Alvin Gentry: The New Orleans Pelicans will need 20 to 30 Days to Get in Shape

As talk of reopening the league starts to percolate, Alvin Gentry wonders about timetables for getting the New Orleans Pelicans in shape.

The New Orleans Pelicans aren’t just sitting around chugging cans of beer, but it will take some time to get them back into game shape according to coach Alvin Gentry.

Gentry is a member of a committee that is trying to figure out what the league will look like when and if it returns.

There has been talk of a “bubble city” a sort of NBA quarantine where teams would play all of their remaining games in an empty arena in one city. The rumor of the day is that games could be held at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando.

Obviously player and fan safety are the most important issue, so it’s unlikely teams would play in front of crowds and any restart would require thousands of tests for COVID-19, which may not be feasible.

Another issue is that players haven’t played in over a month, and while many of them claim they are staying in shape, being in game shape is a totally different thing.

This concern weighs on the mind of Gentry, who thinks it would take up to 30 days for players to get back into game shape.

The New Orleans Pelicans will not even return to their facilities until at least May 15th and will still be under heavy restrictions that include a limit on the number of players allowed to be present at the same time.

Gentry is obviously disappointed with how things have gone and says the New Orleans Pelicans were playing their best ball of the season. According to NOLA.com:

"“Our guys were really disappointed. They felt like we were starting to play our best basketball. If you look at the schedule we had remaining, most of the teams we were trying to catch, we were going to be able to play those teams. We really felt good that we still had an opportunity to hold our destiny in our own hands. We were going to be able to control our own destiny.”"

Disappointment aside, Gentry knows that player health is most important, which is why he said the team will need at least a month to get in shape.

Vice President of Basketball Operations David Griffin went even further, saying he thought teams would need an informal training camp before restarting play.

Fans and players are eager to get this going, but patience is going to be required, as player’s minds may be ready, but their bodies are not.

Thanks for reading and stay safe out there!