Knicks dealing with NBA’s coronavirus ‘quarantine’
In a perfect world, the Knicks would have been in sunny Miami on Friday, facing the resurgent Heat while playing out their season’s final 16 games.
Instead, it was Day 1 of Knicks players being advised by the NBA to remain stuck in their New York homes following the league’s suspension of the season because of the coronavirus pandemic.
All teams have been ordered not to practice, according to an industry source.
According to the source, the NBA has recommended “quarantine … only for those individuals who exhibit symptoms of the virus and/or have been in a certain level of close or consistent contact with a person infected with COVID-19.”
The recommendation also included that “teams coordinate with their local or state health departments for such circumstances.”
The NBA has deemed those teams that have played the Jazz in the past 10 days as having such “close or consistent contact.”
Two Jazz players are infected — stars Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, who played 34 minutes each against the Knicks on March 4 at the Garden.
Though the Knicks have declined to comment publicly on the team’s status, they are following the NBA’s recommendations.
The other four teams that recently faced the Jazz — Toronto, Detroit, Boston, Cleveland — have publicly confirmed following the NBA guidelines of self-quarantining for two weeks.
The source said the NBA is following current guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control “regarding the importance of social distancing in order to mitigate the impact of the virus.”
For teams that haven’t faced the Jazz recently, the NBA has told those players with symptoms of illness to “remain home as much as possible.”
Teams have been encouraged to hold any necessary meetings remotely and are asked to not engage in group activities, workouts and practices.
The Knicks left Atlanta in the late afternoon Thursday after playing what could be their season finale Wednesday night — a double-overtime win over the Hawks in their 66th game.
The Post reported none of the Knicks players were tested for the coronavirus because all the players were asymptomatic.
New Knicks president Leon Rose has not addressed the matter publicly. In fact, no member of the Knicks front office has spoken to the media since Nov. 10, when former president Steve Mills put former coach David Fizdale on alert.
Late Wednesday, interim coach Mike Miller said the club would follow all NBA recommendations.
“We trust our staff, we trust the NBA staff, that they’re doing the research and I think it appears to me there’s a comfort in that,’’ Miller said. “What they’re telling us is what we need to do. We’re going to follow that. I appreciate the diligence, work and completely trust the medical team and what the NBA is doing. ‘’
James Dolan’s Knicks have faced a topsy-turvy season since Day 1 and were 21-45 when the season was suspended Wednesday night. They are expected to miss the playoffs for a seventh straight season, but their official vacation may not start for a long while.
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