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NBA Prepares For Layoff Of At Least 30 Days

March 12th, 2020 at 7:32pm CST by Luke Adams

7:32pm: Silver confirmed that the duration of the league’s postponement “will be most likely at least 30 days,” according to an interview during Inside The NBA on TNT. When asked if it was possible that the NBA regular season would not resume at all, Silver noted, “Of course it’s possible. I just don’t know more at this point.”

4:00pm: Although the NBA has yet make a formal announcement on an initial timetable for its hiatus, team owners are encouraging commissioner Adam Silver to re-evaluate the situation after 30 days, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link), who says the league is expected to provide an official update soon.

Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link) also hears that the NBA will shut down for 30 days before the suspension is re-assessed. Bruce Arthur of The Toronto Star (Twitter links) was the first to report that preliminary 30-day timeline, stressing that it’s a “minimum” and that the timetable may end up being largely out of the NBA’s control.

A layoff of at least 30 days doesn’t come as a surprise. Mavericks owner Mark Cuban speculated earlier today that it may take at least 60 days for the virus to run its course and for the NBA to consider resuming the 2019/20 season. The Chinese Basketball Association, which suspended its season in late January, is aiming for an early-April return, which would mean a hiatus of over two months.

In the short term, a handful of NBA teams – particularly those who have been in recent contact with affected Jazz players Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell – are self-isolating in order to minimize risk.

In addition to the teams we discussed in that earlier story, the Nuggets and Sixers are among the clubs whose players are being advised to temporarily self-quarantine, per Mike Singer of The Denver Post and Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link), respectively. The 76ers are organizing testing for players and some staffers, while the Nuggets have tests available if needed, according to those reports.

Goodwill reports (via Twitter) that some team owners on today’s conference call suggested that every NBA player should be tested for COVID-19 during the suspension. Given how challenging it has been for the average American with symptoms to get tested for the virus, it’s unclear how realistic it is to expect tests right now for hundreds of NBA players without symptoms.

Latest On The NBA’s Coronavirus Precautions

March 11th, 2020 at 6:17pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The NBA’s Board of Governors had a call with the league office earlier today and discussed plans going forward with regard to taking precautions amid the coronavirus outbreak. Adrian Wojnarowski and Zach Lowe of ESPN.com report (Twitter links) that the stakeholders have narrowed it down to two main options: play without fans in the arena or have the league take a hiatus for a period of time.

The greater consensus is to have the games go on without fans, Woj notes. The decision is expected to come as soon as Thursday on what the next steps will be.

The Warriors will play without fans in the arena on Thursday. It was reported that playing behind closed doors is expected to result in a “multi-million dollar loss”

The Sixers are among the teams that will continue to host fans, including tonight’s content against the Pistons. However, Philadelphia and other clubs have sent out memos with preventive and restrictive measures fans can and should take.

The Wizards have opted to remain open for business, for now, despite the D.C. Department of Health advising against holding non-essential gatherings of over 1,000 people. However, Washington doesn’t have a home game again until Sunday, so the decision to play without fans isn’t as urgent for the district as it is for other teams.

The NCAA announced that fans will not be allowed to attend games for the men’s and women’s tournaments this year.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 3/11/20

March 11th, 2020 at 5:00pm CST by ChrisCrouse

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

The Trail Blazers assigned Jusuf Nurkic to the G League, per the team. Portland doesn’t have a G League team, so Nurkic reported to the Santa Cruz Warriors.
The Raptors assigned Stanley Johnson to the Raptors 905 for today’s game, according to the team’s Twitter feed. Johnson, who is the former No. 8 overall pick, signed with the team this past offseason.
There were also a handful of other assignments today, per the G League’s official log. They are as follows:
- Nuggets assign Keita Bates-Diop (to Windy City Bulls).
- Sixers assign Norvel Pelle (recalled).
- Spurs assign Luka Samanic.
- Wizards assign Anzejs Pasecniks (recalled), Gary Payton II (recalled), and Admiral Schofield.

Joel Embiid Set To Return For Sixers

March 11th, 2020 at 4:31pm CST by Luke Adams

Sixers center Joel Embiid has been cleared to return to action on Wednesday night against Detroit, tweets Rich Hofmann of The Athletic. Embiid had been sidelined since February 26 due to a left shoulder sprain.

A report last week indicated that Embiid was targeting today’s game vs. the Pistons for his return. He participated in practice on Tuesday, increasing his chances of making it back tonight. Josh Richardson, who has been in the NBA’s concussion protocol, has also been cleared to return.

Although the 76ers are getting a couple of key contributors back, the team will still be without Ben Simmons for the foreseeable future. Philadelphia issued a press release earlier today indicating that Simmons’ back injury will keep him on the shelf for at least the next three weeks. While the Sixers hope their All-Star guard can return before the postseason, that three-week timeline means he’ll be out until at least April.

Ben Simmons To Be Re-Evaluated In Three Weeks

March 11th, 2020 at 1:15pm CST by Jovan Alford

All-Star point guard Ben Simmons is making progress in his rehab from a lower back injury and will be re-evaluated in three weeks, according to a press release from the 76ers,

Simmons was diagnosed with a nerve impingement in his back just over two weeks ago after going through a series of X-rays and MRIs.

The star point guard missed the team’s Feb. 20 contest against the Nets, then tried to play a couple of days later against the Bucks. However, he aggravated the injury further, only playing five minutes before being taken out. A report last week suggested Philadelphia is hoping to get Simmons back before the start of the postseason.

This season, Simmons is averaging 16.9 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 8.3 assists in 54 games. In his absence, the 76ers have struggled on both ends of the floor, losing recently to the Warriors, 118-114, to wrap up their four-game Western Conference road trip.

The Sixers have had second-year point guard Shake Milton, Raul Neto, and Alec Burks share the ball-handling duties in Simmons’ absence.

Latest On Embiid, Richardson

March 10th, 2020 at 6:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Both Joel Embiid (shoulder) and Josh Richardson (concussion) returned to practice today for the Sixers, per Bontemps (Twitter link). Embiid is listed as questionable for Wednesday’s game vs. Detroit, while Richardson should be good to go, tweets Jon Johnson of SportsRadio 94WIP.

Joel Embiid Hoping To Return Next Wednesday

March 6th, 2020 at 1:15pm CST by Luke Adams

Joel Embiid is hoping that he’ll be able to return to the Sixers‘ lineup next Wednesday against Detroit, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic. Embiid has been sidelined since February 26 due to a left shoulder injury.

Embiid, who suffered the injury in a collision with Cavaliers center Ante Zizic, was diagnosed with a sprain after an MRI showed no significant structural damage. That diagnosis was viewed as good news, and there has been an expectation that the big man will be able to return to action before Philadelphia’s other injured star, Ben Simmons, does.

[RELATED: Latest On Ben Simmons’ Injury]

Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer tweets that Embiid has resumed on-court activities and will be officially re-evaluated by the team on Monday.

Assuming Embiid can make it back on Wednesday, he’ll only miss one more game — the 76ers are scheduled to play in Golden State on Saturday night before getting three consecutive days off. If Embiid doesn’t hit his target date, a March 14 contest against Indiana would be his next chance to return.

Philadelphia is jockeying for playoff position in the East, so getting Embiid back for the team’s last 18 games would be a big help in that race. Currently, the 38-25 Sixers are 2.5 games back of Miami for the No. 4 seed and a half-game ahead of the No. 6 Pacers.

Sixers Notes: Simmons, Embiid, Horford, GRIII

March 6th, 2020 at 11:13am CST by Luke Adams

While Sixers center Joel Embiid has a chance to return from his shoulder injury within the next week, sources tell ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne that Ben Simmons‘ recovery timeline is harder to pin down. Simmons, who is dealing with a nerve impingement in his lower back, will be re-evaluated next week.

As Shelburne explains, the Sixers are waiting for the inflammation around Simmons’ nerve to subside. The club is hoping to get him back before the end of the season so he can get his feet under him again before the playoffs. But at this point, that’s “just a hope,” given the uncertainty surrounding the injury, Shelburne writes.

Here’s more on the 76ers:

Shelburne’s ESPN article on the Sixers’ up-and-down season is worth reading in full, with head coach Brett Brown, GM Elton Brand, and big man Al Horford among those providing quotes. Brown, notably, expressed plenty of confidence that Embiid and Simmons are capable of not just co-existing and thriving, but of winning a title together. “I know these guys,” Brown said. “It’s like how my wife knows when my kids are going to get sick about two days before they get sick. When you’re a parent, you know your kids. And so I look at these two guys and I know they can win together. They can and they will.”
In the wake of a report suggesting the 76ers may explore trading Horford in the offseason, Chris Mannix of SI.com asked a veteran NBA executive about the possibility. “I would be shocked if he has value,” the exec said of Horford. “They might have to include an asset for someone to take him off their books. He has not looked good this year. His movement, it just seems a step slow, on both ends. I think they have to try to trade him. He obviously can’t play with Embiid. The goal should be to divide that salary over a couple of players and make them deeper. But I don’t know how they are going to do that.”
Glenn Robinson III, who expressed some confusion last week about what role the Sixers wanted him to play, is feeling a little better about his place in the rotation these days. As Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes, Robinson showed on Tuesday why the 76ers traded for him, scoring 25 points on 10-of-15 shooting. He said after the game that he’s continuing to “get a feel for my teammates.”

Thybulle Interested In Playing For Australia At Olympics

March 3rd, 2020 at 5:07pm CST by Luke Adams

Sixers rookie Matisse Thybulle has expressed interest in representing Australia in the 2020 Olympics, per The Australian Associated Press (link via ESPN). Thybulle, who said his Australian passport is up to date, will make a decision after the season. If he does suit up for the Boomers, he could be playing alongside 76ers teammate Ben Simmons for head coach Brett Brown.

Richardson Enters Concussion Protocol

March 2nd, 2020 at 9:17pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Sixers guard Josh Richardson is in the league’s concussion protocol and won’t play against the Lakers on Tuesday, Derek Bodner of The Athletic tweets. His status for the remaining games on the team’s road trip will be updated at a later date, Bodner adds.
Sixers guard Ben Simmons shouldn’t have played against Milwaukee when he reaggravated a back ailment, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer argues. The All-Star experienced lower-back tightness while grabbing a rebound during the team’s first practice after the All-Star break. He tried to come back that weekend against the Bucks and departed in the first quarter. He’ll miss at least two weeks.

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