Two Warriors players test positive for COVID-19, delaying start of training camp
The Golden State Warriors have delayed the start of training camp due to a pair of players testing positive for COVID-19, general manager Bob Myers said on Tuesday.
Individual workouts were supposed to start on Tuesday, but will now kick off on Wednesday. Team practices will now start next Monday.
Myers did not disclose which two players tested positive or how they were doing, but said that every player — including camp invites — were all tested.
“We just have to go into it with an open mind, do our best and see what happens,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said about dealing with new coronavirus restrictions and potential issues, via The San Francisco Chronicle’s Connor Letourneau.
The Warriors are still set to host the Denver Nuggets on Dec. 12 in their first of three preseason games.
Warriors outbreak just weeks before season starts
Though the official start to the NBA season is nearly three weeks out still, the Warriors’ two positive tests illustrate just how difficult pulling the season off might be.
The shortened 72-game season will take place in teams’ respective markets, eliminating the benefits the league had playing inside a bubble at Walt Disney World at the end of last season.
That, new Philadelphia 76ers coach Doc Rivers said, is a big worry. He compared the sport to football during his media conference on Tuesday, and explained why he feels successfully playing the NBA season is much more difficult.
“I’m very concerned if we can pull this off,” Rivers said. “The difference in football is they play once a week and have 1,000 players so when you miss three or four players, you can still get away with it. If we missed three or four players, we’re in trouble — especially with the amount of games we’re playing three or four days a week.
“So if one of our guys and two of our key guys gets the virus and they miss 10 days to 14 days, that can be eight games and that can knock you out of the playoffs. So that’s a concern. Our guys’ health is a concern.”
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