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UPDATE: Jan. 12, 2:46 p.m. — The NBA is rolling out stricter protocols for teams in a two-week window to see if that will help solve the Covid-19 issue. You can head to Woj’s timeline to see everything but I’ll outline most of it below:
— NBA players can no longer interact with non-team guests in road hotels. Players were allowed to have guests but can’t anymore.
— While at home, players must remain inside their homes and can only leave to attend team related activities, exercise outside, perform essential activities unless there’s a extraordinary circumstances.
— On the road, players and staff cannot leave hotels except for team activities. There’s no longer a permitted restaurants list.
— For the next two weeks, pre-game meetings in locker rooms are to be no more than 10 minutes with everyone wearing masks. All other meetings must be in a larger space.
— The League is also mandating increased mask-wearing as outlined here.
Here’s official release on enhanced NBA/NBPA measures: pic.twitter.com/l1yEsR9Gox
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) January 12, 2021
UPDATE: Jan. 12, 1:52 p.m. — The NBA and NBPA are working towards tightening health and safety protocols for a two-week window, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Here are some of the details from the report and how the NBA is planning on quelling the spread of Covid-19, which has become a major concern over the past week and a half.
Sources: NBA and NBPA working through a minimum two-week window of protocol tightening that includes:
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 12, 2021
*No hugging or interaction of rival players on court pre and post-game.
*Reducing social interactions during games, including tapping hands during free throws.
The NBA Board of Governors are planning on meeting Tuesday to discuss the growing concern surrounding Covid-19 and the health and safety protocols set in place, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Monday. This past week has been forgettable. The NBA has had to postpone three games in the past 24 hours with teams being forced to quarantine players due to positive Covid-19 tests and contact tracing.
These protocols are outlined in by the health and safety team and the NBA teams have been forced to follow the strict set of rules. As a result, it’s meant teams not being able to field enough players to play games. Woj also reports that GMs are set to discuss tightening protocols, which would set stricter guidelines or practices and shootarounds. He also mentions less contact with other players, pre- and post-game socializing, and stricter protocols for restaurants and mask-wearing.
Per Jason Dumas of KRON4 News in the Bay Area, the NBA is considering a pause of the season for 7-14 days amid all the positive Covid-19 tests. We’ll see if that’s the case after the BOG meeting on Tuesday. It may be in the Leagues best interest to pause things and rework health and safety protocols before playing anymore games.
The NBA was forced to postponed Sunday night’s game between the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat because the Celtics couldn’t field a team. The Celtics game Tuesday against the Chicago Bulls was also postponed. The Dallas Mavericks had a positive Covid-19 test which resulted in multiple players being quarantined. Their game against the New Orleans Pelicans was postponed Monday.