NBA Allowing Players To Travel Out Of Team’s Market
The NBA informed its 30 teams on Sunday night that players will be permitted to travel out of their respective club’s market beginning on Monday, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
As Charania explains (via Twitter), a player who leave his team’s city must do with consultation from the franchise. Players will be required to keep their teams up-to-date on their whereabouts and practice social distancing, while teams are being encouraged to establish daily check-ins for basketball- and health-related updates.
The league is still recommending that players remain in their home team’s market, according to Tim Bontemps of ESPN. Additionally, any players who were advised to self-isolate due to possible exposure to the coronavirus must continue to do so until they’ve been cleared by a medical professional, Bontemps notes.
Additionally, even though players are being permitted to travel, they will not be allowed to leave North America due to outbreaks in Asia and Europe, Bontemps writes.
More Teams, Players Pledge To Support Arena Workers During Hiatus
The list of teams and players who have vowed to help support arena workers who will lose wages during the NBA’s hiatus continues to grow. Here are several of the updates from the couple days:
- The Bulls‘ ownership group, along with United Center ownership, announced that it will pay day-of-game employees through the remained of the originally scheduled season. The Nets issued a press release indicating they’ll do the same for hourly employees who worked games and events at Barclays Center. A team official said the Sixers are doing so too, tweets John Clark of NBC Sports Philadelphia.
- The Spurs announced the formation of a fund totaling $500K+ that will be used to pay its part-time employees through the rest of the season. The Hornets also established a fund to assist the organization’s part-time employees who had been scheduled to work Hornets and Greensboro Swarm games through the end of their respective seasons.
- The Nuggets‘ ownership group pledged to pay its part-time and hourly employees for the next 30 days, per a press release.
- Madison Square Garden has committed to paying event-driven employees, including those who work at Knicks games, through March 22 and is working to come up with a longer-term plan, per a memo obtained by Ian Begley of SNY.tv. The Suns, meanwhile, are paying their employees who were scheduled to work their two home games in March, noting that the staffing for their four home games in April hadn’t yet been finalized.
- The Raptors said in a press release that they have joined forces with Toronto’s other sports franchises to create a fund for arena and stadium workers. “Being a good teammate means looking out for our neighbours, friends and the people we work with,” Raptors president Masai Ujiri said in a statement. “Through this fund, we all pledge to be good teammates to our arena, stadium and support staff. We want to be here for them, the way they are always here for us.”
- Following the lead of stars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton, the rest of the Bucks‘ roster has also committed to making donations to impacted Fiserv Forum workers, per the team (Twitter link). Magic center Mohamed Bamba vowed to do the same for Amway Center employees (Twitter link).
- Timberwolves big man Karl-Anthony Towns is making a $100K donation as well, but his money will be going to the Mayo Clinic, which is rolling out a test to detect the virus that causes COVID-19. “My hope is that we can fight this virus quicker and more efficiently by increasing the testing capabilities and availability and Mayo Clinic’s overall COVID-19 response,” Towns tweeted.
NBA, NBPA Agree To Halt Drug Testing During Hiatus
The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association have reached an agreement to halt drug testing for players during the league’s current coronavirus-related hiatus, reports Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports. Sources tell Haynes that the agreement is temporary.
Players are typically subject to up to four random drug tests during the season and two more during the offseason, per the league’s Collective Bargaining Agreement.
Punishments, including lengthy suspensions or banishments, are severe for players who test positive for performance-enhancing drugs or drugs of abuse, while testing positive for marijuana use results in more modest discipline, starting with fines.
According to Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link), the pause on drug testing is meant to address concerns regarding the proximity of drug testers and the sensitivity of drawing blood during the coronavirus outbreak.
Kleiman: “Not Very Realistic” To Expect Durant To Play In Summer
Nets star Kevin Durant is one of a number of players around the NBA who was ruled out for the 2019/20 season due to an injury prior to the hiatus. Now that there’s a possibility the end of the season could be played in June, July, and/or August, projected return dates will be re-evaluated, since many injuries may not ultimately be season-ending after all.
However, appearing today on Golic & Wingo, Durant’s business partner Rich Kleiman downplayed the idea of KD returning to play in the summer (link via ESPN).
“Honestly, not very realistic from my standpoint, and (we have) not even spoken about,” Kleiman said.
Durant tore his Achilles tendon in Game 5 of the NBA Finals last June, so if the NBA season were to return in mid-June, it would give him a full 12 months to recover. Although Kleiman didn’t entirely rule out the possibility of the forward making his Brooklyn debut prior to opening night in 2020/21, he clearly wanted to keep expectations in check, given the serious nature of Durant’s injury.
“It feels like (Durant playing in 2019/20) clearly was not something that was in the cards prior to all this,” Kleiman said. “And now, I think just like the rest of the world, it’s hard to take anything more than day by day.
“I think that Kevin is going to figure out the space that he needs to be in to continue to rehab during this time. But even that is hard to answer at this point, with the new kind of rules that were put in place last night.”
The “new kind of rules” reference by Kleiman presumably refer to the NBA indefinitely extending its ban on team practices and limiting contact between players at team facilities.
The idea of the Nets getting back Durant and possibly Kyrie Irving for a summer postseason run is intriguing and would certainly make things more interesting in the East, but for now it feels like a long shot. We’ll see if that outlook changes in the coming months.
Mitchell On Relationship With Gobert: “It Took Me A While To Cool Off”
Appearing on Good Morning America on Monday (hat tip to Scott Gleeson of USA Today), Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell essentially confirmed the reports that had suggested he was frustrated with teammate Rudy Gobert for the big man’s cavalier attitude toward the coronavirus before he tested positive.
“To be honest, it took a while for me to cool off.” Mitchell said when asked directly by host Robin Roberts about where things stood with Gobert (video link). “I read what he said and I heard what he said, so I’m glad he’s doing okay.”
[RELATED: Gobert Donates $500K To Arena Workers, Coronavirus-Related Services]
Although we don’t know with certainty whether Gobert or Mitchell contracted the virus first, or even whether one player got it from the other, the Jazz center faced criticism for not taking the threat seriously and touching others’ belongings at a media session and in the locker room last week.
Mitchell, who said he hasn’t exhibited any of the symptoms typically associated with COVID-19, expressed relief that he and Gobert were the only members of the Jazz to test positive. Following Gobert’s diagnosis, the team’s entire traveling party was tested for the virus. Mitchell was the only one of 58 Utah players and personnel whose test didn’t come back negative.
“I’m just really happy, to be honest – I hate to say that it’s just two of us – but that it wasn’t the whole party,” Mitchell said. “Neither (Gobert) or I have children at home. I know I have some teammates that have children, some staff have children at home. So I’m glad we were able to kind of contain it as much as possible.”
The All-Star guard, who told Roberts that he’s playing plenty of NBA 2K, watching movies, and watching his old highlights while he’s self-quarantined, will also be helping local students get healthy meals at no charge while schools are closed, per a press release from the Jazz.
Team Owners Await Financial Projections From NBA
NBA team owners are waiting for the league to provide them with new financial projections on lost revenues as a result of the coronavirus-related hiatus, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. As Wojnarowski explains, NBA chief financial officer J.B. Lockhart has taken the lead on making those estimates and sharing the information with owners.
[RELATED: NBA Hiatus May Extend Into June]
Tom Haberstroh of NBC Sports and Bobby Marks of ESPN are among those who recently estimated that losing the remainder of the regular season and some or all of the postseason could cost the NBA upwards of $500MM+ in basketball related income. While the league has yet to publicize its own projections, it’s safe to say teams around the NBA are bracing for major losses.
According to Wojnarowski, the NBA will likely share a handful of projections with teams based on at least three different scenarios. Those scenarios are as follows:
- Shutting down the season entirely.
- Resuming the season with no fans in arenas.
- Resuming and playing postseason games with fans in attendance.
That lost revenue isn’t the most pressing concern for fans, but we’ll likely see its impact going forward on the salary cap. As recently as last June, the NBA was calling for a $117MM cap for the 2020/21 season, up from approximately $109MM in 2019/20. Given the projected earnings the league will lose as a result of this hiatus and its controversy with China earlier in the season, that estimate is no longer realistic.
NBA Extending Ban On Team Practices Indefinitely
After initially prohibiting team practices for the weekend, the NBA has extended that ban indefinitely, reports Tim Bontemps of ESPN (Twitter link). According to Bontemps, players will still be permitted to work out individually at team facilities.
[RELATED: NBA Hiatus May Extend Into June]
With social distancing being encouraged across the country and players on several teams being advised to self-isolate, it makes sense that the NBA isn’t ready to permit practices that could feature a full roster of players and a team’s entire coaching staff.
Players are being asked to remain apart during workouts to limit the number of people coming into contact with each other, including just one player at each basket and one player weight lifting at a time, per Bontemps.
The NBA has also recommended that teams consider using temperature checks on anyone who enters their facilities, league sources tell Bontemps (Twitter link). A fever is one of the most common symptoms for those who have contracted the coronavirus.
Hiatus Notes: Gobert, Nets, Warriors, Obama
Jazz center Rudy Gobert addressed his supporters on Sunday by way of social media, discussing the coronavirus in a video posted to the NBA’s Twitter account.
Gobert, the first NBA player to contract the virus, was criticized by many for taking the illness too lightly last week. He was seen in a viral video intentionally touching microphones that belonged to the media, showing little regard for the severity of the matter.
“I’ve been feeling a little better every single day thanks to the healthcare people of Utah, Oklahoma City, and all the great people around me,” Gobert said.
Gobert wasn’t aware before Wednesday that he had contracted the illness, but his actions reportedly didn’t sit well with Jazz teammates and officials. Gobert recognized his mistakes and recently donated $500K to support employee relief funds at Vivint Smart Home Arena, along with coronavirus-related services in Utah, Oklahoma City, and France.
“I just want to make sure to remind you guys to keep washing your hands frequently with soap and water,” Gobert said. “Try to avoid touching your face, your nose, your eyes, and of course try to avoid making any unnecessary contact with people. It’s all about protecting yourself and the people around you.
“I wish I would’ve taken this thing more seriously, and I hope everyone else will do so — because we can do it together. Take care and stay safe.”
Here are some other notes related to the NBA’s hiatus:
- The Nets were expected to be tested for coronavirus over the weekend, as relayed by Maggie Gray of WFAN (Twitter link). In addition, Brooklyn released a statement last week that specified Barclays Center and the team’s practice facility would be thoroughly cleaned.
- The Warriors’ ownership, players and coaches have combined to contribute $1MM to disaster relief funds for employees of the Chase Center, the team announced on social media (Twitter link). “The men and women who work our games at Chase Center are critical in providing an incredible game-night experience for our fans, including of course, the popcorn vendors,” Stephen Curry said. “As players, we wanted to do something, along with our ownership and coaches, to help ease the pain during this time.”
- Former president Barack Obama was among many to praise the NBA players who have donated money during this difficult time, writing the following on social media: “A shout out to Kevin [Love], Giannis [Antetokounmpo], Zion [Williamson], Blake [Griffin], Steph and all the players, owners and organizations who are setting a good example during a challenging time. A reminder that we’re a community, and that each of us has an obligation to look out for each other.”
Pacific Notes: Lakers, Clippers, Hiatus, Harper
A potential championship run for the Lakers has officially been put on hold with the NBA suspending its season over coronavirus concerns, Bill Oram of The Athletic writes.
The Lakers were one of the most formidable teams of the season, dominating through 63 games and holding the best record in the Western Conference at 49-14. They only trailed the Bucks (53-12) for bragging rights of the NBA’s best record.
“Even if we’re out for a month, even if we’re out for six weeks, we can still restart the season,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said this week, clarifying that the season isn’t necessarily lost. “It might mean that then the Finals take place in July or late July. Just my feeling was that it was way premature to suggest that we had lost the season.”
The Lakers made several moves in order to build its current group. The franchise made a blockbuster trade for Anthony Davis, signed two-time champion Danny Green and made a pivotal decision to bring in Dwight Howard after DeMarcus Cousins‘ ACL tear, signifying its willingness to go all-in for a championship.
The organization knows its clock is ticking, with Davis expected to enter free agency this summer and LeBron James set to turn 36 in December. Given everything that has happened to this point, it’s safe to assume the Lakers hope Silver’s reminder turns into reality.
There’s more out of Los Angeles this evening:
- Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report examines the biggest questions facing the Lakers if the NBA season doesn’t restart. Pincus examines the likelihood of several Lakers players opting in (including Davis), along with what value they could acquire for players such as Quinn Cook.
- Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times details how potential championship runs for both the Clippers and Lakers remain in limbo, with the NBA naturally undecided on when (or if) the season will be resumed. The league is expected to be postponed for at least one more month as the country copes with the widespread outbreak of the coronavirus.
- The Suns have officially waived point guard Jared Harper, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic confirms. “The G League season is over,” general manager James Jones said. “Jared’s on a one-year deal. For him to explore opportunities was something that we considered and at the end of the day, we just thought we could help him.”
NBA Hiatus May Extend Into June
The NBA’s hiatus could extend into June as the coronavirus outbreak continues to spread across the country, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
The CDC now recommends that events with 50-plus people be postponed or cancelled throughout the next eight weeks, which includes professional sports games. This timeline projects to last until mid-May at the very least.
As Wojnarowski reports, the CDC’s recommendation comes as several team executives and owners believe a mid-to-late June return is the best-case scenario for the NBA. This scenario would not include fans in attendance.
The league office has scouted possible arena dates through August, Wojnarowski notes, remaining flexible for the unknown road ahead. The NBA was the first professional sports league in America postpone its season due to coronavirus concerns after Jazz center Rudy Gobert contracted the virus last week.
Over 3,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the United States were reported as of Sunday night, including 68 fatalities. Donovan Mitchell and Christian Wood join Gobert as the only NBA players who have tested positive for the illness to date.