NFL
Written by: Jordan Vitkauskas (@Lower_Merion33)
In a stunning turn of events Wednesday night, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced the league suspended the 2019-20 season until further notice. This move was after Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for coronavirus before their game.
“The N.B.A. will use this hiatus to determine (the) next steps for moving forward in regard to the coronavirus pandemic,” the league said in a statement.
According to ESPN.com, “A source told ESPN’s Royce Young that Gobert was never at Chesapeake Energy Arena on Wednesday, but he was in Oklahoma City and was set to play if he’d tested negative for coronavirus.” The NBA quarantined Jazz and Thunder players after the postponement, presumably for virus testing.
All Wednesday games after the Jazz-Thunder matchup went on. The exception was the 10:30 pm contest between the Pelicans and Kings. The league also postponed it because one of the referees officiated a game for Utah on Monday night. In total, the league played four games, with the 76ers, Knicks, Hornets, and Mavericks all securing wins.
Teams Quarantined
Per another ESPN report, “Players from teams the Jazz have played within the past ten days are being told to self-quarantine, sources told ESPN’s Brian Windhorst. Those teams are the Cleveland Cavaliers, New York Knicks, Boston Celtics, Detroit Pistons and the Toronto Raptors.”
About half an hour after the Jazz-Thunder game was cancelled, @royceyoung reports that players have not left the arena and are being kept in their respective locker rooms. pic.twitter.com/ABtSBXQ0ot
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 12, 2020
According to ESPN NBA writer Tim MacMahon, the league informed teams that they are still allowed to practice together, but should “not have visitors from out of town.”
Wednesday night was by far the most chaotic singular day in NBA history. Unfortunately, it won’t slow down anytime soon. Teams now must test all their players, coaches, and other personnel while waiting for the league’s next update. In another somber note, we could have seen the last game (and shot) for the ageless Vince Carter, who checked into the Hawks game with under 20 seconds to play and drilled a three-pointer.
With the NBA season suspended until further notice, Vince Carter checks in and drills a three in the final seconds. pic.twitter.com/XLW1t7uIjW
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 12, 2020
More updates will come as they are available. Follow team NBS on Twitter for updates, analysis, and other great content – @NutsAndBoltsSP.
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All notes as of March 11.
All stats courtesy of ESPN.com or Basketball-Reference.
Feature image courtesy of CaughtOFFsides.com
