This week’s game between the Nets and Trail Blazers, scheduled to be played on Thursday in Portland, has been postponed, the NBA announced today in a press release. According to the league, Brooklyn doesn’t have the required minimum of eight players available.
It’s the third straight postponement for the Nets, who were also unable to play on Sunday vs. Denver and Tuesday vs. Washington. Brooklyn has a league-high 10 players in the health and safety protocols, and Joe Harris (ankle) and Nicolas Claxton (wrist) were also out of action when the team last played on Saturday.
Patty Mills, Blake Griffin, Cameron Thomas, David Duke, and Kessler Edwards were active for the Nets on Saturday and the team has added four replacement players (James Ennis, Shaquille Harrison, Langston Galloway, and Wenyen Gabriel).
That’s a total of nine players, but it’s certainly possible that at least a couple of them are dealing with injuries or have been placed in the protocols in recent days — the Nets haven’t had to publicly update their injury report since their last game.
The next game on Brooklyn’s schedule is a December 25 showdown with the Lakers in Los Angeles. While both teams have been decimated by injuries and COVID-19, the NBA will presumably do all it can to avoid postponing what was supposed to be one of its marquee Christmas Day matchups.
When is Harden eligible to return? Hoping to at least have him for Christmas Day.
He went into the protocols on Dec. 14, so he’d be eligible to return for Christmas if he clears the cardiac testing.
So these guys just get to rest for a week while other teams sign players with the exception to keep playing? How is that fair?
It isn’t equitable, Bells. (I can call you Bells, right?) It’s a forfeit if you can’t field a team. Close it all down or forfeit for teams unable to meet the league requirements. Keep It Simple.