TORONTO (AP) Toronto Raptors guard Fred VanVleet is bracing for the suspended NBA season not to resume and if it does, he isn’t convinced health concerns can be adequately addressed as long as the coronavirus pandemic remains a threat.

“I think everybody is just preparing for the worst case scenario, the season being canceled,” Van Vleet said in a conference call Wednesday. “We have to do what we have to do to try to shoulder the hit as best we can for us as players and owners and the league, while also working to try to resume as best we can.”

Speaking from his home in Rockford, Illinois, VanVleet - a self-described skeptic - questioned whether a return to action could be carried out safely, and said he doesn’t relish the idea of playing in front of empty arenas.