How Commissioner Adam Silver is handling the NBA’s suspension due to the coronavirus
It’s officially been a week since the NBA suspended play for at least 30 days due to concerns over the spread of the coronavirus.
One week ago tonight, the NBA suspended its season. pic.twitter.com/tithrdgIPW
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 19, 2020
Here are a few updates regarding the actions that commissioner Adam Silver and the NBA have taken in the past seven days to increase player safety and hopefully, prepare for games in the future.
Rudy Gobert coronavirus update
Gobert was the first NBA player to test positive for COVID-19, which triggered the cancelation of the season.
In retrospect, Silver believes Gobert’s positive test called for the NBA and other sports leagues to take the coronavirus outbreak seriously.
Adam Silver says if Rudy Gobert hadn’t been tested, NBA likely would have kept playing. He says if NBA didn’t act as soon as it did, others might not have followed the way that they did.
— Ohm Youngmisuk (@NotoriousOHM) March 18, 2020
Gobert appears to be doing fine in the wake of his positive test:
A message from @rudygobert27 pic.twitter.com/eKV6asutGN
— NBA (@NBA) March 15, 2020
Gobert’s teammate Donovan Mitchell also tested positive for the virus and appears to be well on his way t0 a speedy recovery:
A message from the NBA & @TheNBPA pic.twitter.com/iLoUWHUmNr
— NBA (@NBA) March 17, 2020
NBA teams being tested for coronavirus
After the news broke of Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell testing positive for COVID-19, the league has administered tests to eight of the 30 teams so far:
Adam Silver says that 8 full NBA teams have been tested for COVID-19, along with some individuals showed symptoms. He continued, “My sense was — especially among young people in the US — people were not taking these protocols all that seriously until the NBA did what it did.”
— Malika Andrews (@malika_andrews) March 18, 2020
The Oklahoma City Thunder‘s tests all came back negative:
The Thunder just put out a press release: all COVID-19 results for players and staff that were tested came back negative.
— Royce Young (@royceyoung) March 18, 2020
Four players on the Brooklyn Nets tested positive, one of them being superstar Kevin Durant:
Here is the Brooklyn Nets’ full statement on four of their players testing positive for Covid-19: https://t.co/BWxRUHX1Z7 pic.twitter.com/pfII8OD2sy
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) March 17, 2020
Kevin Durant tested positive for coronavirus, Durant tells @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium. Durant says he is feeling fine: “Everyone be careful, take care of yourself and quarantine. We’re going to get through this.”
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 17, 2020
Christian Wood of the Detroit Pistons also tested positive:
Detroit Pistons‘ Christian Wood has tested positive for coronavirus, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium. Wood had 30 and 11 rebounds against Rudy Gobert on Saturday night before a career-high 32 on Wednesday.
Sources say Wood has shown no symptoms and is doing well.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 15, 2020
As of Thursday, an unnamed member of the Denver Nuggets organization tested positive:
“The person, who was tested after experiencing symptoms consistent with COVID-19 on March 16, is currently under care of team medical staff and in self isolation.” https://t.co/x9xAwWumnI
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 19, 2020
Silver pitches one-off All-Star Game during suspension
While play is suspended, Commissioner Silver has plans to potentially implement an exhibition game featuring some of the league’s stars.
The game would serve as a unique form of entertainment for fans, as well as a potential charity event for COVID-19 relief:
On ESPN, Adam Silver floats possibility of an NBA exhibition game played for charity, with a small subset of players, while league waits for opportunity to resume. Says he thinks fans especially need the diversion now.
— Howard Beck (@HowardBeck) March 18, 2020
Adam Silver tells @Rachel__Nichols on SportsCenter the NBA has discussed having some sort of one-off All-Star style game as a fundraiser/entertainment diversion during the coronavirus league suspension.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) March 18, 2020
Silver hopeful season can be salvaged
Though it appears the season won’t resume until summer at the earliest, Silver and the NBA owners remain optimistic that the season can be completed:
NBA commissioner Adam Silver thinks the NBA season could resume in time to hold the NBA Finals in July. pic.twitter.com/LQL34WcG1v
— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) March 13, 2020
With play being suspended for the foreseeable future, this might lead to next season and seasons after starting on Christmas:
.@Rachel__Nichols asked if this could result in NBA calendar being permanently shifted, such as season starting on Christmas.
Adam Silver: “Possibly. Those are things we’re always talking about.”
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) March 18, 2020
Silver still isn’t quite sure how the league will go about statistical achievements and awards should this current season be completely canceled:
Asked by @Rachel__Nichols about the NBA record book and what happens if the league is unable to crown a champion this season, what happens for current statistical leaders, etc., Adam Silver said: “I’m not there yet”
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) March 18, 2020
Adam Silver was very candid and said about the rest of the season being lost and what that means to league awards: “I’m not there yet. Maybe I’m in denial, but I’m just not there yet.”
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) March 18, 2020
NBA facilities shut down beginning Friday
The NBA announced on Thursday that all team facilities will be shuttered beginning on March 20:
The NBA is shutting down all team training facilities to staff and players starting Friday to mitigate coronavirus situation, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 19, 2020
Teams were informed today in a memo about facilities closing –with players being encouraged to take aggressive measures to continue to avoid contact with others and remain home as much as possible. https://t.co/3OedPb4qFt
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 19, 2020
Teams had been encourging of idea of shuttering faciltiies for immediate future. As much as franchises wanted players to have an outlet to come get work in, teams and league were uneasy about contact even in that limited environment. This was an inevitable move for a long hiatus.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 19, 2020
Players also cannot workout in any other public settings:
Not only are practice facilities closed to players beginning tomorrow, per today’s memo, but they remain prohibited from using public health clubs, fitness centers, gyms, college facilities, or the like. In effect: the NBA’s players can’t work out anywhere.
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) March 19, 2020
Players are also now being permitted from leaving North America due to the growing number of COVID-19 patients:
Players will not be allowed to travel outside of North America, league tells teams in a memo. https://t.co/6xLWddo2LC
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 19, 2020
Stay tuned for more updates.
