Portland Trail Blazers star CJ McCollum won't hide his deep concern for the safety of his teammates and fellow NBA players as the league plans to reopen practice facilities as soon as it's legal to do so in the respective states.
The Blazers shooting guard confided in Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, expressing his uneasiness about how the NBA will go about potentially returning to action:
“I am worried like the rest of the world, but I like that it is optional and I’m pleased with the caution, structure and measures the Blazers organization has put in place to ensure the safest environment possible for all parties involved,” said McCollum. “I get the measures [the league is] taking, but you have to think at some point when there are drastic measures that need to be taken, ‘Is it really worth it?’ It’s either safe or it’s not.
“ … And let’s just be honest, man, it’s not like it will be the first time players got gym access outside of the team’s facilities. Some people have been working out, if we’re being honest.”
Despite this uneasiness about working out at the team facility, McCollum plans to go in on Saturday to evaluate if it’s possible to have a workout, even with the many restrictions the NBA has put in place to allow for proper social distancing and comply with state laws:
“The issue is you can go to your practice facility, but there’s all these stipulations,” said McCollum. “You can’t use certain stuff, can’t do certain stuff. Now they’re talking about you might have to be 12 feet away from your strength coach. How are you going to lift 12 feet away from somebody?”
This reopening of facilities is a way for the league to give players proper access to equipment and facilities, as the league office feared players would go to local gyms and parks to resume workouts as soon as states cleared them to do so.
This way, the NBA would provide a safer and more controlled area to give players the option to work out within a thoroughly observed atmosphere.
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