The NBA continues to consider ways to eventually restart this season that has been halted indefinitely amid the COVID-19 crisis. Given the current trajectory of the virus, it seems unlikely that play will resume in any form any time soon.
But if the games do come back, players will not simply rejoin their teams and throw on their uniforms. In a conference call Friday, Celtics center Enes Kanter stressed that they will need several weeks to reboot.
"I feel like it’s going to be like a training camp,” Kanter said. "You can’t just say, 'OK, we’re going to play the games a week later.’ Some people are doing something, and some people are in their apartments not doing anything, so the NBA will put safety first, and I know the NBA will do a good job of that, too.
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"I think we’ll need two to three weeks just to get back on the court, because people are in their apartments and not moving at all. We have to make sure everyone is doing their stuff and in great shape, so they can go out and compete. If you jump straight to playoffs, playoffs are like a war, where you have to give it everything you have. Make sure everyone is 100 percent healthy, in game shape, and then we can compete.”
Kanter said if play resumes, he would like the postseason to maintain the best-of-seven series format.
“We are competitors man, so we want to go out there and finish the season,'' he said. "Especially, like, it’s crazy — we actually have a really good chance to go out there and win a championship.''
Adam Himmelsbach can be reached at adam.himmelsbach@globe.com. Follow him @adamhimmelsbach.