Mike D’Antoni says the NBA hasn’t told him of any restrictions

In a Zoom call with Houston media, D’Antoni was asked what he had heard from the NBA. He replied: “Crickets. Which is a good thing.”

Echoing comments a day earlier from New Orleans coach Alvin Gentry, Houston Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni said Wednesday that he hasn’t heard from the NBA about any potential coaching restrictions at the league’s Florida restart later this month.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says adults over 65 years old are at a higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19, and D’Antoni is now 69. Other head coaches in that category include Gentry, who is 65, and San Antonio’s Gregg Popovich (71).

But as of Wednesday, which is eight days from when the Rockets depart for Florida, D’Antoni hadn’t been told of any limitations. In a Zoom meeting with members of the Houston media, D’Antoni was asked whether he had heard anything from the NBA league office. He replied:

Crickets, which is a good thing. I get why they want to be cautious, that’s great. … But other than being a little bit older, I’m ready to go. I expect to go, and I expect it will be an unbelievably great experience.

Earlier in the call, D’Antoni mentioned that he felt he would be safer at the “bubble” site near Orlando than he is in Houston, where COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations have surged in recent weeks.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver had briefly mentioned in early June that the league might not allow older coaches to coach in their usual capacity from the bench, where they frequently are in closer proximity players than the CDC’s recommended six feet of physical separation.

But with the first wave of NBA teams now less than a week away from traveling to Orlando, the league is running short on time if it intends to block anyone from entering the Disney complex.

D’Antoni has repeatedly said he plans to coach in Florida, although he plans to take basic precautions, such as wearing a mask. An independent doctor reportedly gave D’Antoni medical clearance in recent weeks.

“My concern is no more than when I go to the grocery store, or when I go to the pharmacy to get stuff,” D’Antoni said Wednesday. “The NBA is going to do everything they can to make it safe. That environment is a lot safer than the environment we’re in now.”

In its restart protocols, the NBA does have the right to appeal that finding to one or more physicians appointed by the league.

But sports agent Warren LeGarie, who represents D’Antoni and Gentry, has hinted at a potential legal challenge, should the NBA’s physicians attempt to exclude any coach solely due to age. “I hope there is a basketball solution to this issue rather than a legal one,” he told ESPN.

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The NBA Coaches Association recently issued a statement defending the right of coaches to come to their own conclusions. “Adam [Silver] and the NBA have created a situation in Orlando that is likely far safer than in our coaches’ home markets,” the statement reads. “Absent a significant threat, we believe a coach should be able to understand and assume their individual risks, waive liability, and coach in Orlando.”

The statement by the union also said that not working at the restart could “severely jeopardize” the potential of those coaches to secure future employment. D’Antoni’s contract in Houston runs out after this season.

With the calendar now in July, time is running out if the league wants to try and exclude D’Antoni or any other coach from attending. Houston’s first regular-season game at the restart is scheduled for July 31.

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