By Ty Anderson, 985TheSportsHub.com
Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge wants his team allowed back into Brighton's Auerbach Center.
And with the majority of the NBA's 30 teams getting back to work in some capacity, it'd appear that his patience is wearing thin.
“I mean, we’re hoping it’s [opened] any day," Ainge told the Boston Herald's Steve Bulpett on Friday. "We’re just waiting to hear."
Earlier this week, Governor Charlie Baker revealed his multi-step plan to reopen the state from the COVID-19 pandemic that's closed just about everything for the last two months plus. But the Celtics' practice facility has remained closed, and after the Celtics were clearly hopeful that they'd be able to get back to work this week.
“It’s just not that complicated," Ainge continued. "What we’re trying to do is have one-on-zero workouts. Like, it’s probably the cleanest environment that anybody’s working at in the country, with the sanitization that has to go on and the coaches wearing masks and gloves. I mean, heck, it doesn’t seem that complicated.”
Ainge's frustrations are understandable, especially with the NBA looking at a reported June 1 return date for players. And with Orlando emerging as a favorite for an NBA restart later this summer. In other words, the clock has started ticking and the Celtics obviously want (need) to start the process of working two months of rust off.
The Celtics entered the pause as the third-best team in the Eastern Conference, at 43-21.