Hiatus Notes: NBA Draft Lottery, Combine, Silver
As the NBA waits to see if resuming regular-season play will be possible, the league is also considering the possible impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the next two events on its schedule: The NBA draft lottery and combine.
Marc Berman of the New York Post reported on Tuesday that the lottery and combine could be next on the proverbial “chopping block.” The draft lottery is tentatively scheduled for May 19 in Chicago, while the combine is scheduled for May 21-24.
However, if the league doesn’t return to play for another two or three months, then both events would have to be canceled or pushed back. That being said, Berman writes that the NBA has not made any final decisions about the draft lottery or the combine.
On Tuesday, we looked at the potential lottery odds for the 14 teams in contention for the first overall draft pick.
Here’s more on what’s happening with the NBA:
- Marc Stein of the New York Times explains why the NBA wants to resume the season instead of moving onto next season. As Stein writes, the desire to crown a champion and avoid more substantial revenue losses are among the league’s concerns.
- At least three teams (the Kings, Bucks, and Warriors) wanted the NBA to take a hiatus before last Wednesday’s games were played, writes Jeff Zillgitt of USA TODAY. In his story, Zillgitt also details NBA commissioner Adam Silver’s thought process behind shutting down the league.
- ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Tuesday that the NBA is planning to raise its credit line to $1.2 billion to help with the extended shutdown due to the coronavirus. Wojnarowski adds that the league’s credit line was previously $650MM.
Warriors Notes: Coronavirus, Thompson, TPE
Unlike a handful of other NBA teams, the Warriors haven’t had any of their players tested for the coronavirus, as Mark Medina of USA Today writes. The franchise hasn’t had any players show symptoms of COVID-19 and is wary of the fact that tests aren’t widely available to the general public at this time.
“We’ve been told that testing’s in short supply,” Warriors president of basketball operations Bob Myers said on Tuesday. “We’re treating ourselves like people, which is what we are. We’re not better than anybody. We’re not worse. We’re just a basketball team, like any company. Right now, we’re not interacting with anybody. I’ve been told by our doctors that we shouldn’t be testing asymptomatic people in California.”
With the city of San Francisco advising people to stay at home except for essential needs, the Warriors’ facility is closed for workout purposes, but the team has remained in daily communication with its players, and is prepared to take action if players start showing symptoms. For now though, that hasn’t been the case.
“Every team’s responsibility is to check in with their players each day and staff members or anybody for that matter, even me, to report symptoms,” Myers said, per Medina. “So we’re doing that. But outside of that, we’re not mandating, nor do I think we should be at this time until testing becomes more available that everybody gets tested.”
Here’s more on the Warriors:
- The club has allowed three unnamed players to travel out of the Bay Area this week, Myers said on Tuesday (per Medina). The NBA is allowing players to leave their team’s market as long as they get approval to do so and remain in contact with the franchise.
- With the Warriors completely “shut down,” Myers acknowledged that an injured player like Klay Thompson doesn’t have access to the team’s facilities for rehab purposes. “Yes, that’s the thing,” Myers said, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link). “It’s hard. Privately by himself. Maybe with one of the trainers at his house.”
- Myers said the Warriors aren’t concerned about losing their $17MM+ traded player exception from last summer’s Andre Iguodala deal, which is currently scheduled to expire after July 7. “I imagine that they’ll figure that out,” Myers said, suggesting the expiry date would likely be adjusted (Twitter link Nick Friedell of ESPN). ESPN’s Bobby Marks wrote earlier today that those TPE expiry dates seem likely to be pushed back along with the start of the 2020/21 league year.
NBPA Aligned With NBA On Goal Of Saving Season
The NBA suspended the season earlier this month amid the coronavirus pandemic. Nobody wants the season to be canceled, with NBPA executive director Michele Roberts telling Mark Medina of USA Today that the union is aligned with the league in trying to save the season.
“If you look at our CBA, there is some troubling language if you are a player,” said Roberts. “I’m a lawyer by training and the concept of a ‘force majeure’ is common in any contract. … No matter what differences we may have in the league in the past or going forward, we’re actively on the same page about trying to save our season and trying to save our playoffs.”
The NBA’s Board of Governors met with former U.S. Surgeon General Vivej Murthy earlier today and the stakeholders left the meeting with feelings of optimism that the season will resume before July, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link).
“The revenue consequences are significant,” Roberts continued. “Sure, there is language that allows the league to enforce what they perceive to be a ‘force majeure’ and that would have an impact on compensation for players going forward. But if it happens, there would be a recognition the league is prepared to lose tens of millions of dollars. If we can’t play games or we can’t have our playoffs, we’re going to have an economic hit.”
Robert was asked if the conversations with the NBA have been more about trying to save the season than invoking any clause that would alleviate the owners’ financial burden.
“That’s right on the money,” she said. “We want to play games and we want to do it in a way that’s safe. …It’s very difficult to say by ‘X date,’ we’re going to resume the games. That would be foolish. But we’re not throwing in the towel.”
Lakers To Test Entire Team For Coronavirus
The Lakers will test their entire team for the coronavirus, according to Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link).
Four Nets players, including Kevin Durant, tested positive for the virus. Los Angeles’ last opponent before the league suspended the season was Brooklyn.
The Nets paid a private company to conduct the testing. Still, some are not thrilled with the NBA getting the testing while many around the country and world need it.
“We wish them a speedy recovery. But, with all due respect, an entire NBA team should NOT get tested for COVID-19 while there are critically ill patients waiting to be tested,” New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted. “Tests should not be for the wealthy, but for the sick.”
It’s likely that the Lakers will also pay out of pocket for the testing.
Kevin Durant Tests Positive For Coronavirus
Kevin Durant is one of four Nets players that have tested positive for the coronavirus, he tells Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Durant said he is feeling alright.
“Everyone be careful, take care of yourself and quarantine. We’re going to get through this,” he said.
It was announced earlier today that four Brooklyn players had tested positive for the virus. The Nets paid out of pocket to a private company to conduct the testing, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link).
The team elected to protect the identity of those players, but Durant was willing to go public with his diagnosis. Brooklyn said that all four affected players are isolated and under the care of team doctors, as our own Luke Adams relayed. Three of the four players aren’t exhibiting symptoms, according to the club — it sounds like KD falls into that group.
The latest news means that the total number of NBA players diagnosed with COVID-19 is up to seven, as the four affected Nets join a list that already included Jazz stars Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell and Pistons big man Christian Wood.
Four Nets Players Test Positive For Coronavirus
Four Nets players have tested positive for the coronavirus, the team announced today in a press release. Brooklyn didn’t identify those players in its announcement, but said that all four are isolated and under the care of team doctors. Three of the four players aren’t exhibiting symptoms, according to the club.
[UPDATE: Kevin Durant among four Nets players who tested positive]
The Nets are in the process of notifying anyone who recently had known contact with the affected players, including recent opponents, and has asked all members of its travel party to remain isolated and closely monitor their health, the team said in its release.
The latest news means that the total number of NBA players diagnosed with COVID-19 is up to seven, as the four affected Nets join a list that already included Jazz stars Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell and Pistons big man Christian Wood.
Neither the Jazz nor the Pistons recently faced the Nets, so it doesn’t appear there are any obvious connections between all the cases. Brooklyn’s three most recent opponents were the Lakers (March 10), Bulls (March 8), and Spurs (March 6) — none of those teams played Utah or Detroit recently either.
The Nets had been scheduled to face the Warriors in a game without fans last Thursday night before Gobert’s positive test prompted the NBA to suspend its season on Wednesday.
Hiatus Notes: Conference Call, Gallinari, Olympics
The NBA is holding another conference call with its Board of Governors on Tuesday to talk about the hiatus and the league’s plans going forward, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
It will be the third time since last Wednesday that the league has conducted a call with ownership representatives from all 30 teams, according to Wojnarowski, who notes that there’s plenty to discuss and analyze as the coronavirus situation continues to rapidly evolve.
As we wait to hear what gets discussed during today’s meeting, let’s round up a few more notes related to the NBA’s stoppage…
- A team of ESPN writers, including Eric Woodyard, Tim Bontemps, Nick Friedell, and Malika Andrews, takes a closer look at what the extended layoff will mean for every team in the Eastern Conference. As ESPN details, top teams like the Bucks and Raptors had been dealing with injuries prior to the suspension and should be a whole lot healthier if and when the season resumes.
- While many NBA players didn’t fully understand the serious nature of the coronavirus outbreak until Rudy Gobert‘s positive test and the NBA’s shutdown last week, Thunder forward Danilo Gallinari had been keeping up on the situation for weeks as he saw how it impacted his home country, writes Marc Stein of The New York Times. “Of course we did a mistake not taking it seriously in Italy and now we are the second- or third-worst country in the world for this virus,” Gallinari said. “Hopefully we’re not going to make the same mistake in the States.”
- FIBA announced today (via Twitter) that the draw for the 2020 Olympic basketball tournaments, which was scheduled for March 20, has been postponed indefinitely. The U.S., Spain, Australia, France, Argentine, Iran, Japan, and Nigeria will participate in the Olympic tournament, with four more countries set to qualify this summer. However, given the current global pandemic, the odds of those Olympic games in Tokyo going forward as planned seem increasingly shaky.
Australia’s NBL Cancels Remaining Championship Games
Australia’s National Basketball League has announced in a press release that it has decided to cancel the remaining games of the Grand Final series between the Sydney Kings and Perth Wildcats. The NBL’s Grand Final series is the league’s equivalent of the NBA Finals.
The Wildcats had a 2-1 edge in the best-of-five championship series, with Game 4 scheduled to take place on Friday at RAC Arena in Perth. The league had initially planned on playing games that were closed to the public. However, Kings management indicated on Tuesday that it wasn’t comfortable with continuing the series at all, given the worldwide coronavirus outbreak that has resulted in nearly every other major basketball league shutting down.
“We respect the decision in what are extraordinary times for everyone,” NBL owner and executive chairman Larry Kestelman said in a statement. “We are understanding of not just the players’ health and well being but also their desire to be with their families, especially given so many of them have family overseas. Having consulted with the Australian Basketball Players’ Association we have decided the remaining games shall not be played.”
Although the NBL’s announcement stated that the series will be canceled, rather than postponed, the league has yet to say which team will be crowned the champion for the 2019/20 season. Kestelman suggested the NBL will weigh that decision over the next 48 hours.
“We acknowledge both teams for what has been a fantastic series and season,” he said. “Sydney was the only team to have gone through an entire NBL season on top of the ladder and Perth was leading the Grand Final series.”
Sydney’s roster features former No. 1 overall pick Andrew Bogut and Pelicans draft-and-stash prospect Didi Louzada, while former NBA big man Miles Plumlee plays for Perth. It’s possible that veterans like Bogut and Plumlee – and other NBL players – will be available to NBA teams if and when the 2019/20 season resumes, assuming they’re on expiring contracts in Australia.
Eastern Notes: Boucher, Aminu, Heat, Celtics
Raptors forward Chris Boucher has apologized on social media for violating the team’s self-quarantine mandate, Blake Murphy of The Athletic tweets. Boucher was spotted grocery shopping in Toronto. The Raptors were asked to isolate themselves after playing the Jazz last Monday, two nights before Rudy Gobert became the first NBA player known to contract the coronavirus.
We have more from around the Eastern Conference:
- Magic forward Al-Farouq Aminu might be able to play if and when the season restarts, Josh Robbins of The Athletic speculates. Aminu underwent surgery to repair torn meniscus cartilage in his right knee on January 7 and he was not wearing a brace last week, Robbins notes. Forward Jonathan Isaac, who injured his knee in early January, was still wearing a brace and would be less likely to return, Robbins adds.
- With the stoppage in place, the Heat are back in the luxury tax with no viable options to change that status before season’s end, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel writes. Miami appears resigned to accepting the tax as part of its 2019/20 payroll, having bypassed opportunities to get below the tax at the trade deadline and the March 1 buyout deadline, Winderman adds.
- The Celtics will pay team-employed game night staff through the end of the regularly scheduled season, Jay King of The Athletic tweets. They have no current plan to help out the employees of TD Garden who work their games regularly, as they don’t own the arena, King adds.
International Notes: China, Japan, Greece, Europe
Chinese Basketball Association teams have collectively decided that foreign players who refuse to return to China will be banned for three years, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony tweets.
The CBA season will resume April 15th and will be played without spectators. All foreign players will have to quarantine for 14 days and then get tested for Covid-19, Emiliano Carchia of Sportando reports.
The games will only be played in two locations, Qingdao and Dongguan, Carchia adds. China considered going to a local-player-only format but ultimately decided to continue in its usual format. Teams will reportedly not be allowed to sign new foreign players to replace those who choose not to return, Givony adds.
We have more international notes:
- Pro games have resumed without fans in Japan, though not without complications, Givony reports in a separate story. One game was postponed after a referee came down with a fever. Another team didn’t suit up this weekend after three American players were diagnosed with fevers. The league had been on hiatus since mid-February. The South Korean league, the KBL, has games scheduled without spectators at the end of this month after suspending play in late February, Givony adds.
- Greece’s EuroLeague team Olympiacos allowed its foreign players to leave the country and return home, Nicola Lupo of Sportando relays. Team activities are suspended for the next few weeks, Lupo adds. Dwight Buycks, Wade Baldwin and Willie Reed are among the former NBA players listed on the Olympiacos roster.
- Most of the Americans playing in Italy have fled the country while others around Europe have taken a wait-and-see approach, according to Jeff Greer of The Athletic. Virtually all of the leagues of Europe have suspended or cancelled their seasons. Guard Peyton Siva, who played 24 games for the Pistons in the 2013/14 season, chose to stay in Germany, where he was playing this season.