The Charlotte Hornets sent a memo to media members on Friday that they have no immediate plans to re-open their training facilities that closed due to COVID-19, despite the NBA slowly starting to allow teams to open up their facilities for players and staff.
"The health and well-being of our players, staff and community has been our top priority throughout this time," the Hornets said in a statement. "We have been in constant communication with government officials, local health agencies and the NBA, and have followed their guidance and recommendations for implementing new health and safety protocols throughout Spectrum Center. At this time, our practice facility and our offices will remain closed. We believe this decision is in the best of our players, coaches and staff. Moving forward we will continue to evaluate this on a week-by-week basis.
The North Carolina "Stay At Home Order" was officially lifted on May 8 and N.C. governor Roy Cooper began a three-step phase plan as things get back to some type of normalcy.
Public gyms are expected to be apart of phase two with phase three expected to begin around the end of May.
The league's restrictions in re-opening team facilities include no more than four players permitted at a facility at any one time, no head or assistant coaches could participate, group activity remains prohibited and players remain prohibited from using non-team facilities such as public health clubs, fitness centers or gyms.
Players must also wear facemasks at all times except during physical activity and team staffers must remain 12 feet away from them.
The Hornets will join the Dallas Mavericks and Indiana Pacers as teams that have publically announced that they will not yet be opening up their facilities just yet.
Mavericks owner Mark Cuban stated earlier in the week that the risk was not worth the reward.
"The problem obviously is that because we can't test people, then we can't assure anybody's safety, whether they're basketball players or anybody else," Cuban said. "Even though we can try to take all different kinds of precautions, it's just not worth it, particularly when our guys are staying in shape and they're going outside and shooting on outdoor hoops and working out in various ways."
The NBA suspended its season on March 11 due to the coronavirus pandemic and teams were told to close facilities on March 19.
The Cleveland Cavaliers, Denver Nuggets and Portland Trail Blazers opened their facilities this week and the Toronto Raptors, Sacramento Kings, Atlanta Hawks, Utah Jazz and Miami Heat are expected to do so next week.
There is still no word on when or if the 2019-20 NBA season will continue.