The COVID-19 crisis currently has millions of Americans — including the Boston Celtics — confined to their homes as the country attempts to limit the spread of the dangerous virus.
But that hasn’t stopped Danny Ainge from staying in contact with members of the organization after the NBA indefinitely suspended its season two weeks ago.
In fact, the Celtics president of basketball operations says he’s in contact with players and staff “every day.”
“I think they’re doing really well,” he told The Boston Herald’s Steve Bulpett. “I mean, guys have their workouts. They’ve requested stationary bikes and weight and weight vests and bands so they can do all sorts of their workouts that our trainers are giving them. So, yeah, I think everybody’s following all of the rules, staying quarantined, and just keeping to themselves. It feels like, in my conversations with everybody, that they’re all doing well. They all seem pretty upbeat. I’m just trying to keep them motivated.”
That said, Ainge’s job during the outbreak certainly hasn’t been easy. With the crisis comes loads of uncertainty, which teams and league officials have had to maneuver day-in and day-out.
For Ainge, however, being adaptable is just part of the job description.
“You just have to adapt to what is needed at that moment, whereas coaches are going crazy, because they’re used to having and following a schedule. Everything’s laid out in front of them on when they’re going to practice and when they’re going to take a plane to this city. They live on schedules, so it’s completely different for me than it is for them. I’m used to adapting more, and they’re learning about having to adapt under these circumstances.”
Now that’s what we call solid leadership.
