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Los Angeles Lakers veteran small forward Jared Dudley answered a few questions on Twitter after the NBA shut down its practice facilities on Thursday because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Now that facilities are closed, players are going to have to stay in basketball shape by working out at home.
Dudley says NBA owners want the 2020 playoffs to take place even if it means a shortened 2019-20 regular season. The Lakers forward also touched on how long players would need to get ready for games to be played again after such a long layoff:
Realistically depends on how long we cant use our facilities… if we can’t train properly for a month or 2 , an athlete would need at least a month starting from scratch.. injuries would be the biggest concern … so it all depends on this lay-off from our facilities https://t.co/1L5Jjn3P8o
— Jared Dudley (@JaredDudley619) March 19, 2020
Yes! Owners want the playoffs.. that’s where the real money is at… players would need at least 2/3 weeks training 7/10 games reg season games to get ready for playoffs https://t.co/2SM7jcJueD
— Jared Dudley (@JaredDudley619) March 19, 2020
The NBA would like to resume the season at some point in the summer, with action potentially going into August if play does pick back up.
During his interview with ESPN’s Rachel Nichols on Wednesday, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver admitted the current coronavirus pandemic could shift the NBA calendar permanently.
Dudley and the Lakers had the top record in the Western Conference standings before the season was suspended. The Lakers, led by superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis, went 49-14 before the coronavirus suspension.
Dudley has appeared in 40 games for the Lakers this season. He’s averaging 1.5 points in 7.8 minutes per contest.
The Lakers had two impressive wins over the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Clippers shortly before play was suspended. However, the Lakers’ last game saw the club take a loss to the hands of the Brooklyn Nets at Staples Center. Davis missed the potential game-winning 3 right in front of the Nets' bench.
