Community Shootaround: Should The NBA Go Back To A “Bubble”?
The NBA’s closed-campus experiment at Disney World was hailed as a huge success that enabled to league to complete its 2019/20 season and crown a champion without any interruptions from COVID-19. However, there was no desire to repeat the experience for an entire season as teams preferred to play in their home arenas, even if no fans were allowed.
But that decision carried risks, which are already beginning to overwhelm the new season. Only one game has been canceled so far — a season-opener between the Rockets and Thunder because Houston didn’t have enough eligible players — but several teams are operating with depleted rosters due to positive coronavirus tests and contact tracing mandated by the league’s health and safety protocols.
The Sixers had just eight eligible players this afternoon as they lost at home to Denver. Danny Green was the only Philadelphia starter to suit up for the game, while Dwight Howard and Tyrese Maxey were the only other members of the rotation who played.
The team’s predicament began Thursday when Seth Curry learned that he had tested positive for the virus. Tobias Harris, Shake Milton, Matisse Thybulle and Vincent Poirier shared a table with Curry at a team meeting that day, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer, so they are required to quarantine for contact tracing. They will likely be unavailable for an entire week, which means three more missed games.
“We don’t know,” said coach Doc Rivers, whose season may be derailed after a 7-2 start. “We don’t know anything. We have to make that assumption, I guess. I mean, they were at a table. So it wasn’t like close contact. So maybe that will shorten their days. I don’t know that. But I guess even that’s too close. I mean, I don’t know. I don’t get that whole (thing).”
The 7-3 Celtics may be headed for the same situation. Star forward Jayson Tatum has reportedly tested positive for COVID-19, joining Robert Williams, Grant Williams and Tristan Thompson in quarantine. Boston’s injury report for tomorrow’s game mentions all but eight players, which is the minimum needed for the game to be played.
Tatum’s test has also affected the Wizards because he talked after the game to Bradley Beal, who is now subject to health and safety protocols for contact tracing. The Nets, Nuggets, Spurs, Grizzlies and Mavericks are also short on players because of quarantine issues.
Kendra Andrews of The Athletic believes the NBA is making a mistake by forcing games like the one today in Philadelphia to be played. She notes that virus rates are higher now in many places than they were when the league suspended play in March, and basketball is an easy way for germs to spread because of close contact and shared equipment.
The league isn’t at a crisis situation yet, but it’s headed in that direction. Without the controlled environment that was in place at Disney World, the athletes face a lot more potential exposure to COVID-19, and just one case can change the course of a season.
We want to get your opinion. Do you believe the NBA can play an entire season under the current conditions or will it need to revert to a “bubble” alternative at some point? Please leave your responses in the comments section.
Bradley Beal Out Due To Health And Safety Protocols
Wizards guard Bradley Beal will miss tonight’s game against the Heat because of NBA health and safety protocols, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. Beal is subject to contact tracing because of exposure to the Celtics’ Jayson Tatum, who tested positive for COVID-19.
While several Washington players came in close contact with Tatum during Friday’s game, the league is investigating Beal for potential exposure because he and Tatum spoke afterwards while standing close to each other, Charania adds (Twitter link).
The Wizards’ past two games have been against the Celtics and Sixers, who have both been hit hard by the virus. Due to contact tracing and injuries, Philadelphia had just eight eligible players for today’s game.
The NBA’s protocol states that players under contact tracing can return after seven days as long as they continue to test negative. Including tonight’s game, the Wizards play four times in that span. Beal is the NBA’s leading scorer, averaging 35.0 PPG through his first nine games.
Jayson Tatum Tests Positive For COVID-19, Will Miss At Least 10 Days
3:32pm: Tatum has tested positive for the novel coronavirus COVID-19, though he is asymptomatic at present, Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald tweets. Tatum took a confirmatory test and is currently awaiting that result.
12:11pm: Celtics small forward Jayson Tatum will miss at least 10-to-14 days as a result of the league’s coronavirus-related health and safety protocols, per Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
It’s unclear for the time being whether the 6’8″ All-Star has recorded a positive coronavirus test, has been exposed to someone who later tested positive, or violated COVID-19 protocols. The league and teams have not been making that information public.
The former Duke standout, 22, is averaging a career-high 26.9 PPG (making him Boston’s leading scorer), 7.1 RPG and 3.8 APG, plus 1.0 SPG and 0.8 BPG. He is also shooting a stellar .474/.438/.889. This is a major blow for the Celtics.
Tatum will become the fourth Boston player currently quarantining as a result of COVID-19 protocols, along with reserve power forward Robert Williams, who has reportedly tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
Bench power forward Grant Williams and starting power forward/center Tristan Thompson also have to quarantine for at least seven days due to potential exposure, as they were sitting alongside Robert Williams on the Celtics bench for more than 15 minutes prior to his positive test. Guards Kemba Walker (knee) and Romeo Langford (wrist) remain absent due to long-term injuries.
Tatum will miss at least five games. His absence means that the Celtics will lean even more heavily on fellow star forward Jaylen Brown. The 6’6″ wing, a terrific player on both sides of the floor, has had a breakout season thus far, averaging a career-high 26.3 PPG, 3.5 APG and 1.7 SPG on a career-best .539/.421/.767 shooting line. He is also pulling down 6.2 RPG.
Semi Ojeleye and Marcus Smart may also get more touches with Tatum’s offensive output unavailable for the immediate future. 7’5″ center Tacko Fall had a solid game yesterday in the stead of the absent big men, grabbing eight boards in 19 minutes.
Sixers, Nuggets Will Play Saturday Amid Contact Tracing
12:32pm: Embiid and fellow All-Star Ben Simmons will miss tonight’s game because of injuries, per Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter). The Sixers will now only have eight eligible players, which is the technical threshold for fielding a team.
When asked whether or not he believed Philadelphia should take the floor, coach Doc Rivers said, “I don’t think we should,” according to Tim Bontemps of ESPN.
“An hour ago we were told we were playing,” Rivers said to reporters, per Mike Singer of the Denver Post (Twitter link). “We have eight active players. One is Mike Scott, and I can tell you right now there’s no way I’m going to play him.”
Scott is currently listed as day-to-day with a knee injury. The power forward has appeared in five games this season for the Sixers, averaging 16.0 MPG.
11:25am: Amid the Sixers‘ rash of contract tracing due to a positive COVID-19 test, the team will play its Saturday afternoon game against the Nuggets, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Philadelphia had expected to be without several players, as Joel Embiid, Tobias Harris, Danny Green, Shake Milton, Matisse Thybulle, Vincent Poirier and Paul Reed were listed as questionable for today’s game. Embiid, Green and Reed were cleared from the protocol, Wojnarowski tweeted Saturday afternoon.
Harris, Milton, Thybulle and Poirier are all out and still in the protocol, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Wojnarowski adds that the Sixers have nine eligible players for today’s game, one more than the required total of eight. However, that does not guarantee that Embiid will play — clearance from the protocol simply allows him to be counted as an eligible player toward the requirement of eight players to avoid a postponement, Wojnarowski noted.
Grizzlies’ Jonas Valanciunas Leaves Game Due To Contact Tracing
Grizzlies center Jonas Valanciunas was instructed to leave the bench before halftime of the team’s game against the Nets due to contact tracing, according to ESPN’s Royce Young.
Valanciunas did not test positive for COVID-19 but under the league’s protocols, he’d have to quarantine for seven days before being cleared to return if he continues to register negative tests. Memphis plays three more games during that span.
A number of teams have been left shorthanded due to healthy and safety protocols this week, including Boston, Philadelphia and Dallas. Valanciunas is one of Memphis’ key inside players, averaging 15.0 PPG and 11.4 RPG heading into Friday’s game.
Valanciunas is the second Grizzlies player whose availability has been impacted by the coronavirus this season, Evan Barnes of the Memphis Commercial Appeal notes. De’Anthony Melton missed four games earlier this season due to health and safety protocols and returned on Sunday.
Mavs’ Richardson, Finney-Smith, Brunson Placed Under Quarantine
7:39pm: Josh Richardson, Dorian Finney-Smith and Jalen Brunson are the players under quarantine, Charania tweets.
5:11pm: A Mavericks player has tested positive for the coronavirus and two other players have been placed under quarantine for seven days due to contract tracing, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.
A source within the organization confirmed Charania’s report, Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News tweets.
The other two players have thus far tested negative and are expected to remain so, according to Charania, but the trio remained in Denver while the rest of the team flew back to Dallas. The Mavericks wrapped up a three-game trip in Denver on Thursday.
The names of the players haven’t been revealed but there will be more clarity when the team issues an injury report prior to its next game. The Mavericks have a home game against Orlando on Saturday.
In recent days, the Celtics and Sixers have revealed COVID-19 issues. Boston’s Robert Williams had a positive test and two others were deemed close contacts. Philadelphia is expected to be without numerous players due to contact tracing after Seth Curry tested positive.
Multiple Sixers Players Could Miss Time Due To Contact Tracing
7:34pm: Joel Embiid, Tobias Harris, Danny Green, Shake Milton, Matisse Thybulle, Vincent Poirier and Paul Reed are the players listed as questionable for Saturday’s game against Denver due to health and safety protocols, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.
1:46pm: The Sixers are expected to have multiple players miss time in the coming days due to the NBA’s COVID-19 contact tracing protocols, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who reports (via Twitter) that the club is still waiting on the results of today’s coronavirus tests.
The players affected by contact tracing are expected to be ones who were in close contact with Seth Curry, says Wojnarowski. The veteran guard, who didn’t play in Thursday’s game due to an ankle injury, was told while he was sitting on the bench that he had returned a positive COVID-19 test.
As Shams Charania of The Athletic explains (via Twitter), players are tested for the coronavirus twice on game days. Curry’s rapid test earlier in the day was negative, but the 76ers learned of his positive PCR test after their game was already underway.
It’s not yet clear which Sixers players will be forced to miss time due to contact tracing. However, we can look to the Celtics as a reference — Grant Williams and Tristan Thompson are required to quarantine for at least seven days because they were sitting beside Robert Williams – who tested positive for COVID-19 – on the bench for at least 15 minutes, per Mark Murphy of The Boston Herald (Twitter link).
At the start of Thursday’s game, Curry was sitting on the Sixers’ bench next to assistant coach Sam Cassell and All-Star center Joel Embiid, according to The New York Daily News. Embiid, who has a three-month-old son, already told ESPN that he plans to self-quarantine from his family until he has confirmed he didn’t contract the virus.
New York Notes: T. Johnson, Durant, Randle, Gibson
Nets guard Tyler Johnson missed Thursday’s game against Philadelphia due to the NBA’s health and safety protocols. According to Malika Andrews of ESPN (Twitter links), head coach Steve Nash said Johnson hasn’t tested positive for COVID-19 but is out due to contact tracing. In the early going of the 2020/21 season, contact tracing protocols have typically sidelined players for seven days, though Johnson’s exact timeline has yet to be confirmed.
Here’s more on the NBA’s two New York-based teams:
- Nash told reporters on Thursday night that he thinks Nets star Kevin Durant (also out for contact tracing purposes) should be available to return on Sunday as long as he continues to test negative for the coronavirus (Twitter link via Andrews). “Can’t wait for Sunday to come,” Nash said.
- Entering the season, veteran Knicks big man Julius Randle looked like a prime candidate to be moved at the trade deadline. However, Randle’s All-Star caliber play so far (23.1 PPG, 12.0 RPG, 7.4 APG) may force the team to reevaluate its plans for him, says Steve Popper of Newsday.
- Bryan Kalbrosky of HoopsHype makes the case for why the Knicks signing Taj Gibson is a smart move. While Gibson will reportedly sign with the team, he’s still going through COVID-19 protocols and may not be on the roster in time to be activated for Friday night’s game vs. Oklahoma City, tweets Marc Berman of The New York Post.
- In case you missed it last night, Kyrie Irving missed Thursday’s game for personal reasons and didn’t travel with the Nets to Memphis for Friday’s game.
Seth Curry Returns Positive Test For COVID-19
Sixers guard Seth Curry returned a positive test for the coronavirus today, which the team learned of during the first half of Thursday’s game vs. Brooklyn, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
Curry, who was unavailable for the game due to a sore left ankle, immediately went into an “isolation room” and left the arena separate from the team shortly thereafter, says Wojnarowski. Before leaning of the positive test, Curry was on the 76ers’ bench for the first quarter, Woj adds (Twitter link).
As a result of Curry’s positive test, the Sixers will remain in New York tonight and commence contact tracing in the morning, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Wojnarowski (Twitter links). It remains unclear how many Philadelphia players might have to miss time due to the league’s health and safety protocols.
The Nets, who are scheduled to play the Grizzlies on Friday night, are still flying to Memphis, tweets Joe Vardon of The Athletic. Even though Curry didn’t play at all and likely wasn’t in close contact with Nets players, it’s possible some of those players will be affected by contact tracing protocols.
One Nets player who won’t make the trip to Memphis is Kyrie Irving, though his absence appears unrelated to COVID-19. As Malika Andrews of ESPN details, Irving didn’t play on Thursday night for personal reasons and will also miss Friday’s game. Head coach Steve Nash referred to it as a “private matter,” while Caris LeVert said Irving texted teammates before Thursday’s win.
Drew Eubanks, Two Spurs Staffers Out Due To COVID-19 Protocols
Due to the NBA’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols, third-year Spurs reserve big man Drew Eubanks and two other Spurs personnel members will not be with the club as it faces off against the Lakers tonight, according to Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press (via Twitter).
In three games this season, Eubanks is averaging a career-high 19.3 MPG. The 6’9″ Oregon State alum has posted 3.0 PPG, 4.3 RPG, and 2.0 BPG for the 3-4 Spurs, while shooting a lackluster 23.1% from the field.
At present, the Spurs and the league have not supplied any other information about tonight’s absences, including the identities of the other two unavailable Spurs staffers, categorized by Reynolds as “members of the Spurs travel party.”
The absences could stem from exposure to someone who later tested positive for the novel coronavirus, or could have recorded a positive or inconclusive coronavirus test result.