NBA teams are beginning to prepare for a significant number of positive tests as a Western Conference playoff team showed four positive results in recent weeks, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Teams will begin full testing of their players on Tuesday as Training Camp 2.0 will begin July 11 on the Disney campus.
This becomes a major concern for unsecured playoff teams, which could lose players during an extended quarantine period before they are allowed to travel to Orlando. The playoff teams are less concerned about their need for key players for the seed games in August as they will have more time to get back in shape.
Most teams (and players) are concerned about possible soft tissue injuries, which could happen with such a short response time after three months of relative inactivity.
The league recently extended insurance for possible injuries that derail his career in the latest deal with the National Basketball Players Association, but even the prospect of major injury is discouraging for any player.
The hope is that those who test positive will be asymptomatic, as statistics show that young and healthy NBA players will not become seriously ill from the coronavirus, although there is no guarantee that this will not be the case.
According to Wojnarowski, none of the six teams hoping to get a playoff offer through a play-in tournament don’t think it’s worth risking restarting injuries for players they plan to bring next season.
Some are using this Orlando reboot as an extension of the Summer League, which can help them develop young players while protecting some of their veteran players.
