PAUSE THE GAME
The timing is right for the NBA to make some massive changes
Dec 23, 2021, 1:23 pm
COVID has gone viral across all sports. Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images.
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On March 11, 2020, it seems like a lifetime ago, the NBA shut down its season because one player on one team tested positive for Covid-19.
In 2021, as the NBA nears the halfway point of this Covid-ravaged season, commissioner Adam Silver says the league has no current plans to suspend play. Even though …
More than 90 NBA players are missing games because they’re in the league’s Covid health and safety protocols. Included are some of the greatest players and biggest stars, like Kevin Durant, Zach Levine, Luka Doncic, Trae Young, Ja Morant, Cade Cunningham and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Nine games have been postponed because teams simply didn't have enough healthy players to take the court. Teams are required to have at least eight available players. The Brooklyn Nets have 10 players in protocols, the Raptors and Cavaliers have 8 players sidelined. Teams are signing “hardship” substitutes and developmental talent. The Boston Celtics recently signed Joe Johnson to a 10-day contract. Johnson retired from the NBA three years ago. More recently his basketball has been limited to Ice Cube’s Big 3 league.
Three head coaches are in Covid protocols: Rick Carlisle (Pacers), Frank Vogel (Lakers) and Alvin Gentry (Kings). The Raptors are allowing only 50-percent capacity at home games.
The NBA is not delivering an NBA-quality product. Is it time for the NBA to pause its season and wait out the Omicron wave, which reportedly will be briefer than previous variants? What do you say to fans around the country who purchased high-end tickets for when the Nets visit their city – and then the Nets show up without Durant, Kyrie Irving, LaMarcus Aldridge and other regulars? Or when the Bucks come to town and the Greek Freak isn't with them? Sure those replacement players are wearing NBA uniforms, but that’s a G League team out there. It’s like buying tickets to a Rolling Stones concert and when you get to the venue it’s a Stones cover band.
The Houston Rockets are one of nine NBA teams without a player on the current Covid health and safety list.
It isn’t just the NBA that might want to consider pausing its season. NFL locker rooms have become pop-up infirmaries. More than 200 players have tested positive for Covid in the past week. That’s 10-percent of the league. The virus has gone viral in the NFL.
The Los Angeles Rams have 25 players in Covid protocols, including defensive back Jalen Ramsey and linebacker Von Miller. The Cleveland Browns have 21 players out, including quarterbacks Baker Mayfield and Case Keenum plus wide receiver Jarvis Landry and defensive end Jadeveon Clowney. Head coach Kevin Stefanski is in Covid protocols, too. The Cleveland Browns are now an NFL cover band. The Saints are starting Ian Book at quarterback this week.
The Houston Texans have 22 players on the Covid list including star receiver Brandon Cooks and kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn.
Texans' Lonnie Johnson Jr. and Eric Murray have tested positive for COVID, according to league source. Texans up to 22 players on reserve-COVID-19 list, including two practice squad players. NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said there have been 'no discussions' about postponing game
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) December 23, 2021
The Texans will be 9-1/2 point underdogs when they host the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.
The NFL is shifting game schedules trying to help teams field competitive rosters. Meanwhile superstar Aaron Rodgers lied about his vaccination status and continues to spout Covid conspiracy theories and tout unproven medical information. The NFL is a mess.
The league just announced new testing procedures that will rely on vaccinated players self-reporting if they are experiencing Covid-related symptoms. Yeah, that’ll work. NFL players are known for keeping injuries secret and some will do anything, including submitting fake vaccination cards, to stay on the field. How stupid can the NFL be?
The National Hockey League has it right, or at least it’s taking Covid more seriously than its counterpart North American pro leagues. The NHL has suspended play until after Christmas and players will not participate in the upcoming Winter Olympics.
Texas A&M has pulled out of the Gator Bowl because the 8-4 Aggies don’t have enough scholarship players – only 38 left standing, 13 on defense - to field a competitive team against Wake Forest on Dec. 31. Instead the Gator Bowl has invited 5-7 Rutgers to take Top 25-ranked A&M’s place. Rutgers will have only a week to get everybody back on campus to practice. It’s just wrong. I’m sure the Gator Bowl organizing committee is thrilled with this development. How do you market a losing team in your bowl game?
Now the College Football Playoff committee says it’s possible that the national champions may be crowned by forfeit if teams have a Covid outbreak. There isn’t a keyboard in the world with an asterisk big enough for a title by forfeit.
A better option, if Covid appears unrelenting next month: cancel the playoff. It won’t be the end of the world if there’s no college championship game. Or if the Super Bowl is pushed back to March. Or the NBA has to resort to a bubble in Orlando again.
Sports leagues have a responsibility to give fans their best product. They’re fond of saying that player safety comes first. It may hurt, but prove it.
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Despite a last-minute comeback attempt by Gonzaga on Saturday, the Cougars defeated the Bulldogs and advanced to the Sweet 16 for the sixth straight NCAA Tournament.
Houston will face the No.4 seed Purdue, who made it to the championship game last year.
The Boilermakers will be one of the toughest opponents the Cougars have faced thus far and will essentially have the home-court advantage with the game taking place in Indianapolis.
Despite the daunting matchup on paper, Houston is currently an -8.5 favorite to win this game. The Cougars should be able to handle Purdue so long as their offense stays hot and they continue to play defense at an elite level.
Keep the offense flowing
Houston guard LJ Cryer matched a career-high with 30 points against Gonzaga and has been the offensive focal point of this team.
This season, the Baylor transfer has averaged 15.6 points per game and has stepped up to be one of the unquestioned leaders of this team.
In addition to Cryer, the Cougars have Milos Uzan and Emanuel Sharp, who can carry the offensive load as they did during the Big 12 Tournament and against SIUE on Thursday.
J’Wan Roberts is another key factor for Houston’s success. The senior forward seems to have recovered from his ankle injury and has been a productive player since returning to the lineup.
Roberts leads the team in rebounds and is one of the most efficient scorers for the Cougars, averaging more than 50% from the field over his last five seasons.
Houston’s dynamic offense and elite defense makes this team one of the toughest to beat during the tournament.
Containing Purdue’s stars
The Boilermakers have two proficient scorers on their team, Trey Kaufman-Renn and Braden Smith, who each average over 15 points per game.
Kaufman-Renn scored 22 points in his previous game against McNeese State and has been one of Purdue’s best players for most of this year.
Roberts and Joseph Tuggler will likely be assigned to the junior forward to slow down his offense, forcing his teammates to step up.
Smith is Purdue’s second-leading scorer, averaging 16 points per game, and has the most assists and steals for the Boilermakers this season.
Both Uzan and Cyrer, who have been elite parameter defenders, will cover the Purdue guard and limit his production.
Containing both Kaufman-Renn and Smith will be Houston’s top priority and the key to come away victorious.
Play Cougar basketball
Head coach Kelvin Sampson has now made it to at least the Sweet 16 six consecutive times and has his team well-positioned to make another deep tournament run.
Since arriving in Houston, the 69-year-old coach has turned this program from an afterthought to one of the best basketball teams in the country year after year.
Sampson’s key to his success is instilling a defensive-first mentality into his team and getting the best effort out of his players.
This season is no different, as Houston has the number-one ranked defense in the nation and is holding their opponents to 58.4 points per game on average.
If the Cougars can create consistent offense and continue playing defense at an elite level, they should win this game with ease and advance to the Elite 8 for the first time in three years.
The Houston-Purdue game will be played at Lucas Oil Stadium on Friday at 9 pm. The winner will play either Kentucky or Tennessee in the next round.