Throwing cold water on latest NBA report amid coronavirus pandemic — especially for Sixers

Just as the NFL Draft was concluding, we got some NBA news as it pertains to players being able to practice amid the coronavirus pandemic.

In a series of tweets, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski broke down steps the league is taking to ensure its players get the proper access to basketball facilities.

Beginning on May 1, the NBA is allowing teams to open their practice facilities to players in cities and states where local governments have eased stay-at-home orders, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 25, 2020

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Sources: Teams will be allowed to make facilities open to players on a voluntary basis for individual work, but larger group workouts will still be prohibited. In NBA markets that aren't loosening restrictions, league plans to work w/ teams on other arrangements for players. https://t.co/yZSKsXedW1
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 25, 2020

As Georgia moves toward opening certain businesses -- including gymasiums -- some players were asking their teams if they should consider traveling there to find a way to play. Organizations wants players in safe/clean team environments, not a fitness center in suburban Atlanta.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 25, 2020

NBA's decision on opening practice facilities to players in markets where governments may be loosening stay-at-home orders doesn't mean a resumption of season is imminent. The NBA is still unsure on if/when it can play again. But getting players safely into gyms was a priority.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 25, 2020

While this can be viewed as a positive step, as Wojnarowski notes, it in no way means we’re any closer to NBA games being played.

As far as the Sixers go, it’s hard to imagine their players being allowed to work out anywhere locally any time soon.

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New Jersey, where the team has its practice facility in Camden, has been hit hard by COVID-19. Only New York has more positive cases in the country than the Garden State. Even if the Sixers wanted to use the Wells Fargo Center or another gym in the city, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf has said that Philadelphia will be “among the last” to reopen in the state.

Perhaps the 76ers Fieldhouse in Wilmington, Delaware, could be an option. It's where the Blue Coats, the Sixers' G-League affiliate, play. As of Friday, at least 3,442 people had tested positive for COVID-19 in the state.

We all want to see the NBA season resume, but even Wojnarowski himself is throwing cold water on his own report. Don't get your hopes up too much with this news.

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