ESPN 98.1 FM / 850 AM WRUF ESPN 98.1 FM / 850 AM WRUF
Oklahoma City Thunder Head Coach Billy Donovan joined Sports Scene with Steve Russell on Tuesday to discuss a potential NBA return and his reaction to UF renaming its basketball court after him.
Gators court named after Donovan
At Florida, Donovan led the Gators to a 467-186 record with six SEC titles, 14 tournament appearances and two national championship victories. In February, the Gators enshrined their home court with a new name, “Billy Donovan Court.”.
Donovan walked before his old home crowd and greeted his former Gators players in a night to remember. The coach was greeted with laughs, hugs and a loud cheer from the crowd.
Billy Donovan Court. pic.twitter.com/L54lVb9OOJ
— Zach Abolverdi (@ZachAbolverdi) February 16, 2020
Billy Donovan greets his former #Gators players as they leave the floor. pic.twitter.com/jo310EDWWo
— Zach Abolverdi (@ZachAbolverdi) February 16, 2020
In the clip below, the former UF coach praised the city of Gainesville’s people and called the town a melting pot.
Donovan on how NBA players and coaches are dealing with coronavirus
In a time where the coronavirus has taken most businesses virtual, the NBA is no exception. Players, managers and coaches have been forced to work from home.
NBA players may need some time
Players have been away from team facilities for five to six weeks, leaving many wondering if this will affect their return to play if the league gets the go-ahead to continue its season.
In March, Toronto Raptors forward Serge Ibaka showed how he was working out from home by posting a video on Twitter. Ibaka seemed to not have access to a basketball court or a full gym.
https://twitter.com/blogTO/status/1239522599463522304?s=20
In the clip below, Donovan explained that the Thunder has some insight on player’s needs through Thunder guard Chris Paul, president of the National Basketball Players Association.
Will the NBA return this season?
Not even the commissioner seems to know the answer to this question.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver says Board of Governors are in agreement that safety is paramount: “We are not in any position to make any decisions and it’s unclear when we will be.”
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 17, 2020
NBA commissioner Adam Silver explained that the league currently has no revenue and said that if the NBA continues games, the league would return “significantly later than June,” delaying the start of next season, per Jabari Young, CNBC.
Although Donovan says everything is speculative at the moment, the NBA head coach discussed what he knows about a possible return to the NBA season.
In the clip below, Donovan explained his take on whether the NBA chooses to finish out the regular season or move straight into the playoffs:
Thunder was off to a decent start
Before the coronavirus forced the NBA to halt its season, Donovan and his Thunder were 40-24 with three players, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari and Dennis Schroder, averaging 19 or more points per game.
Paul hopes the Thunder can continue the season, calling it one of the most fun he’s had. Check out what he had to say:
Chris Paul says he "doesn't even want to think about" not playing with this #Thunder team again. He calls this one of the "funnest" seasons he's had playing basketball. pic.twitter.com/5jjQhdV8Qr
— Dylan Buckingham (@DylanBuckingham) April 22, 2020
