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Coronavirus Updates: Warriors, Cavs, Wizards, Next Steps

March 11th, 2020 at 4:07pm CST by Luke Adams

As we relayed earlier today, the Warriors‘ Thursday contest vs. Brooklyn is on track to become the first NBA game played without fans in attendance as a result of the coronavirus epidemic.

Discussing the situation today with reporters, Warriors president and COO Rick Welts acknowledged that it will be a costly adjustment for the franchise. As Nick Friedell of ESPN tweets, Welts said not playing Thursday’s game will result in a “multi-million dollar loss” for the Warriors, adding that the number would increase to the “tens of millions” if the team continues to play behind closed doors following its road trip.

Although the lost revenue for one Warriors game won’t have a massive impact on the basketball related income (BRI) for the NBA as a whole, it will become a more significant issue if more teams are forced to play games without fans, which seems likely.

Welts and GM Bob Myers confirmed today that the league’s BRI will be affected and that it could have an impact on the salary cap going forward, though it remains to be seen to what degree that impact will be felt (video link via Anthony Slater of The Athletic). Between this situation and the NBA’s controversy with China, the cap may not increase next season by nearly as much as initially expected.

Here are more news items and notes related to the coronavirus outbreak:

The NBA has considered the possibility of pushing back its calendar in response to the coronavirus crisis, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic. Sources tell Amick that the NBA has been asking teams to provide its arena schedule through July. Currently, the season is expected to end no later than June 21 (if the Finals go seven games).
The NBA and its players’ union spoke on Wednesday to discuss ways to continue the season without cancelling games, per ESPN’s Zach Lowe and Adrian Wojnarowski. It appears increasingly likely that teams around the league will be required to play in empty arenas, with the NBA bracing for losses “in the hundreds of millions of dollars,” sources tell ESPN.
After initially recommending against mass gatherings, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine said today that the state intends to issue an order saying that no spectators will be allowed at major sporting events, tweets Aaron Portzline of The Athletic. That will affect the Cavaliers, though they’re not scheduled to return home until March 24.
After the D.C. Department of Health advised against holding non-essential gatherings of 1,000+ people, the Wizards‘ ownership group issued a statement saying that they plan to move forward with allowing fans to attend home games for now. So far, teams have been reluctant to do anything drastic unless they’re faced with a full-fledged ban from local government or an edict from the league.
Keith Smith of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link) hears that at least half of the NBA’s teams have pulled their advance scouts off the road due to coronavirus concerns.
In case you missed it, the NCAA announced this afternoon that this year’s men’s and women’s tournaments will be closed to fans.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 3/10/20

March 10th, 2020 at 8:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are Tuesday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

The Wizards announced today (via Twitter) that they assigned Admiral Schofield and Gary Payton II to their G League affiliate, the Capital City Go-Go, before recalling them later in the day. According to the NBAGL’s official assignment log, the team did the same for rehabbing point guard John Wall.
The Rockets have assigned rookie guard Chris Clemons to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, tweets Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. Ben McLemore and Eric Gordon are both available for Tuesday’s game vs. Minnesota, reducing Houston’s need to carry Clemons on its active roster.
The Cavaliers assigned rookie forward Sir’Dominic Pointer to its G League affiliate, the Canton Charge, per the NBAGL’s official assignment log. Pointer is on a 10-day deal that runs through this Friday night — this is his second G League assignments since he signed that contract.

Latest Notes On Coronavirus Situation

March 10th, 2020 at 6:59pm CST by Luke Adams

After initially declaring that he wouldn’t play in empty arenas if the NBA is forced to take extreme measures due to coronavirus concerns, Lakers star LeBron James walked back that stance in comments to reporters today. As Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN relays, James said he “had no idea that there was actually a conversation going behind closed doors” about extreme coronavirus precautions when he made his comments last week.

“Obviously, I would be very disappointed not having the fans, because that is what I play for — I play for my family, I play for my fans,” James said. “… But at the same time, you got to listen to the people that’s keeping a track on what’s going on. If they feel like it’s best for the safety of the players, the safety of the franchise, the safety of the league to mandate that, then we all listen to it.”

Thunder forward Danilo Gallinari, whose home country of Italy is among those hit hardest by the international coronavirus outbreak said today that he’d be on board with playing behind closed doors if the situation worsens, writes ESPN’s Royce Young.

“I am in favor, because I see everything that’s been going on in Europe, not just in Italy,” Gallinari said. “In all of Europe, they stopped every game, they stopped every competition, in between countries, too, so it’s not just Italy. The steps they did were playing normal games, then games without fans and now they’re not playing. Hopefully we don’t get to that point where we don’t play games anymore, but maybe as a step forward to play some games with no fans.”

As the NBA continues to weigh next steps, here are a few more notes related to the league’s coronavirus response:

At an event on Monday night, Heat president Pat Riley expressed skepticism that the situation will get to a point where the league plays games without fans, per Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. “Until the league says something or something else happens, I doubt that that’s going to happen,” Riley said.
One high-ranking team executive who spoke to Ben Golliver of The Washington Post took the opposing view: “I think there’s a good chance we will be forced to play games in empty arenas at some point. The virus is spreading quickly, it’s not contained, and it will not be contained any time soon. The threat (to NBA players and fans) could carry on into next season.”
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced today (via Twitter) that the state is asking for no indoor events with spectators to be held. The Cavaliers would be affected by a stronger edict from the state government, but for now the team figures to defer to the NBA on any major decisions. The Cavs also don’t have a home game until March 24.
The NCAA issued a statement today announcing that it “continues to assess” how the coronavirus outbreak will impact this month’s tournaments. A decision is expected in the coming days.

Bickerstaff, Altman Contract Extensions Line Up

March 10th, 2020 at 5:04pm CST by Luke Adams

The length of J.B. Bickerstaff‘s new contract with the Cavaliers lines up with the extension signed by GM Koby Altman in the fall, sources tell Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. Bickerstaff’s new deal reportedly runs through the 2023/24 season, which suggests Altman is locked up long-term as well.

Cavs, J.B. Bickerstaff Agree To Multi-Year Contract

March 10th, 2020 at 4:18pm CST by Luke Adams

4:18pm: Bickerstaff’s new deal will run through the 2023/24 season, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).

3:01pm: After replacing John Beilein as the Cavaliers‘ head coach last month, J.B. Bickerstaff has received a longer-term commitment from the team, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com, who reports (via Twitter) that the Cavs and Bickerstaff have reached an agreement on a multi-year contract.

The Cavaliers signed Beilein to a four-year contract with a fifth-year team option last spring, but the veteran college coach didn’t even make it through the first season of that deal. Beilein’s brief, challenging stint in Cleveland came to an end when he stepped down as the team’s head coach at the All-Star break in February, with Bickerstaff taking over the job.

Multiple reports have indicated that Bickerstaff was viewed as Beilein’s eventual successor when the Cavs hired him as their associate head coach in 2019. While the club didn’t expect the transition to happen so soon, today’s agreement – which comes on Bickerstaff’s 41st birthday – signals that Cleveland was serious about its new head coach not just being an interim replacement.

This is the third time that Bickerstaff has taken over for a head coach partway through a season. He went 37-34 with the Rockets in 2015/16 after stepping in for Kevin McHale, then had a 48-97 record with the Grizzlies across two seasons after he replaced David Fizdale in 2017.

So far in Cleveland, Bickerstaff has done an admirable job with one of the NBA’s worst teams, leading the Cavaliers to a 5-5 record since taking the reins from Beilein. The team has won games against Miami, Philadelphia, and Denver during that post-All-Star stretch.

While details of Bickerstaff’s new agreement haven’t yet been reported, it’s officially safe to say the Cavaliers won’t be one of the teams in the market for a new head coach this spring.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Dellavedova Still Has Something To Prove

March 9th, 2020 at 10:15pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Cavaliers guard Matthew Dellavedova heads into unrestricted free agency this summer and isn’t secure about his place in the league, he told Chris Fedor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. “I always feel I have to prove myself,” Dellavedova said. “Prove myself to get here. Prove myself to stay here. I never think that goes away.” Coach J.B. Bickerstaff hopes the club retains the veteran guard to guide an otherwise green backcourt, Kelsey Russo of The Athletic relays. “If you’re in the current situation that we’re in, if you are a championship team, no matter what it may be, Delly is the type of guy you want on your team,” he said.
The morale around the Cavaliers has improved since Bickerstaff replaced John Beilein and the new coach has noticed, Fedor writes in a separate story. “They just keep pulling for one another and they celebrate other people’s success,” Bickerstaff said. “I think that’s a core value of a good team. That’s where we’re building. It’s fun to watch how they treat each other, how they respect one another. … It’s part of the environment we’re trying to create.”

Cavs Sign Sheldon Mac To 10-Day Contract

March 8th, 2020 at 5:34pm CST by JD Shaw

The Cavaliers have signed guard Sheldon Mac to a 10-day contract, announcing the move in a press release on Sunday. Spencer Davies of Basketball Insiders first reported (via Twitter) that the two sides had agreed to a 10-day deal.

Mac joins swingman Sir’Dominic Pointer as the two Cleveland players on 10-day contracts, with the team signing Pointer to his deal last week.

“It’s been 3 years since I been on a NBA court…. today it ends!!!” Mac posted on social media. “All them earling mornings & late nights of therapy I will never forget!!!! ROTM is back.”

Mac, a 6’5″ guard, has played 41 games with the Cavs’ G League affiliate in Canton this year. The 27-year-old has averaged 15.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists on the season, going undrafted out of the University of Miami back in 2016.

Cleveland’s roster now stands at 17 players, which includes two players on two-way contracts. Mac, who is set to earn $81,678 during his 10-day deal, is the seventh player to receive a 10-day deal from the Cavs this season, as our tracker shows.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 3/7/20

March 7th, 2020 at 9:21pm CST by Arthur Hill

Here are Saturday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

The Rockets recalled Chris Clemons from their Rio Grande Valley affiliate, tweets Mark Berman of Fox 26 in Houston.
The Cavaliers assigned Sir’Dominic Pointer to Canton, according to the G League transactions log.

Kevin Porter Jr. In NBA's Concussion Protocol

March 5th, 2020 at 10:05pm CST by Jovan Alford

The Cavaliers announced on Thursday that rookie Kevin Porter Jr. was placed in the NBA’s concussion protocol after suffering a head injury on Wednesday night against the Celtics. His status to return is unclear. The late first-round pick is averaging 10 PPG, 3.2 RPG, and 2.2 APG this season.

Sexton Has Excelled Since Clarkson Trade

March 4th, 2020 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com takes a look at the impact that the Cavaliers‘ trade of Jordan Clarkson has had on Collin Sexton, who says he challenged himself to “step up a little bit more” in the wake of that deal. The second-year guard has averaged 22.6 PPG on .478/.452/.855 shooting in the 32 games since Clarkson’s departure.
We passed along several more items from around the Central earlier today, including stories on Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s role in 2019 free agent recruiting, Lauri Markkanen‘s return, and the Cavaliers filling an open roster spot.