COVID-19 Rumors | Hoops Rumors

And-Ones: Ignite, Shaw, Coronavirus, Reaves, More

June 24th, 2021 at 2:40pm CST by Luke Adams

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the G League Ignite essentially just played a month’s worth of games during their first season in 2020/21, but the NBA considered the program a success, as Chris Mannix of SI.com writes. Still, the team’s long-term future is uncertain, according to Mannix.

Although the Ignite were able to recruit a handful of top prospects both last year and this year, it’s unclear if the G League club would still be able to attract top-tier talent if the NBA does away with its one-and-done rule for the draft in the coming years. And if top prospects aren’t committing to the Ignite, NBA owners may become less eager to foot the bill for the developmental program, writes Mannix.

With no set timeline for the abolishment of the one-and-one rule, however, the Ignite are here to stay for now. According to Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated (Twitter link), the team has offered a contract extension to head coach Brian Shaw, who is expected to sign it soon.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Of the 149 players tested for COVID-19 between June 16-23, none returned a new positive test, the NBA and NBPA announced on Wednesday. So far, Chris Paul is the only player who has tested positive for the coronavirus since the postseason got underway.
Michael Pina of SI.com identifies several players whose strong showings in the playoffs are putting them in position for even bigger paydays on their next contracts, including extension-eligible players like Deandre Ayton and Kevin Huerter.
Bobby Marks of ESPN (Insider link) takes a deep into the key offseason decisions facing all 30 NBA teams this summer.
As our JD Shaw confirms (via Twitter), former Mavericks forward Josh Reaves is in agreement with Turkish team Besiktas on a contract that will include an NBA escape clause. Emiliano Carchia of Sportando first reported the deal.

Zero New COVID-19 Cases Among Players For Third Straight Week

June 9th, 2021 at 2:01pm CST by Eli Cohen

The NBA and NBPA announced today in a press release that out of the 264 players tested for COVID-19 since June 2, none returned a new positive confirmed test.

This marks the third straight week that the league’s testing protocols have found no positive tests. Only two players have tested positive since May 5, a welcome development as the NBA attempts to conduct its post-season with as few COVID-related interruptions as possible.

The league has been extremely careful in its attempts to limit the spread of COVID from players and coaches, and with the draft process ramping up and MGM Resort Summer League establishing its schedule, their success so far in the playoffs is an encouraging sign for this off-season and the 2021/2022 season to come.

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No New Positive COVID-19 Tests Among Players Since May 26

June 2nd, 2021 at 2:20pm CST by Eli Cohen

The NBA and NBPA announced today in a press release that out of the 278 players tested for COVID-19 since May 26, none returned a new positive confirmed test.

After a turbulent NBA season marred by postponed games and players missing substantial time due to health and safety protocols, the playoffs have managed to proceed uninterrupted by COVID-related delays, and it appears that things are trending in the right direction.

This marks two straight weeks for the league without a positive result, as well as only two positive tests since May 5, an encouraging sign for the league as the NBA approaches the second round of the 2021 postseason — and as stadiums have eased their restrictions for fan capacity.

Given the league’s previous concerns about ensuring the safety of the players in this year’s bubble-free postseason, it would appear that the protocols in place are working — a welcome relief as the NBA attempts to recreate some sense of normalcy surrounding the draft process and Summer League this offseason.

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No New Positive COVID-19 Tests Among Players Since May 19

May 26th, 2021 at 1:49pm CST by Luke Adams

Of the 337 NBA players who have been tested for COVID-19 since May 19, none have returned a new positive confirmed test, the league and the players’ union announced today in a press release.

It’s great news for the NBA and NBPA, who are conducting their first postseason outside of a bubble setting since the coronavirus pandemic began. The league remains concerned about possible positive tests that could affect the playoffs, but things have run smoothly so far.

This is the first time since April 14 that the NBA and NBPA have announced zero new positive COVID-19 tests among players in a given week, though things have been trending in the right direction as of late — the league and the union had just one new positive test during the week of May 12-19 and one during the week of May 5-12.

While the playoff field still features 16 teams for now, it won’t be long before that number starts to decline, so there will be fewer players tested on a daily basis in future weeks.

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Draft Notes: Prkacin, Mock Draft, Combine

May 25th, 2021 at 8:35am CST by Luke Adams

Croatian power forward Roko Prkacin has officially declared for the 2021 NBA draft, according to a report from Uroš Vezonik of Sportando.

Prkacin, who will turn 19 in November, is ranked No. 39 on ESPN’s big board of 2021 prospects. The 6’9″ forward spent the 2020/21 season with KK Cibona in the Adriatic League and played well, averaging 13.3 points and 6.8 rebounds per game in 24 contests (27.7 MPG), with a shooting line of .492/.394/.654.

Prkacin will have until July 19 to decide whether to keep his name in the draft pool or withdraw, but given that he has a strong chance of being selected this summer, I’d be a little surprised if he pulls out.

Here are a few more draft-related items:

ESPN’s Jonathan Givony (Insider link) has updated his mock draft to reflect the newest tentative draft order and specific team needs. The Pacers and Warriors, who were eliminated in the final games of the play-in tournament, now project to draft 13th and 14th overall, and Givony has them selecting the top two international prospects in this year’s draft — Josh Giddey to Indiana and Alperen Sengun to Golden State.
The NBA has let teams know that team and league personnel must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to attend the June combine in Chicago, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). The league will consider exceptions for those who have medical or religious reasons for not being vaccinated, Charania adds. Previous reports stated that negative coronavirus tests would be required for those attending the combine.
The tiebreakers to determine the lottery standings and the draft order outside of the top 14 will reportedly be conducted early on Tuesday afternoon, so we should have more information for you later today on those results, along with the full pre-lottery draft order. Key tiebreakers include the Thunder vs. the Cavaliers for the No. 4 spot, and the Kings vs. the Pelicans vs. the Bulls for the No. 8 spot, as we outlined last week.

And-Ones: G League, Olympics, NBA Africa, COVID-19

May 24th, 2021 at 12:47pm CST by Luke Adams

As the league mulls the possibility of a midseason tournament at the NBA level, G League officials are making progress toward finalizing an in-season tournament of their own for the 2021/22 season, sources tell Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report.

According to Fischer, the plan is for the G League’s tournament to be an enhanced version of the event that took place at the league’s annual showcase in 2019. Teams would play a series of 12 or 14 round-robin games leading up to the showcase, then the top four teams would compete in a prize-money tournament at the showcase, while the rest of the NBAGL’s clubs participate in the annual event as usual.

The G League is still working to finalize the format and the reward of its potential fall/winter tournament, which would be labeled as some type of “Cup,” sources tell Fischer.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Team USA officials aren’t counting on any players who participate in the NBA Finals – or even the conference finals – to be available for the Tokyo Olympics this summer, writes Joe Vardon of The Athletic. That means getting commitments from certain players whose teams didn’t make the postseason will be a priority for the program, according to Vardon, who points to Warriors guard Stephen Curry and Pelicans forward Zion Williamson as two top targets for USA Basketball.
The NBA has announced the formation of NBA Africa, a new business investment entity that will oversee the league’s business endeavors in Africa, writes Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated. Former NBA stars such as Dikembe Mutombo and Grant Hill are among the investors, as the league tries to expand its presence in key African markets.
While the worst of COVID-19’s impact on the NBA may be in the rear view, the league isn’t taking anything for granted during its non-bubble postseason, writes Marc Stein of The New York Times. “We’re optimistic that what we’ve been doing will work, but we certainly can’t relax because it’s the playoffs,” said David Weiss, the NBA’s senior VP of player matters. “We have to emphasize that it’s important to keep following the protocols and getting vaccinated.”

Fully-Vaccinated Head Coaches No Longer Required To Wear Masks

May 22nd, 2021 at 11:55am CST by marksuleymanov

Fully-vaccinated NBA head coaches will no longer be required to wear face masks on the sidelines, says Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

The updated guidance comes from increased vaccination rates among head coaches and updated protocols issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Charnia notes.

We relayed last week that the league was discussing changes to health and safety protocols after the CDC updated its guidance for fully vaccinated individuals. The CDC announced that “fully vaccinated people can resume activities without wearing a mask or physically distancing, except where required by federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial laws, rules, and regulations, including local business and workplace guidance.”

NBA commissioner Adam Silver revealed this week that approximately 75% of players have been vaccinated. The league also reported just one new COVID-19 positive case out of nearly 500 players tested since May 12.

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COVID-19

One New Positive COVID-19 Test Among Players Since May 12

May 19th, 2021 at 1:55pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA and NBPA announced today in a press release that one player has registered a new confirmed positive COVID-19 test in the week since May 12. A total of 496 players were tested during that time, according to the league and players’ union.

After three straight weeks of multiple positive coronavirus tests around the league, this is the second consecutive week the NBA has reported just one positive test among players. That’s a promising trend with the postseason around the corner.

By the end of this week, only 16 of the league’s 30 teams will still be active, reducing the number of players that will be tested daily going forward.

While the NBA and NBPA don’t specify which players tested positive for COVID-19, a player who enters the health and safety protocols and is immediately ruled out for at least 10-14 days has often tested positive. Pacers guard Caris LeVert met that criteria this week, so it’s possible – but not certain – that he was the one affected player.

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COVID-19

And-Ones: Webber, Vaccinations, ABL, Hall of Fame

May 14th, 2021 at 9:15pm CST by Dana Gauruder

TNT has parted ways with analyst Chris Webber with the postseason quickly approaching, Andrew Marchand of the New York Post reports. Webber has been with the network since 2008. Webber had been paired with play-to-play man Marv Albert and it’s unclear who will take Webber’s place.

We have more from around the basketball world:

Approximately 75 percent of NBA players have been vaccinated for the coronavirus, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. Commissioner Adam Silver continues to urge front-office executives to convince players who haven’t been vaccinated to take that step before the postseason. Teams heading into the playoffs are concerned that they could lose a key player under the league’s health and safety protocols.
Team rosters for the inaugural season in the Africa Basketball League have been unveiled, Alessandro Maggi of Sportando notes. Former NBA player Ben Uzoh is on Nigeria’s Rivers Hoopers roster. There are also also nine players with G League experience and 21 players with NCAA Division I experience in the 12-team league.
The Basketball Hall of Fame inductions will be held on September 10-11, Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press tweets. The star-studded Class of 2020 will be inducted this weekend and the Class of 2o21 will be unveiled on Sunday.

NBA, Union Discuss Changes To Health And Safety Protocols

May 14th, 2021 at 8:55am CST by Arthur Hill

The NBA and its players union are considering changes to the league’s health and safety protocols after an announcement this week from the Centers for Disease Control, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.

The CDC issued a statement Thursday that “fully vaccinated people can resume activities without wearing a mask or physically distancing, except where required by federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial laws, rules, and regulations, including local business and workplace guidance.”

The NBA instituted strict COVID-19 protocols as the season began, limiting player interactions and where they were permitted to go socially. The virus upended the league schedule in January and February, but the NBA hasn’t been forced to postpone any games since early March.

Even so, individual players and coaches have continued to test positive, forcing many teams to juggle their lineups from night to night. Most teams have staged vaccination efforts, although players and other personnel are not required to receive the shot.

The current protocols will remain in place while negotiations continue, according to Charania.

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COVID-19
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