News, notes and observations as the Toronto Raptors kick him in Florida …
· As expected, several NBA players withdrew from the season restart and, as expected, the reasons have varied. Whether it’s a contract situation (Davis Bertans), a family problem (Trevor Ariza), or a family health problem (Avery Bradley), players make decisions based on their own circumstances. I heard that there are at least several more players who weigh whether to play or not. The NBA made its deadline for players to retire on Wednesday, but that was always seen as mild. Players will make decisions until they officially report.
· Bertans’ decision raised some eyebrows among league officials. But he is absolutely doing the right thing. The Wizards are 5½ games from Orlando. At best, they approach four games, win one game, and Milwaukee purees them in the first round. Bertans, 27, will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. He comes from a career season and will be online for an eight-figure payday per year. Why take the risk? The Wizards signed him, largely because Washington hopes to re-sign Bertans this summer (the Wizards were offered multiple first-round picks for Bertans before the trade deadline) and add Bertans shooting at a Bradley backcourt. Beal / John Wall.
· You have to ask yourself: with Bertans retiring, will there be a domino effect in DC? With the Wizards playing the rope, will Beal decide to pack it? The Wizards’ rotation could be seen as a summer league roster. Is Gheorghe Muresan available?
· There is still no indication that the NBA is reconsidering Orlando, even as coronavirus cases escalate to early pandemic levels. Cases in Florida increased 205% from two weeks ago, with Orange County emerging as a particularly dangerous access point. Disney World is under pressure to delay its reopening. I’ve had several conversations with team and league officials in the past few days, and the feeling I have at the moment is that the NBA is considered too big to fail. The league believes in its bubble and will do everything possible to secure it. Don’t be surprised to see league officials review the directive that some Disney employees won’t be evaluated in the bubble, either. The guidelines listed in that 113-page memo are not set in stone. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is probably the only person who can prevent an NBA season from resuming, and has shown no indication that he is considering it.
· Here is a question that many have: if a coronavirus outbreak occurs in the bubble, does the NBA have a breaking point? If a team is decimated by an outbreak in, say, the conference semifinals, what will the NBA do? If LeBron James or Giannis Antetokounmpo test positive, will the league stop any series they’re playing until the virus kills their system? What happens if it happens in the finals? Would the NBA put aside a series until one of its alphas can return? Would a broadcast partner like ESPN, which is heavily invested in postseason rankings, encourage you to do so? You can go through a rabbit hole with all these hypotheses, but the possibility of losing players, key players, is real.
· The NBA received good news on Friday: Only 16 of the 302 players evaluated for COVID-19 this week were positive. League and team officials have prepared for a much higher positive rate, and the hope is that early detection along with strict quarantine protocols will allow the NBA to at least start the resumed season with healthy rosters.
· Avery Bradley is a huge loss to the Lakers. Bradley averaged 25 minutes per game this season and was in the midst of his best month when the pandemic closed the league. Bradley’s absence will mean more time for Alex Caruso, who has had excellent chemistry with James this season. It could also mean a LeBron reunion for JR Smith, who worked for the Lakers earlier this year and is reportedly a leading candidate to take Bradley’s place on the list.
· Happy follows Vince Carter, who officially retired this week, ending a future 22-year career in the Hall of Fame. I spoke extensively with Vince right after the pandemic hit, and while he’s disappointed that he can’t finish his final season, he doesn’t regret it.
· With Carter officially eliminated, the NBA’s oldest player: Udonis Haslem, who at 40 will be dressing for the Heat in the playoffs. I don’t know where JJ Reddick is on this list, but Redick turned 36 this week in a season where he’s winning 45% of his three. Players like that will have a place on an NBA roster until they’re 46 years old.
· Social media can be an ugly place, so it was nice to see Jazz coach Quin Snyder praise Donovan Mitchell for his activism in recent weeks, activism that has had negative reactions on social media.
“I am extremely proud of Donovan,” Snyder said in a conference call with journalists. “Obviously, that is a form of expression, something that he feels is personally important and important to our society and, in general, in general. There were many positive comments surrounding Donovan’s post. That said, there were also some comments that were abhorrent, and things that we should all never tolerate. So, to the extent that you can rationalize some of those negative comments by saying there were positive comments, I think it’s a mistake that we all have to be so diligent. Because while those comments are there, there is work to be done. ”
Snyder continued: “One of the things that has been talked about a lot is that it’s okay to feel uncomfortable,” Snyder said. “Donovan certainly felt awkward on some level. It takes courage to stand up for what you believe in, and to the extent that he made other people and some of us feel awkward, I think that’s a good thing.”
· Ten years have passed since LeBron James officially brought his talents to South Beach, and ESPN will commemorate him with the origin story of ‘The Decision,’ the LeBron James special announcing his intention to sign with Miami. The Don Van Natta led Background will delve into the making of ‘The Decision’ and its ripple effects. ‘The Decision’ remains on top of James’ mistakes, which says more about James than after spending two decades under the strictest microscope, a televised special fool who raised more than $ 3 million for charity is considered one of his biggest mistakes.
· Paul George shook the pot this week when he told former NBA players Darius Miles and Quentin Richardson on a podcast that the reason he wanted to leave Indiana in 2017 was because of the Pacers’ refusal to acquire “the best power forward in the game. “
“I had at the time, the best power forward saying that he wanted to come to Indy and team up with me,” said George. “They say, ‘We are middle-aged, we are a small market, like, we cannot do it, we are a small market, we cannot afford that’. I am as if the best power forward wants to come and play here, can’t they make that work? They didn’t want to do it. “
J. Michael, who covers the Pacers for the Indianapolis StarHe believes George is referring to Anthony Davis, the Pelicans’ forward at the time. Michael insists that it was not the cost of paying Davis but rather acquiring him (if New Orleans had changed him in 2017) without any guarantee that he wanted to stay there in the long term. Still, in ’17 Davis had Three years remaining on your contract. That’s an NBA life, and more than enough time for Indy to form a team around him. Once again, I am skeptical that the Pelicans had moved Davis. If they did, the teams would have lined up with offers that likely would have surpassed any non-George offer that Indiana could muster. But it was a very interesting revelation.
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