Toronto Raptors Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Seven New Positive COVID-19 Tests Among Players In Last Week

March 3rd, 2021 at 5:03pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

There are seven new positive coronavirus test results among the 456 league players tested since February 24, per an announcement from the NBPA. It’s the highest number of positives the NBA has had in a week since mid-January.

Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets that several of these positive results stemmed from the Raptors, who have had to postpone two games after an outbreak on their team.

Pascal Siakam will have missed at least four games as he continues to quarantine through the All-Star break. The Raptors forward returned an inconclusive result on a coronavirus test a few days ago — it’s unclear if he has subsequently tested positive. Several Raptors coaches tested positive as well, though they wouldn’t count toward the seven cases announced by the league today.

Sources are blaming the COVID-19 spread among the club on erratic face mask use by coaches, Charania adds. Toronto can finally field enough players to return to the court this evening against the Pistons.

The league is surely hoping that it will be able to curb these outbreak-prompted game postponements as it looks ahead to a packed post-All Star break home stretch. Thus far this season, 31 games have been postponed due to health and safety protocol-driven absences.

Murphy Considers Possible Wing/Forward Targets For Raptors

March 3rd, 2021 at 10:49am CST by Luke Adams

While the Raptors‘ greatest need may be at center, the team could very well explore the market for wings and/or forwards this month as well. With that in mind, Blake Murphy of The Athletic considers some possible targets for Toronto, including Thaddeus Young, P.J. Tucker, and James Ennis.

VanVleet, Anunoby Also Out Due To Protocols

March 2nd, 2021 at 6:31pm CST by Dana Gauruder

There are positive signs that the Pistons–Raptors game in Tampa will be played on Wednesday but Toronto will have to go without three starters. Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet and OG Anunoby have been ruled out under the league’s health and safety protocols, Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports tweets. Malachi Flynn and Patrick McCaw will also be sidelined by the protocols. Jalen Harris and Donta Hall have been recalled from the G League bubble in Orlando, Lewenberg adds.

A majority of the coaching staff, including head coach Nick Nurse, will also miss the game, Tim Bontemps of ESPN tweets. Those coaches were placed under the protocols prior to the team’s game on Friday. Sergio Scariolo will once again run the team on Wednesday. The Raptors, who had their game against Chicago on Sunday postponed, were originally scheduled to face Detroit on Tuesday.

Pistons-Raptors Game Postponed Until Wednesday

March 1st, 2021 at 7:02pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pistons–Raptors game scheduled for Tuesday in Tampa has been postponed and tentatively rescheduled for Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET, pending additional coronavirus test results, according to an NBA press release.

The game is being postponed due to positive test results and ongoing contact tracing within the Raptors organization.

Toronto had its game against Chicago on Sunday postponed for the same reason, as the Raptors didn’t have the required minimum of eight players available.

If the Pistons-Raptors game is played on Wednesday, both teams will finish their first half schedules with back-to-backs. Detroit is playing at New York against the Knicks on Thursday, while Toronto has a road game against the Celtics.

The Raptors are dealing with a virus outbreak that affected star forward Pascal Siakam and most of their coaching staff for Friday’s game against Houston. Siakam, who reportedly returned an inconclusive rapid test on Friday, is expected to be out of action through the All-Star break.

The latest postponement is the 35th since the season began, and the 31th caused by the virus. Three others were due to harsh weather in Texas last week and one was a scheduling choice to accommodate a makeup game.

G League Notes: Ezeli, Lin, Tyree, Postseason

March 1st, 2021 at 1:14pm CST by Luke Adams

Veteran NBA center Festus Ezeli, whose playing career was jeopardized by health issues, is joining the Westchester Knicks for the home stretch of the NBA G League season, according to Marc Stein of The New York Times (Twitter link).

Ezeli, who appeared in 170 regular season games and 55 more playoff contests for the Warriors from 2012-16, hasn’t appeared in a game since the 2016 NBA Finals, as major knee and leg problems threatened to end his career. As Connor Letourneau of The San Francisco Chronicle recently detailed, Ezeli hasn’t given up on making it back to the court — he’ll apparently get a chance to do so in the G League.

“I’ve put so much into this process, but this is my dream,” Ezeli told Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated (Twitter link), confirming that he’s joining Westchester. “Chasing your dreams is worth every inch of the cost.”

Here’s more on the G League:

The G League is investigating a claim from Santa Cruz Warriors guard Jeremy Lin that he was called “coronavirus” during a game, as Nick Friedell of ESPN writes. In the Facebook post in which he made the allegation, Lin wrote that his generation of Asian Americans “is tired of being told that we don’t experience racism.”
Former Mississippi guard Breein Tyree, who was in camp with the Heat in December and was playing for the Raptors 905 in the G League bubble, suffered a torn ACL that will prematurely end his season, per Blake Murphy of The Athletic (Twitter link). Although he’s unable to play, Tyree is sticking with Toronto’s G League affiliate for the rest of the NBAGL bubble.
While it may seem like the NBA G League season just began, it’s already entering the final week of the regular season. The season will wrap up on March 6, with an eight-team, single-elimination tournament to follow from March 8-11. The G League Ignite, at 7-4, are currently tied for the No. 6 seed and will look to clinch a postseason spot this week.

Murphy Considers Raptors' Possible Center Targets

March 1st, 2021 at 8:39am CST by Luke Adams

Blake Murphy of The Athletic takes an in-depth look at potential options for the Raptors if they pursue a center on the trade market, zeroing in on Kings big man Richaun Holmes as an ideal target for Toronto, given his modest salary and impressive impact.

Bulls-Raptors Game Postponed

February 28th, 2021 at 9:43am CST by Arthur Hill

Tonight’s game between the Bulls and Raptors has been postponed, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. The decision was made because Toronto doesn’t have the league minimum of eight players available due to positive COVID-19 tests and contact tracing (Twitter link).

The Raptors are dealing with a virus outbreak that affected Pascal Siakam and most of their coaching staff for Friday’s game. At least one coach reportedly tested positive, while the rest are in quarantine. Siakam, who reportedly returned an inconclusive rapid test on Friday, is expected to be out of action through the All-Star break, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Toronto has two games remaining before the break, and both may be in jeopardy considering the league’s policy of being cautious amid coronavirus outbreaks. The Raptors are scheduled to host the Pistons on Tuesday and the Celtics on Thursday.

The Bulls shouldn’t be affected, as they just arrived in Florida on Saturday, tweets K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports. They will return home for Monday’s game against the Nuggets. It remains to be seen if today’s news will have any effect on the Rockets, Toronto’s opponent on Friday, who are scheduled to face the Grizzlies tonight.

The Raptors had been one of just four teams without a postponement during the first half of the season, tweets Tim Bontemps of ESPN. The only remaining unaffected teams are the Lakers, Clippers, and Nets.

Tonight’s game is the 34th to be postponed since the season began, and the 30th caused by the virus. Three others were due to harsh weather in Texas last week and one was a scheduling choice to accommodate a makeup game. You can see the complete list here.

Raptors Notes: Scariolo, Trade Deadline, Lowry, Hall

February 27th, 2021 at 8:45pm CST by Arthur Hill

Sergio Scariolo is prepared to serve as acting head coach of the Raptors for as long as necessary, writes Doug Smith of The Toronto Star. Scariolo got his new responsibilities Friday when Nick Nurse and five members of his staff were placed in health and safety protocols. The team responded with a victory over the Rockets.

The win capped a hectic week for Scariolo, who was in Poland last weekend with the Spanish national team for a pair of FIBA EuroBasket qualification games. He flew to Florida on Monday and entered quarantine, as required by league guidelines. Thursday afternoon marked the first rumors that Nurse and most of the coaching staff wouldn’t be available for Friday’s game.

“We are learning that we have tools and capacity to react to really weird situations, to emergency situations … like this, or I imagine a hundred more that happen all over the world to every person, to every company, every sports club, whatever,” Scariolo said. “We are learning that sometimes we love to have a great plan going from day one to the last one, (but) it’s good to know that we are able to react to different circumstances. We learned how not to panic and try to face what’s going on with a positive attitude.”

There’s more on the Raptors:

Toronto isn’t making an effort to move Kyle Lowry, Smith states in an examination of the team’s position ahead of the March 25 trade deadline. Fred VanVleet, Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby should be considered untouchable, Smith adds, and the team prefers to hold on to Norman Powell. That means any trade will have to involve the bench, where the Raptors hope to upgrade without taking on a lot of long-term salary.
Lowry’s agent disputes a report Friday that the point guard is eyeing a move to the Sixers. Appearing on Sirius XM Radio, Mark Bartelstein said there’s no truth to the story (hat tip to Brad Botkin of CBS Sports). “There was a story today that he’s pushing to go to Philadelphia. That’s just not true,” Bartelstein said. “That story came out today, and so I had to get on the phone with (Raptors president) Masai (Ujiri) and (general manager) Bobby (Webster) and make sure they knew that certainly wasn’t coming from us.”
For Donta Hall, signing a 10-day deal with the Raptors just meant going from one G League team to another, writes Blake Murphy of The Athletic. Hall has been impressive in his first two games and may eventually get a chance in Toronto because he’s a natural center.

Siakam Expected To Miss Next Three Games

February 27th, 2021 at 12:28pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Raptors forward Pascal Siakam is expected to remain sidelined until after the All-Star break due to the league’s health and safety protocols, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.

Siakam was placed under those protocols on Friday and missed the team’s game against Houston. A majority of the coaching staff, including head coach Nick Nurse, also missed the game due to those restrictions.

Siakam is averaging 20.1 PPG, 7.5 RPG and 4.8 APG this season. Toronto was able to get past the Rockets 122-111 with Chris Boucher taking his spot in the lineup. Yuta Watanabe received some additional playing time off the bench.

The Raptors, who are sitting at .500, have home dates with Chicago and Detroit and a road trip to Boston prior to the break.

Siakam Out Due To COVID-19 Protocols; Scariolo To Coach Raptors

February 26th, 2021 at 6:43pm CST by Luke Adams

6:43pm: One Raptors coach is believed to have tested positive for COVID-19, while the others are ruled out due to contact tracing and are quarantining, according to Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter link).

As for Siakam, Grange reports (via Twitter) that the forward returned an inconclusive rapid test and is awaiting the result of his PCR test. If it’s negative, he could be cleared to play in the Raptors’ next game on Sunday.

5:06pm: In addition to missing head coach Nick Nurse and five other members of their coaching staff, the Raptors will also be without star forward Pascal Siakam on Friday night vs. Houston due to the NBA’s health and safety protocols, as Doug Smith of The Toronto Star tweets.

One key assistant will be available and will temporarily ascend to the head coaching role in Nurse’s absence, according to the Raptors, who announced that Sergio Scariolo will coach the club on Friday night (Twitter link via Marc Stein of The New York Times).

Scariolo recently coached the Spanish national team for qualifying games for the 2022 EuroBasket tournament and had been quarantining before being cleared to rejoin the Raptors, per Tim Bontemps of ESPN. According to Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter link), Scariolo completed his quarantine period this morning, just in time to provide a much-needed veteran coaching presence on the depleted Toronto bench.

It remains unclear how much time Siakam and the Raptors’ coaches will miss. Some individuals affected by the protocols this season have been cleared after just a day or two if a contact tracing investigation determines they weren’t a close contact of someone who tested positive.

However, if they are determined to have been a close contact of someone who tested positive – or if they tested positive themselves – they may not be available until after the All-Star break.