Trail Blazers Close Practice Facility After Positive COVID-19 Tests
The Trail Blazers organization discovered three positive novel coronavirus tests among its personnel across the last four days. The club will be closing its Tualatin, Oregon practice facility, it announced in an official tweet.
In a team press release, president of operations Neil Olshey further addressed the COVID-19 test results. “Out of an abundance of caution, having completed contact tracing, we are closing our practice facility today for deep cleaning while we run confirmatory tests,” he said.
The identities of the personnel afflicted were not disclosed, in accordance with league guidelines for coronavirus testing disclosures. The Trail Blazers held limited practices and media sessions this week.
Portland has shored up its front court and wing depth this offseason. The Trail Blazers have added versatile three-and-D forward Robert Covington, defensive-oriented wing Derrick Jones Jr., and high-upside center Harry Giles III.
The Trail Blazers also retained forward Carmelo Anthony for bench scoring and brought back reserve center Enes Kanter, who enjoyed an impressive playoff run with the club in 2019.
According to Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee, the league will decide whether to move forward with the Blazers’ scheduled preseason games against the Kings, set for this Friday, December 11, and the following Sunday, December 13.
Several Teams Expected To Opt Out Of G League Bubble
Several teams plan to opt out of the proposed G League “bubble” campus in Atlanta, JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors tweets.
There are already as many as six-to-eight franchises expected to bypass the shortened season, according to Shaw’s sources.
Under the proposal, NBA teams would pay a fee of approximately $500K to play their G League games in Georgia, rather than their home sites. Not all G League clubs would be expected to participate there.
It’s uncertain how many teams are on board with the “bubble” proposal and whether there will be enough to make it viable.
The Atlanta “bubble” season would last for one month, likely starting in late January, with a minimum of 12 games that may increase to 15-16 games, plus a potential playoff schedule. The campus would require daily coronavirus testing and a mandated quarantine for players.
The G League Ignite team, a club comprised mostly of high-level prospects, is also expected to compete in this bubble environment.
NBA Expands Health, Safety Guidelines
The NBA has expanded its “Health and Safety Protocol Guide” as it seeks to find ways to limit the impact of COVID-19 on its upcoming season while still allowing the players as much freedom as possible.
As ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski details in a series of tweets, players and staff in their home venues will not be allowed to enter bars, lounge or clubs; live entertainment or gaming venues (with limited exceptions), public gyms, spas or pools; or large indoor social gatherings of 15 or more people.
Traveling teams will be allowed in “approved restaurants” with outdoor seating or a “fully privatized space” indoors. The restaurants that meet those standards will be revealed at a later date.
The NBA will also provide twice-a-week testing for household members of players and staff in order to “enhance their protection throughout the season.”
These additional measures supplement the guidelines unveiled last month, which included protocols regarding testing, working out, practices and housing of players. It also stipulated teams must have additional staff to carry out testing and safety measures.
The league is planning on meting out strong punishments for violations, particularly those that cause schedule changes or impact other teams, Tim Bomtemps of ESPN tweets. Violators are subject to fines, suspensions, adjustment or loss of draft choices, and/or game forfeiture.
The league also spelled out what will happen when COVID-19 vaccines are FDA-approved and deemed safe and effective. At that time, the league and Players Association will decide whether players, coaches and staff will be compelled to get vaccinated. If there is no vaccine requirement, those who don’t receive it may have to follow additional safety measures, Bontemps details in another tweet.
More immediately, players, coaches and staff are being strong urged, though not compelled, to receive a flu vaccination, ESPN’s Zach Lowe tweets.
Spurs, Magic Planning To Host Fans In Arenas
As the beginning of the 2020/21 NBA season approaches, the Magic and Spurs have emerged as the latest teams with plans to host fans inside their arenas.
Orlando and San Antonio join the Jazz as teams to have announced they will allow spectators during the 2020/21 season. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic – and no longer playing in a campus setting – the league has stressed safety and health precautions.
The Spurs announced that the organization plans to welcome fans starting on January 1, 2021, for a matchup against the Lakers. Seating at the games will be “limited capacity, pending the status of public health data and guidelines.”
“We’ve been planning for this moment for months and are confident in the health and safety protocols we have in place,” said Spurs Sports & Entertainment CEO R.C. Buford. “Waiting until Jan. 1 will allow us to run through real in-game scenarios to ensure that we are doing everything possible to responsibly celebrate the start of a new season with our Spurs Family.”
As for the Magic, their press release states that plans are being made to host fans in a “socially distanced, limited capacity at the Amway Center.” First priority will be given to season ticket holders based on tenure and then fans who made a season ticket deposit. The team will also release tickets to the general public on a game-by-game basis.
“As we have said, the health and safety of everyone connected to our game will be top priority,” said Magic CEO Alex Martins. “Our goal is to make everyone feel comfortable that extensive safety precautions have been taken for the return to Amway Center. We continue to work through protocols as outlined by the NBA, CDC and local health officials and will use the preseason as a trial to assess and evaluate safety measures.”
The 2020/21 NBA season is scheduled to tip off on December 22.
Malik Monk Tested Positive For COVID-19
Hornets guard Malik Monk is among the NBA players who recently tested positive for COVID-19, head coach James Borrego said today (Twitter link via Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer).
Monk isn’t currently experiencing coronavirus symptoms, but will miss at least several more days of practice, Bonnell notes.
The 11th overall pick in the 2017 draft, Monk hasn’t been the scorer and shooter the Hornets hoped for through his first three NBA seasons, averaging just 8.6 PPG with a .322 3PT% in 191 total games. His 2019/20 season came to an early end when he was suspended indefinitely for violating the league’s anti-drug policy. He was reinstated from that ban in June.
Although Monk hasn’t been a consistently productive player in Charlotte, he was playing well leading up to his suspension, scoring 17.0 PPG on .457/.350/.851 shooting in his last 13 games (27.9 MPG) of the ’19/20 campaign. He and the Hornets had been hoping to carry over that success to ’20/21, but his coronavirus diagnosis will set him back a little.
The NBA announced on Wednesday that 48 players tested positive for the coronavirus between November 24-30, so there are several other dozen players besides Monk waiting to be medically cleared.
League May Boost Active Player Tally To 15
Due to the compressed 2020/21 season schedule and fears over the impact of COVID-19 on NBA roster availability, the league may boost its active player list for games this year from 13 players to 15, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets.
The league’s Competition Committee today supported the concept, according to Woj, but the league’s Board of Governors (all 30 team owners, their representatives, and commissioner Adam Silver) need to green-light such a decision before it becomes official policy.
Including two-way contracts, teams can carry 17 total players during an NBA season, so the tweak would allow all but two of them to be active.
The shortened 72-game 2020/21 season is currently scheduled to kick off on December 22.
Central Notes: Turner, Cavs, Jackson, Bulls
After Domantas Sabonis emerged as an All-Star last season, the Pacers almost sent big man Myles Turner to the Celtics during the offseason in a scuttled sign-and-trade deal for forward Gordon Hayward. Turner is striving to maintain his focus for the upcoming season with Indiana and not ruminate on the Boston trade, according to J. Michael of the Indianapolis Star.
“It really was my first time going through something like that,” Turner said. “In the past, you hear your name here and there. This is the first time it really heated up.”
When they shared the court, Turner and Sabonis alternated between the center and power forward positions on offense and defense under the tutelage of former head coach Nate McMillan.
There’s more out of the Central Division:
- Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com weighed in on the first day of Cavaliers training camp, where head coach J.B. Bickerstaff has emphasized a culture of accountability. “We’re not too far off. We have the caliber guys here to really make some noise,” recently-added center Andre Drummond said. “If we don’t make it to the playoffs, we’ll be damn close.”
- Pistons head coach Dwayne Casey sees new addition Josh Jackson as a reclamation candidate a la power forward Christian Wood, per Keith Langlois of Pistons.com. “It’s the same thing,” Casey notes. “Everyone was saying, ‘Dwane, don’t mess with him. Leave him alone.’ I enjoy people who have a chip on their shoulder, who’ve been almost forgotten about as Josh has been.”
- The United Center will not host fans to start the 2020/21 season for Bulls games due to the coronavirus pandemic, the team tweeted on its official account.
NBA Reports 48 Positive COVID-19 Tests
The first round of the NBA’s coronavirus testing produced 48 positive results out of 546 tests, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. The initial testing phase was November 24-30.
The league expected to encounter some COVID-19 cases as players return to their team’s city and re-enter the NBA’s cohesive health and safety protocol, Charania adds (Twitter link). Positive results were also reported at the same stage leading up to the restart in Orlando, though the positive rate this time (8.8%) is higher.
All players who tested positive will have to be isolated, according to a tweet from the National Basketball Players Association. They can’t be cleared until they meet the rules established by the league and the NBPA under guidance from the CDC.
We know two of those positive tests came from the Warriors who announced Tuesday that they will delay the start of training camp activities for a day because of two cases of COVID-19.
The league distributed a 134-page “Health and Safety Protocol Guide” last week to help teams mitigate the dangers from the virus and prepare for the disruptions that positive tests might cause.
Wizards Notes: Bertans, Coronavirus, Brooks, Wall
The Wizards made a big splash in free agency, deciding to commit to power forward Davis Bertans to the tune of $80MM across five years. Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington observes that expectations have increased for Bertans, but wonders if that means the way the Wizards use him will change.
Hughes posits that Bertans will remain a bench scorer but that the club will expect his scoring barrage from a breakout 2019/20 season to continue for the length of his deal.
“To me, if we win games, I’m happy,” Bertans said recently of how he feels about his role with the club going forward. “It doesn’t matter if I’m playing 25-to-30 minutes or I’m not. Last season, I didn’t start most of the games, but I did finish most of the games. In some ways, that’s more important.”
There’s more out of DC:
- An incoming Wizards player has tested positive for COVID-19, but has yet to arrive in D.C., per Ava Wallace of the Washington Post (Twitter link). Notable new additions to the roster include rookie forward Deni Avdija, reserve center Robin Lopez, stretch four Anthony Gill, point guard Raul Neto, and new two-way player Cassius Winston.
- Wizards head coach Scott Brooks is in the final year of the five-year, $35MM deal he signed with Washington in 2016, Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington notes. Brooks sounds hopeful about an extension. “It’s no secret how much I love this team, the community, the ownership group. Those things will be taken care of at the right time. I’m excited, I’m fired up about coaching this team,” Brooks said.
- With John Wall set to play his first games with the Wizards in two years, Brooks indicates that the club will play it safe with its starting point guard’s workload for the 2020/21 season, but notes that the former All-Star is “ready to go,” per Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington. Brooks raved, “He has his speed and strength and his shot looks great.”
- During a virtual news conference today, Brooks also discussed his interest in developing such a young club, per Ava Wallace of the Washington Post. “You have to have the talent and skill set, which we have, but there’s a lot of new pieces,” Brooks said.
And-Ones: 2020/21 Season, Trade Exceptions, J. Martin, More
The NBA pulled off an impressive feat over the summer, making it through the end of its 2019/20 season and the entire playoffs at Walt Disney World without any COVID-19 cases among players. However, now that the NBA has left its bubble for the ’20/21 campaign, Sixers head coach Doc Rivers is among those worried about whether or not the league will be able to replicate that success, per Tim Bontemps of ESPN.
“Man, I tell you I’m very concerned if we can pull this off,” Rivers said, pointing to COVID-19 outbreaks in college football and in the NFL as ominous signs. “The difference in football is they play once a week. They have 1,000 players, so when you miss three or four players, you can still get away with it.
“If we miss three or four players, we’re in trouble, especially with the amount of games (we play). We’re playing three to four games a week. So if one of our guys, or two of our key guys, get the virus and they miss 10 days to 14 days, that can be eight games. In a 72-game season, that can knock you out of the playoffs.”
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- After the Thunder and Celtics created record-setting traded player exceptions this offseason, some executives around the league are wondering if the TPE rules aren’t functioning as intended and should be tweaked, says Sean Deveney of Forbes.com.
- Former NBA first-round pick Jarell Martin has signed with the Sydney Kings in Australia’s National Basketball League, sources tell Olgun Uluc of ESPN. Martin, who appeared in 184 NBA games for Memphis and Orlando, will replace newly-retired big man Andrew Bogut in Sydney’s frontcourt, Uluc notes.
- We’re less than two weeks removed from the 2020 draft, but that doesn’t mean it’s too early to look ahead to the 2021 offseason. Bobby Marks of ESPN (Insider link) previews what to expect next summer, Danny Leroux of The Athletic projects which teams will have the most cap room, and John Hollinger of The Athletic identifies some star players worth watching leading up to the ’21 offseason.
- Just days after having his draft rights traded to the Knicks in their Austin Rivers deal, Belgian power forward Axel Hervelle has announced his retirement, as Emiliano Carchia of Sportando relays. Hervelle, 37, never signed an NBA contract after being drafted 52nd overall in 2005.