Boston Celtics center Daniel Theis: ‘You long for the usual NBA atmosphere at the Garden’
The Boston Celtics are set to tip off their season weeks later than normal due to COVID-19. Germany’s Daniel Theis told DW he felt safe when the NBA completed last season in a bubble — but this season is different.
Daniel Theis: I’m not worried about that right now. I can only do what I did last season, which was to go out and try to help the team win. We had a good season as a team, and I played well individually. And if I get the minutes I did last season, you could almost say it doesn’t matter much whether I’m a starter or not. But of course, after starting all last year, my goal is to be a starter again.
Is the Celtics’ signing of free agent center Tristan Thompson a source of extra motivation or a sign that the club wasn’t entirely happy with you?
It’s definitely a motivator. He won the championship with Cleveland in 2016 and is one of the best rebounders in the NBA. For me, his signing means I that I can’t rely on the fact that I was a starter last season. But a year ago, people also said that center was a weak point on our team and newly-signed Enes Kanter would start, but I eventually earned the role. But overall, Tristan Thompson will be a great addition to our team. He’s a very physical player, very athletic, who will help in rebounding and on defense.
The NBA finished last season under strict hygiene rules in a bubble in Orlando, and it worked, there wasn’t a single positive COVID-19 test. This season, there is no bubble; the 30 teams be flying all over the United States, which is one of the world’s coronavirus hotspots. How do you feel about this?
It’s definitely going to be different. In the bubble, you knew you were safe. Now the risk is greater, due to the fact that everyone goes back home after practice and after games, and no one knows what people will be up to. But overall, the rules we have to follow at the training facility, at games or on away trips are already quite strict. On the plane, we have to wear masks all the time, just like the flight attendants. Everybody who flies will have been tested beforehand. When we were in Philadelphia for a preseason game, we had to take the freight elevator in the hotel so that we wouldn’t come into contact with other guests.
Has the league or the team provided you with any extra guidance as to what to do in order to protect yourself from COVID-19?
We had mandatory meetings with NBA officials and our team doctors where they gave us a condensed version of the 134-page safety protocol. The main point was that we should only leave our house when it is necessary – like taking the kids to school, going to the doctor’s office or to the gym. Public places like restaurants or shopping malls are to be avoided. Fortunately, these days, everything can be ordered online. Read more from DW
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