint what the situation is going to be.
♦ On a lighter note, it has been noted that you are a great devotee to various dating shows on TV — Love is Blind, Love Island. Have you been able to turn Freddie on to those and what is the appeal of watching these shows?
MATTHEWS: The first one I watched was Love is Blind. It was just on Netflix and it was just right there so I clicked it and started watching it. I just binge-watched it. I don’t really know what the appeal is. Freddie will only watch a couple of episodes (of Love Island) before he leaves the room and goes somewhere else. It’s pretty awful but I’m in deep now so I can’t really turn back.
♦ I’m wondering if you caught any of the old NHL games that have been broadcast (during the pause), and what you thought about the goaltending equipment of the 1970s and 1980s, and the hooking and holding of the 1990s?
MATTHEWS: With all of the speed and skill and the talent, the young talent that’s in the league now, I feel like this is the most exciting hockey that has been played, but it’s pretty cool to watch old games. I’m a big equipment guy so to see the guys using their wooden sticks and the goaltending gear … Even the way they goaltended back then compared to now, it’s pretty cool to see how far it’s all come together. Where the game is at, it’s extremely exciting to be a part of and playing right now.
♦ You said you’ve been working on your shot. Is Freddie in net for those practice sessions and is there a bit of a competitive rivalry going on?
MATTHEWS: No, he’s not going in the net. I wouldn’t do that to him. He’s not a street hockey goalie. He likes to play out.
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The Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank has scheduled an emergency drive-up food distribution event at PPG Paints Arena.
Coronavirus In Pittsburgh: Emergency Drive-Up Food Distribution Event Scheduled At PPG Paints Arena This Friday — CBS Pittsburgh
LeBron James won’t be ready to get back to work until the experts vouch for the safety of playing basketball in light of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Nor, however, is the Lakers superstar ready to give up on a season that’s proved so challenging, so surprising and in so many ways, inspiring too. “I can…
LeBron James hopes Lakers will have chance to finish season, achieve ‘closure’ — Press Telegram
The Clippers were really starting to cook when the power went out a month ago. That’s a good thing, Coach Doc Rivers said Wednesday, when he joined Lawrence Frank, the team’s president of basketball operations, on a video conference call with reporters. “The last 10 games, we were turning into the Clippers,” said Rivers, whose…
Doc Rivers says Clippers are hungry for season to begin again — Daily News
Don’t call Chris Boucher one of those ‘Covidiots.’ Read More
Raptors’ Boucher sorry for breaking isolation, thinks he has proven he can play in NBA — Toronto Sun
Don’t call Chris Boucher one of those ‘Covidiots.’
He has nothing like the idiotic partiers down south who went ahead full-bore on Spring Break, despite the spreading COVID-19 pandemic. Or the Snowbirds who returned to Canada and immediately went shopping like it was business as usual.
Yes, Boucher, a third-year big man with the Toronto Raptors, would be the first to tell you that he shouldn’t have gone to a downtown grocery store on March 12, but he thought in the moment it was OK because he had tested negative for COVID-19.
“What really happened to me was just that for a minute I needed to get stuff for me to survive, really. Like I didn’t have nothing and I didn’t want to trust Uber Eats or anything and all that, especially knowing the way the virus was spreading,” Boucher told English and French-speaking reporters on a conference call on Wednesday afternoon.
“So I got my test and they were saying that I was negative. So now I know that I can’t do nothing to people so I just wanted to get my groceries done. It’s not like I wanted to be seen. Somebody just took a picture, knew where I was. It’s unfortunate,” Boucher said.
Toronto had played the Utah Jazz only days earlier and all the players had been tested and ordered into self-isolation.
“I can’t do nothing, but that’s not something I was trying to do. Nobody wants to get that virus. I don’t want to give it to nobody if I had it. Definitely I should have just stayed home and that’s why I felt like I had to apologize because, even if I knew that I didn’t have it, it’s not acceptable,” said Boucher, who was born in Saint Lucia, but moved to Montreal when he was five and was raised there.
Since completing protocols, Boucher has been following procedures, trying to stay in shape and stave off boredom while also worrying about relatives he can’t go and see since he’s stuck in Toronto.
“Basically, it’s really hard. I don’t have family close, my family is in Montreal, so Toronto is kind of where I had to stay for the whole time, just trying to figure things out. Sometimes it could be something real easy like (toilet paper) or Lysols or stuff to clean the house, stuff like that. That’s when you realize that (you’re not) going outside,” he said.
Boucher commended the Raptors for doing their best to check in on their players.
“With (video), you actually can lift with Jonny (Lee), our strength and conditioning coaches. I have done a lot of that. The team did a good job to make sure that doctors can call us every day to make sure we’re OK. The rest of it is really a lot of figuring out how it will work when we get busy. Because after like two weeks, you’re like, vacation or not, pandemic now, you just want to be doing something,” Boucher said.
Boucher managed to turn some heads during his third NBA season, particularly with his superb work on the offensive glass and his rim protecting skills. He also has not shied away from launching three-pointers, and though he only shot 28% from out there, he’s a good free-throw shooter (80%) and it’s easy to see his long-range accuracy improving.
It was only a few games before the NBA shut down that Boucher went off in Phoenix for 19 points and 15 rebounds, along with 7-for-8 work at the free-throw line. Once he focused on being an energy player and going out and trying to make things happen in limited bursts, Boucher began to emerge as a potential NBA contributor.
Asked by Postmedia what he feels like he has proven this season, Boucher had a quick answer.
“That I can play. Obviously, there’s a lot of stuff that I can get better at, but I think that my technique I was able to show right out of the door and kind of find ways to help the team win,” he said.
“I think that’s what’s most important. That I could be effective in the game. I think I’ve learned that.”
The Raptors initially brought Boucher in before the 2018-19 season as a two-way player. He would go on to win the NBA G League’s MVP and defensive player of the year awards and, in Feb. 2019, his two-way contract was converted to a standard NBA deal. That contract has an option for the Raptors to extend Boucher a qualifying offer for next season for just under $2 million US, but he’s not looking ahead at this point.
“I mean, at the end of the day, we don’t know what’s gonna happen. You (the reporters on the call) and me are both clueless right now, so at this point I’m just trying to focus on health and making sure my family’s good. I stay online just to watch news about the NBA so hopefully we can finish the season and if not, well, I’ll have to think about a lot of stuff.
“I knew this (contract) stuff was coming, so, obviously, it’s gonna be a process, but for me right now that’s not what I’m thinking about. There’s way more important things to be thinking about right now.”
The view from left field 