HOUSTON – In some ways, Eric Gordon is like all of us during this coronavirus pandemic.
“There’s plenty of good shows out. Just scrolling through something new every day,” said the Rockets guard.
For Gordon and his teammates, the season-ending happened quickly.
“It actually got postponed while we were in the air flying to L.A., and we heard while we were in the air that a couple of players caught the virus. Next thing you know, we landed, and they said they canceled the season,” explained Gordon, who also said the players immediately knew it was serious.
“For a player to get it, it was like, man... if this keeps going... a lot of players are going to get it, or they might already have it and don’t know,” he said.
So now what? There’s still no official word from the NBA on whether or not the season will even resume.
“You can’t really prepare for the season right now, because you just don’t know what’s going to happen going forward. It’s just a weird time where you can’t really do anything, everything is standstill. A lot of people can’t work, you can hardly go anywhere, so this is just a weird time,” said Gordon.
The NBA has been trying to figure out a way to finish the season using radical methods; no fans in the stands, neutral locations, and players being quarantined.
“It would be weird playing without fans, I’ll tell you that,” said Gordon. “It would almost feel like a scrimmage. And then you’re talking about playoffs with no fans, that’s just going to be weird."
No schedule puts athletes in a tricky position. Most relax and take a significant break after the season is over. Should they be doing that? Or training as if they’ll play in the playoffs next month?
“I’m pretty sure our NBA P.A. (Players Association) and the NBA are really trying to go back and forth figuring out what we can do. As time goes along, we just have to wait for everything to get better.”
With all teams shutting down training facilities, and most of the country’s gyms shut down as well, staying in shape has taken some creativity.
“I am trying to stay in shape in some sort of way, there’s not much we can do, because we can’t be around the organization, so I have to do things mostly on my own,” said Gordon.
If there is one bright spot for Gordon, it’s the progress made on his injury.
“When you have countless games and practices, you really don’t have time to rest. This really does help, no question, and I feel for sure 100% now,” said Gordon.
Gordon said the team talks regularly, but there’s not much they can do other than wait.
“Hopefully this season will come back, hopefully this world gets back running and going sooner than later,” said Gordon.