NBA may change COVID protocols as more players enter protocols

Within the wake of extra COVID-19 diagnoses throughout the NBA, the league is trying into modifying present protocols, sources informed Yahoo Sports activities.

The NBA and NBPA are exploring a number of choices, and limiting outdoors entry for groups in visiting markets isn’t out of the query, sources informed Yahoo Sports activities. That was the protocol final season earlier than the COVID-19 vaccines grew to become available, and unvaccinated gamers already observe stringent protocols.

The brand new seemingly protocols will embrace gamers being examined each day, besides for his or her days off. Presently, gamers are examined weekly.

However the virus is raging by the league once more. In between the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, the Chicago Bulls skilled an outbreak to the purpose of postponing two games this week.

Giannis Antetokounmpo, James Harden, Dwight Howard and Ja Morant (already inactive with a knee harm) are amongst gamers throughout the league outdoors of Chicago who’ve just lately examined optimistic, prompting the NBA to take a look at its present set of protocols.

And the Brooklyn Nets barely had enough players to field a team in opposition to the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday, resulting in the Nets getting a roster exception from the league to signal gamers.

The Raptors could have their arena at 50% capacity, it was simply introduced, however there aren’t any different groups taking such measures.

With the Christmas slate of video games upcoming, the NBA doesn’t need to threat cancellations for the most important day on the TV calendar, but it surely’s not able to fully prohibit outdoors motion.

Booster photographs can be found and a few groups have already put gamers by that course of.

No matter is determined, it was pressured by sources that any adjustments might be fluid and decided by the science. Final winter, a number of NBA video games have been postponed within the first half of the season, however the league had the flexibleness to create a second-half schedule on the again finish to fill these gaps.

There’s no such mechanism in place this season, so it’ll be more durable to switch potential misplaced video games if such actions occurred this time round — area availability being a foremost cause.

Both method, it’s an entire new world the NBA, sports activities generally and the world is inhabiting, with flexibility being the primary confederate.