- The champions are going to be the only team to have a training camp away from home.
- They picked Florida Gulf Coast University in Naples, Florida for that.
- Toronto among the top contenders for the title.
Raptors Heading to Florida on June 23
The Toronto Raptors are going to set up a training camp in Florida before the restart of the NBA season.
The famous NBA insider Shams Charania stated yesterday that the NBA champions are going to be the only NBA team to set up a training camp in Florida, where is expected to see the restart of the campaign.
“Sources: NBA players were informed today that the Toronto Raptors will be the lone NBA team that will travel to Florida for training camp in Phase 1,” Charania wrote on his Twitter account
The Raptors’ decision was forced because of the quarantine issues in Canada, which are determining and restricting some elements of traveling. As said, they will be the only team in this situation, but that won’t affect them too much.
One other information that considers the NBA champions is the fact that they already chose their base. TSN’s Josh Lewenberg revealed that the Raptors picked Florida Gulf Coast University in Naples, Fla. According to his sources, they will arrive there in six days’ time, which is on June 23.
“From within: The Raptors will open their training camp at Florida Gulf Coast University in Naples, Florida. I’m told they’re expected to arrive on June 23,” Lewenberg also shared via his Twitter.
When it comes to Toronto’s base, the Canadian side picked the Grand Destino hotel. This is going be the temporary home for several other teams among which, the LA Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks, LA Clippers, Denver Nuggets, Miami Heat, Utah Jazz and the Boston Celtics.
Besides this hotel, there are two more, and all other teams will be located at them.
All of them will include constant COVID-19 testings, harsh security measures, and high health standards, all in order to keep the players safe.
Some Players Won’t Play
Some of the players are not going to participate in the restart, and there are two reasons for that right now. The first is the concern for their health, and the second is the current political situation in the USA and the BLM protests. Either way, they have an obligation to inform their teams about their absence until June 24.
In the most recent times, Kyrie Irving, along with several other players, started an initiative that would see the players focusing on civil activism instead of basketball. We are yet to see who will join the Nets’ point guard.
Raptors Aiming Back-to-Back Titles
Even though they are currently far behind the Milwaukee Bucks in the East, and don’t have Kawhi Leonard anymore, the Raptors are still one of the best teams in the league.
The current situation definitely made things more interesting, and opposite to February and March, when many saw Bucks, Lakers, and Clippers as the top favorites, it is much more complicated at this point. Nobody knows what the state of the players and the teams is, and that increases the optimism of the Raptors’ fans.
