COVID-19 is spiking in several states just as sports are gearing up to resume play, forcing leagues to take special precautions to protect players and staff. Those age 60 and older, of course, are believed to be more susceptible to severe illness should they catch the coronavirus. Coaches in several leagues fall under this category,…
NBA Tells Coaches ‘Age Alone’ Won’t Keep Coaches From Going To Disney — NESN.com
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced much of the world’s population into self-quarantine for some time in the last six months. NBA players were among the first in the United States to begin to do so after the league suspended its 2019-20 season March 11 due to the virus. And while some chose to get stuck…
Celtics’ Kemba Walker, Grant Williams ‘Got Close’ During Quarantine — NESN.com
Just before the NBA’s COVID-19 hiatus in March, the Houston Rockets brought in veteran forward Luc Mbah a Moute for a workout.
With a roster spot now open due to Thabo Sefolosha opting out of the NBA’s restart later this month in Florida, the timing is finally right.
As reported by The Athletic‘s Shams Charania, the Rockets plan to sign Mbah a Moute to fill Sefolosha’s vacant spot. Mbah a Moute has not played for an NBA team this season, so he is eligible for a playoff roster.
Best known for his defense, the versatile 6-foot-8 forward played 25.6 minutes per game with the Rockets in the 2017-18 season. He averaged 7.5 points, including 36.4% on 3-pointers. Houston went 65-17 as a team that year, which was by far the best mark in franchise history.
Mbah a Moute had a 101.7 defensive rating with the 2017-18 Rockets, which was best on the team among consistent rotation players.
The Houston Rockets are planning to sign forward Luc Mbah a Moute, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 1, 2020
But Mbah a Moute dislocated his right shoulder twice during that season, with the latter incident occurring in the second-to-last game. That injury limited his availability and effectiveness in the playoffs.
Then, after signing with the Clippers before the 2018-19 season, a separate knee injury limited him to only four games. Now 33 years old, Mbah a Moute hasn’t played with any team in 2019-20, which means he’s played in just four NBA games over the last two seasons, combined.
Thus, between the normal aging curve for an NBA player and his own personal history with injuries, it’s not clear whether Mbah a Moute is still the same player physically as he was two seasons ago. But if healthy, Mbah a Moute would seem to be an ideal fit for the new frontcourt emphasis of the Rockets (40-24), who are prioritizing versatile defenders such as P.J. Tucker and Robert Covington ahead of traditional centers.
Mbah a Moute’s position versatility also lines up well with Sefolosha, making him a logical replacement as Houston fills out its bench. In fact, just before signing Sefolosha last September, reports indicated that the Rockets also had interest in Mbah a Moute for the same role.
Sefolosha wasn’t expected to be in the rotation once Houston’s 2019-20 season resumes on July 31, and the same will likely be the case for Mbah a Moute. But that prior stint means that head coach Mike D’Antoni knows him well — and if issues arise with injuries or health in Florida, having trusted veterans at the end of the bench could become very important.
I wouldn’t expect Luc Mbah a Moute to make a real impact for the Rockets, but if they need him he knows what to do. He knows the system. There’s a comfort level there, and that matters
— Adam Spolane (@AdamSpolane) July 1, 2020
As COVID-19 cases continue to rise around the country, especially in states like Florida—home to two NBA franchises, and most crucially the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex that is slated to host the restart of the 2019-2020 NBA season—NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a TIME100 Talks discussion that there’s no guarantee the 22 […]
‘Much Is Unpredictable.’ NBA Commissioner Adam Silver Can’t Guarantee NBA Restart as Coronavirus Cases Rise — BCNN1 WP
As COVID-19 cases continue to rise around the country, especially in states like Florida—home to two NBA franchises, and most crucially the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex that is slated to host the restart of the 2019-2020 NBA season—NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a TIME100 Talks discussion that there’s no guarantee the 22 NBA teams who qualified for the relaunched season will even travel to Central Florida. Teams are tentatively scheduled to arrive in Orlando between July 7-9.
“[It’s] never ‘full steam no matter what,’” says Silver in a Talk that aired Tuesday. “One thing we’re learning about this virus is that much is unpredictable.”
Even if the teams make it to Orlando, Silver recently said that a “significant spread” of COVID-19 at the Disney World complex could cause a cancellation of the 2019-2020 campaign, even if it relaunches as expected in late July. The season initially came to a halt on March 11 after Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
But what would constitute a “significant spread?”
“Honestly … I’m not sure,” Silver says. “We have a panel of scientists, doctors, experts that are working with us. We’re going to see as we go.” The NBA, he says, will be constantly monitoring the data. “Certainly, if we have a lot of cases, we’re going to stop,” he says. “You cannot run from this virus. I am absolutely convinced that it will be safer on this campus than off this campus, because there aren’t many other situations I’m aware of where there’s mass testing of asymptomatic employees. So in some ways this is maybe a model for how other industries ultimately open.”
The NBA recently tested 302 players for COVID-19; 16 of those players were positive. “It’s not alarming based on what we’re seeing in the broader population,” says Silver. “In many ways, it was somewhat predictable. Where I’m most relieved … is that among those 16 positive tests, there are no severe cases.” On June 29, two Brooklyn Nets players, center DeAndre Jordan and guard Spencer Dinwiddie, tested positive; Jordan said he won’t be in Orlando, and Dinwoodie’s status is uncertain.
Health risks alone, players like Kyrie Irving have argued, shouldn’t cause the NBA to rethink its plans. A scrapped season could have afforded players more time to engage in social activism, a cause more pressing than ever following the killing of George Floyd and the subsequent national reckoning on racial justice. Silver, however, believes that with so many eyes attuned to the NBA during the restart, the players can use their platforms to do good. ESPN has reported that the NBA and its players union are planning to paint “Black Lives Matter” on the sidelines of the three arenas on the Orlando campus. The league is considering a change that would give players the option to replace the names on the back of their jerseys with social justice slogans.
Since the 1980s, the NBA has had a rule on its books calling for players to stand at attention during the national anthem. Given that so many athletes worldwide have knelt in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement before games as sports have returned from pandemic stoppages, expect NBA players to follow suit. “I don’t disagree with this notion that people come together in a unified way to stand for the national anthem,” says Silver. “I also recognize there are appropriate times for protest. And I also understand that when that line-drawing comes into play, invariably you’re going to upset some faction out there. And at the end of the day, we just sort of have to be true to ourselves, and the values that underly this league. And try to make values-based decisions rather than political ones.”
Silver has said he supports the efforts of NBA players to speak out. “These athletes want to be heard on these issues, understandably,” says Silver. “And we also, at least in the case of the NBA, have a league where roughly 75% of our players are Black. They are probably some of the most prominent Black people in the entire world. They don’t just park their skin color, or who they are, when they play basketball. They have their life experiences, and they want to bring those to bear.”
The NBA released its schedule for Orlando on Friday: Teams will play eight regular season, or “seeding” games, to determine which of the 22 teams will make the 16-team playoffs; their pre-shutdown win-loss records carry over. If the ninth-seeded team in a conference finishes within four-games of the eighth-seeded team, those two teams will participate in a play-in: the ninth seeded team will need to beat the eighth-seeded team in two straight games to qualify for the full playoffs.
Many fans and pundits picked up on the fact that the New Orleans Pelicans, who are currently 3.5 games behind the eighth-seeded Memphis Grizzlies in the Western Conference standings, have the easiest schedule, as measured by opponents’ winning percentage. Fans are clamoring for a tantalizing first-round playoff series between the Los Angeles Lakers, the current top seed in the West and a team featuring LeBron James and Anthony Davis, and the Pelicans, who have a shot at the eighth-seed and feature rookie sensation Zion Williamson. The NBA would seem to have an interest in a LeBron-Zion tilt too: many observers, understandably, are convinced that the Pelicans’ easy schedule is no accident.
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Source: Time
Athletes have been vocal about the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery, with some even participating in peaceful protests. The NBA is set to resume in exactly one month, and Jaylen Brown and LeBron James in particular have continued to fight against racial inequality and police brutality. But just because the games…
Adam Silver Says NBA Will Address National Anthem Kneeling ‘When It Presents Itself’ — NESN.com
(WDVM) — The Washington Wizards have ruled out NBA star guard John Wall for the remainder of the season. Wall has not played an NBA game since December 2018, as he has been recovering from a torn achilles. In May, however, Wall said he would be healthy to play if the season were to resume, […]
Wizards’ guard John Wall to miss rest of NBA season — WDVM 25
The Washington Wizards have ruled out NBA star guard John Wall for the remainder of the season.
Wall has not played an NBA game since December 2018, as he has been recovering from a torn achilles. In May, however, Wall said he would be healthy to play if the season were to resume, but General Manager Tommy Sheppard said Monday that the 35 person limit per team played a role in not taking Wall to Florida.
So, the Wizards will have to play the shortened season in Orlando without their star guard. Washington is currently sitting five and a half games out of the last playoff spot in the eastern conference.
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On Tuesday afternoon, Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka was back at work, in his office in El Segundo with a large clear window that overlooks the practice court. But the familiar surroundings belie the singular circumstances that Pelinka, the Lakers and the NBA find themselves in just a month out from a planned restart in…
Dwight Howard’s status remains uncertain as Lakers wrestle with NBA’s fluid plans to return — Press Telegram
Having run his troops through mostly individual workouts the past week at Florida Gulf Coast University, Nick Nurse says he is pleasantly surprised by both their approach and their conditioning. The Raptors head coach admitted he wasn’t sure what to expect from his team after a near four-month layoff. “I think I would say I […]
Raptors settling in nicely with Orlando NBA return around corner — Toronto Sun
Mike GanterMore from Mike Ganter
Published:June 30, 2020
Updated:June 30, 2020 2:57 PM EDT
Having run his troops through mostly individual workouts the past week at Florida Gulf Coast University, Nick Nurse says he is pleasantly surprised by both their approach and their conditioning.
The Raptors head coach admitted he wasn’t sure what to expect from his team after a near four-month layoff.
“I think I would say I kind of came in here open-minded,” Nurse told reporters on a conference call from the team hotel in Naples, Florida where the team convened and will remain until the NBA campus opens in Walt Disney World just over a week from now.
“I didn’t know if we were going to be not really in the right frame of mind or whatever and whatever it was I was going to kind of deal with it, but I would say I am pleasantly surprised with the frame of mind, I am pleasantly surprised with the conditioning and I just think you have a bunch of guys who have a high care factor,” Nurse said. “They love to play, they are guys that are concerned about getting better individually, about their own careers, and it just seems like they are doing a really professional job. I just think there is a strong love of the game there for a lot of these guys.”
And in a season that was going along rather nicely for the Raptors before the world was stopped in its tracks by the Coronavirus pandemic, that should bode well for the team going forward.
In fact Nurse sounded very much like a guy still waiting to see the best from his team, and for obvious reasons.
“We went into this last season obviously missing a couple of really key pieces to our team (Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green), so you were kind of selling an opportunity to a few guys, there’s some opportunities for some growth and even usage and chances and stuff like that, but you’re not sure how that’s going to turn out,” Nurse said. “Could this guy go to there and this guy go to there? Fortunately Pascal (Siakam) took a jump, Fred (VanVleet), Norm (Powell), Serge (Ibaka) is playing amazing, OG (Anunoby) has been fabulous, so that opportunity there in the middle, the 3-4 spot, there’s a lot of guys that have taken it. I expect to kind of come back into this and see what we are going to look like coming back here but we have a little cheat sheet to know there is a place we’ve been with this group. So I think if it isn’t all holding hands and skipping rope at the beginning we just have to stick with it and see if we can get back to that level. I think there’s another level this group can go.”
Health will certainly be a factor and that’s before anyone even begins to consider the possibility of the Coronavirus overcoming all the precautionary steps the league has taken inside the Disney bubble.
For starters the Raptors were on pace for 60 wins this season pre-pandemic and that was with just about every regular missing a month or more save for Anunoby.
The near four month break has brought everyone back fully healthy, including Marc Gasol, who looks like he went back to Spain and lived in his gym eating nothing but the healthiest of foods.
Powell confirmed on Tuesday during his call that Gasol, in fact, is the envy of all his teammates these days.
“He looks great, man, he’s moving great. He’s feeling great, in talking to him,” Powell said. “I’m supposed to be playing tennis with him either tomorrow or the next day, so hopefully I’ll still be able to give him a run for his money.”
Now granted these are still early days in the re-start. The Raptors haven’t had and won’t have a full team workout until they get to Disney but all indications point to the defending champs having weathered this pandemic rather well and sit in a nice position to make a real run at repeating.
It’s only been a week but Nurse doesn’t sense or feel any angst within the team that could be at the beginning of a four and a half month road trip, albeit one minus any real travel.
“The days go by pretty quickly,” Nurse said of his initial assessment of this elongated road trip. “We’re trying to mix in some days off. We’re trying to mix in a lot of different activities, as much as we can do under the conditions. We had a barbecue the other day. It was kind of nice. It takes an evening. It was good. There’s ping-pong. There’s pool. There are a few other things we’re trying to mix in, too. I don’t really sense much anxiety or people worrying about, ‘Man, this is going to be a long time. The language has been positive.”
It all has to sound almost too good to the Raptors fan at home anxiously awaiting that first game on Aug. 1. But then who among us doesn’t deserve a little good news given how these past four months have unfolded?
Three New Orleans Pelicans players have tested positive for COVID-19, according to Pelicans Executive Vice President David Griffin.
3 New Orleans Pelicans players test positive for COVID-19 — KLFY
Fred VanVleet has been back to work for just over a week and he can sum up the experience in one word. Read More
VanVleet and Raptors prepare for the long Florida grind — Toronto Sun
Fred VanVleet has been back to work for just over a week and he can sum up the experience in one word.
“Different,” VanVleet said. “I think that is the word I will keep using. It’s just different from the norm, from what we are used to.”
VanVleet was one of the first Raptors to arrive in Florida for a two week stay in Fort Myers before the Raptors head north to Orlando to enter the NBA campus. If all goes well there, that could amount to another 100 days stay.
For now the Raptors have taken over a hotel they were fortunate enough to find that had been closed and was just re-opening. It means they have the entire compound to themselves which is really the only way anyone would want it in the state of Florida right now.
The Coronavirus remains rampant in the sunny state but it’s also home to Disney where the NBA believes it can do the best job of keeping their players and staffs and employees safest within the campus or bubble inside Walt Disney World.
Obviously there are no guarantees how safe anyone will be and each player had to make his own decision.
For VanVleet it was a matter of deciding to trust both the league and his organization that he would be protected. But that doesn’t mean he isn’t still concerned.
“Pretty concerned,” he said following his daily morning workout. “It sounded good a month or two ago, not so much right before we got ready to leave. I think for the most part I just put the trust in the organization and understand that I don’t think they would put us in extreme risk, trust the NBA. That’s where my trust lies right now. Hopefully they prove me right and not wrong … I’m trying to be optimistic about it. It’s not the most ideal situation but it’s kind of the times we are in. It hasn’t been an ideal for anyone.”
VanVleet fully understands those players that have opted out of the opportunity to resume play this summer. Some have done so for health concerns. Others over the concern that the fight against racial injustice needs their attention now. VanVleet sees that battle as a long term one and one he is fighting even now as he awaits the opening of the NBA campus at Disney in the south of Florida.
“I definitely respect guys that took the stand to sit out for whatever reason,” VanVleet said. “But my choice was to come play. I’m not right and they’re not wrong. It’s just a personal choice for everybody.”
VanVleet is very up front about his reasons for playing. He did not make this decision lightly.
“It sucks,” he said of having to choose between focussing on the racial injustice issue and his career. “It’s terrible timing. But that’s been 2020 for us. We all know the right thing to do is to not play, to take a stand. Morally, yes, that makes sense. But life goes on. We’re all young, black guys. None of us want to give any money back. I don’t think that we should. I think that money can be used in a number of different ways. This is not going to end this summer regardless, or over the next couple of months. This issue, racial injustice, social injustice, police brutality, all these things are not ending anytime soon. Our fight was long term. That was part of my decision. But if the league, or more of my guys would have come together and said we didn’t want to play, I would have sat out as well. I wouldn’t have even fought it. I think most of us decided to play. It’s something we’ll have to live with. I trust that my heart’s in the right place and I’m doing enough to make change.”
His days right now are pretty regimented. Up early for an early morning workout but not before his COVID test and all his vitals are tested. Then the workout and then back to the hotel to eat, take a nap and get treatment. After that the rest of the day is his to do as he pleases. Video games, FaceTime calls with his family or whatever he chooses as long as he stays in the hotel. Freedom is non-existent he half jokes.
Whatever freedom he does have right now will likely be further curtailed when he enters the NBA campus on July 9t but he anticipates that and is fine with it.
“If you want to find a million different little things to be wrong, they will be there for you,” VanVleet said. “And if you want to get through it I think you will be able to get through it. My first thought was ‘What are we going to do for food?’ If they are trying to keep us all enclosed for that long, the food options will become scarce pretty quick or bland after a while of eating the same thing over and over again. But we’ll see. I don’t know. I think there’s a lot of still unanswered questions that a lot of guys have had so we’re just going to have to show up and see.
“My hope is once we start playing we just get back into the flow of what we are used to and you will play and eat and sleep and hang out and then play again and before you know it, it will be over.”
The Raptors head will head into the bubble the No. 2 seed in the East and facing the toughest eight-game seeding schedule of any team in Orlando. VanVleet, nevertheless, likes his team’s chances.
“Everybody I’ve talked to since I’ve been here is just looking forward to getting to Orlando and start practising and gearing up and trying to win another one,” he said. “I think we have a really, really good chance and we’re going to be a tough team to beat four times, for anybody.”
The Raptors re-open the season Aug. 1 against LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers.
MISSING HIS FAMILY
Fred VanVleet has been away from his kids for less than a week and already he misses them.
The plan right now within the VanVleet family is to have the rest of the fam join dad in Orlando for the second round of the playoffs, the first possible time family members can join the NBA players inside the campus at Disney.
But that decision will be based on what VanVleet experiences over that first month and a half before the NBA opens the campus to family members.
“I will re-evaluate once I’ve been in Orlando for a little while. It it’s something that suits us, then we will do it. If not, then we won’t. But I like having my family around for sure,” he said.0 CommentsShare your thoughtsNBA
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The Nets have a bit of a situation on their hands. Brooklyn stars Spencer Dinwiddie and DeAndre Jordan announced Monday they’ve tested positive for COVID-19. Dinwiddie reported experiencing symptoms, “including fever and chest tightness,” according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania. Jordan has since opted out of the NBA’s resumed season, and Dinwiddie appears to be considering the…
Nets Stars Spencer Dinwiddie, DeAndre Jordan Test Positive For COVID-19 — NESN.com
The Nets have a bit of a situation on their hands.
Brooklyn stars Spencer Dinwiddie and DeAndre Jordan announced Monday they’ve tested positive for COVID-19. Dinwiddie reported experiencing symptoms, “including fever and chest tightness,” according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania. Jordan has since opted out of the NBA’s resumed season, and Dinwiddie appears to be considering the option as well.
“Found out last night and confirmed again today that I’ve tested positive for Covid while being back in market,” Jordan tweeted Monday night. “As a result of this, I will not be in Orlando for the resumption of the season.”
Found out last night and confirmed again today that I’ve tested positive for Covid while being back in market. As a result of this, I will not be in Orlando for the resumption of the season. — DeAndre Jordan (@DeAndre) June 30, 2020
“I was ready and prepared to rejoin my teammates as we were to be an early entry team in the resumed season,” Dinwiddie said. “I flew private to return to New York, passed multiple COVID-19 tests over my first several days in New York and was able to participate in a couple practices within the first week. “Originally, we were supposed to be one of the teams to enter into the Orlando bubble early, but training camp got switched back to New York and unfortunately I am now positive. Given that I have experienced symptoms … it is unclear on whether or not I’ll be able to participate in Orlando.”
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Nets plan to sign someone in place of Jordan. Dinwiddie’s situation remains unclear. The Nets currently are seventh in the Eastern Conference. More NBA: Rudy Gobert Hasn’t Fully Regained Se
Read more at: https://nesn.com/2020/06/nets-stars-spencer-dinwiddie-deandre-jordan-test-positive-for-covid-19/
A longtime LeBron James teammate is expected to join the Lakers for the NBA’s restart in Orlando next month. According to an ESPN report, the Lakers are finalizing a deal for J.R. Smith, the 34-year-old free-wheeling guard who has not played an NBA game since November of 2018. NBA teams have until July 1 to…
Lakers expected to sign veteran guard J.R. Smith for NBA’s restart, per report — Press Telegram
The view from left field 