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Covering the impact of the coronavirus on the world of sport
The Toronto Raptors are the only NBA team not playing in the United States, but Toronto’s geographic proximity means that doesn’t pose much of a problem under normal circumstances Things are obviously not normal these days, however, and international travel is much more complicated due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic
As such, one wonders whether or not the Raptors will be able to play home games in Toronto this season, or if teams continually crossing the border would prove too difficult. In baseball, the Toronto Blue Jays ended up using Buffalo as their ‘hometown’ for the season to make things easier, and the Raptors may need to do something similar. The situation is still fluid, but for now, the team is still hoping they can stay in Canada and not have to set up a base elsewhere, according to TSN’s Josh Lewenberg. He also added that earlier reports of the Raptors considering playing in Louisville, Kentucky were not accurate.
Louisville has made no secret of its desire to add a pro team, and already has an NBA quality arena in KFC Yum! Center, so on paper the possibility made a lot of sense But according to Lewenberg the talks never got so far There was also a report from Rick Bozich of WDRB in Louisville that the Raptors were « reluctant » to play in town due to the gunshot death of Breonna Taylor by Louisville police earlier this year
While the Louisville aspect of this dilemma has apparently been resolved, there are still plenty of questions about the Raptors’ status for next season. It also doesn’t help that the league is now considering starting before Christmas. instead of Martin Luther King Jr day It’s a month less for the Raptors and the league to figure things out, and only adds to the uncertainty surrounding the squad during a pivotal offseason
Marc Gasol has already left the NBA for Spain, while two other key members of their rotation, Fred VanVleet and Serge Ibaka, also hit the free agency between roster changes and a potential new arena at home, things may look a lot different for the Raptors at the start of next season
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Toronto Raptors, NBA, Louisville
World News – GB – Raptors still hope they can play games in Toronto next season, never Louisville as an option, report says
SOURCE: https://www.w24news.com