The birds of prey are out of quarantine and are trying to establish routines as they mark the days before the restart of the 2019-20 season which was paused on March 11 due to the coronavirus pandemic. They trained for the second day on campus in the so-called “Covid Bubble” at the Walt Disney World Resort outside Orlando.
Here are some notes, quotes and anecdotes.
Home for now
When Terence Davis checked what she hopes will be her accommodations for the next three months, there were already house touches in place.
He put down his suitcases, looked around and saw photos of his one-year-old son, Hasaan, and more of his photos with his family after a game when he starred in college in Ole Miss.
They are small touches but the kind of things that reflect the organization’s planning and attention to detail, and count when the team settles for what could be a long stay.
“I noticed it as I walked into my room,” said the Raptors rookie during a conference call after the Raptors’ second day of practice in Orlando. “They had pictures taken, one of me and my son and then one of all my family members in a college game. It meant a lot, friend.
“He seemed to really care. Just seeing the photos, it warmed my heart. Obviously I miss my son every day, being alone without him, but one day he will understand what Dad does to live. “
Davis said he spent the first baby in his room organizing him for the long haul.
“I definitely configured my games, [I] recently I put my clothes in my drawers, folded them, making them go home. We will be here for a few months, so we will definitely be going home right now. “
He says he didn’t really go on tour to appreciate the services offered by the NBA, ranging from fishing trips to golf outings to live DJs by the pool.
“… I’m just trying to get hold of things and how things are going,” said David. “Like sometimes breakfast is in my room and sometimes in the dining room. So, I’m really learning things now. Maybe I’ll venture, but right now it’s really about business. “
Relax in things
During the regular season the practice time is a precious commodity as the teams must balance rest, travel and injuries. While skill development and film sessions are constant, even one practice per week during the season may seem like a luxury. With nothing more to do than practice – the Raptors scheduled 13 before meeting the Los Angeles Lakers on August 1 – the challenge for head coach Nick Nurse is not overcooking. Veterans like Marc Gasol and Kyle Lowry will be considered, but Nurse says she plans to monitor all members of her rotation who are likely to have the greatest weight once the competition resumes.
“Do some hard work for a few days and then you could get the kids out and start shedding a few days off the board, and Marc is definitely a candidate for it. Of course I would also put Pascal, OG, Freddy, Kyle in that group, Serge, who will probably be monitoring him individually again, but we will almost send a few days off again to let their bodies regroup for a full day and recharge as soon as we get back here soon . “
Nothing to see here
Gasol was expected to speak to the media for the first time after the break through a conference call on Sunday, but there was a delay in the plans when he left the practice early. Given that Gasol lost 28 of the Raptors’ first 64 games with hamstring problems after playing 115 career games in 2018-19, totaling the NBA regular season, the playoffs and bringing Spain to gold in the World Cup, the eyebrows have been raised.
No need to be alarmed
“He practiced, as I said, a good part of the first piece,” said the nurse. “… We started early enough today, and he, they just decided to get it back soon instead of sitting for the next one, whatever. One of the things that goes back and forth is that you have to go out a little bit, and since he’s already done, they just took a quick turn back that’s all. “
What about your hamstring?
“As far as I know, he’s completely healed,” said the nurse. “And as you know, it’s fine. His skills also look fantastic. Looks like he’s in good shape. I don’t see any problems. “
Let’s do it!
It is the small details that are vital
Step by steppic.twitter.com/4IgJbNhsga– Marc Gasol (@MarcGasol) July 10, 2020
Gasol’s diet is an inspiration
Without saying a word in public, Gasol was one of the stars of the break, generating a noticeable buzz with his “skinny Gasol” appearance. His teammates are impressed by the 35-year-old who appears to be well below his listed weight of 255 lbs.
“I love it, it’s in playoff mode right now,” said Davis. “He’ll probably tell you on his own, he’s been in playoffs ever since [last] April and will continue to be in that mode. He looks really good, he’s moving really well. Sounds like Prime Marc to me, so I don’t know, man. It’s scary. “
It remains to be seen whether this could translate into a more incisive scoring role for the Spanish center. As a valued defender, passer-by and screen setter like Gasol since joining the Raptors at the commercial deadline before their championship run, he has scored just 8.3 points in a game with Toronto. Two seasons ago he scored 17.2 games per game for Memphis and scored 19.5 career points per game in 2016-17.
“I’d probably like to make it a major gear in the offense, but the way things have gone since he’s been here, and again this year, it seems, there are a lot of guys who manage to participate,” said the nurse. “I think there are probably some baskets in him in the fourth quarter or along the stretch that we can probably find, and also play a little inside and out, also because, as I always say, every time we can bring him the ball, well things happen, not necessarily the buckets from him, but good things happen [so it would] it’s probably nice to see if we can increase its utilization rate. Again, I’m working on it, I’m not sure it will happen, but it’s a pioneering thought of what we’re (doing). “
The nurse – who says she would like to lose a few pounds on her own – says that talking to Gasol was the routine offered by the blockade which was one of the first features of the pandemic that helped the great man’s cause and leaves no apologies for the rest of we.
“I didn’t ask him what his purpose was [for his weight loss]”, Said the nurse.” I guess, just assuming his goal is to get back in shape, play at the highest level, continue to improve as a player.
“I asked him what the key was, what you would have done, and he just said ‘Friend, it was consistency’, it was again with the situation we have all been in the last four months, take the games and all the long journeys on the road and late night flights, and all the things that help make fitness and nutrition a little more difficult, get rid of them all and you just said it was a consistent pace, eating at the same time every day and eating very healthy of course, and all that stuff. “
Find a rhythm
With 22 teams sharing three rehearsal plans, scheduling is somewhat out of the way, but you won’t find the nurse complaining. Typically, teams are assigned a three-hour block in the morning or afternoon, during which warm-up, group exercises, and individual skill development are required.
It’s plentiful, says the nurse.
“I think all of us for four months have lost the rhythm of our lives, right, the way we probably want them to merge,” he said. “You just have to be open-minded and adaptable and somehow take it.
“I mean, a three hour period is quite a long time that we can usually do our pre-practice stretching and correction work done, start somewhere in the middle of that … block of time to do their job main and then you kind of reduction, recover.
“You’ve already seen us, some of the younger guys … in a way they put the second session in a certain way to get those representatives they need on the defensive side and everything else.
“We are trying to manage it a little individually, but we also do a lot of team work.”
