COVID-19 cases spread through NBA, including Memphis

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — For overmuch of the erstwhile 24 hours, the chatter astir Dillon Brooks successful Memphis was that the 25-year-old Grizzlies guardant had a hefty good coming his way.

Brooks had been ejected during Wednesday night’s crippled against the Dallas Mavericks, and adjacent afterward had excoriated the officials for an inconsistent game, including the fiery line: “But this unit did not support the players. They conscionable wanted to get the crippled implicit with.”

So the Grizzlies had been bracing for atrocious quality for Brooks. Just not the atrocious quality they got.

It was conscionable an hr earlier tip-off erstwhile the squad acknowledged that Brook had entered the NBA’s COVID-19 protocols aft returning a affirmative coronavirus trial result. It’s the latest of a caller question of results that person halted concern arsenic accustomed crossed the league, particularly successful Chicago, Charlotte, Indiana and Toronto.

The Bulls, for example, person 5 players successful the protocols, adding Derrick Jones Jr. connected Thursday. Charlotte has 5 players successful protocols. Both the Pacers and the Raptors canceled their practices, aft Indiana manager Rick Carlisle and Toronto squad president Masai Ujiri some returned affirmative tests.

In Memphis, Brooks is the 2nd subordinate to trial affirmative for coronavirus successful the past week, joining franchise prima Ja Morant. Grizzlies manager Taylor Jenkins said the acquisition has been humbling for a league that has tried to get retired successful beforehand of battling COVID-19.

“I deliberation it’s decidedly a large world cheque to recognize that arsenic palmy arsenic we’ve been from the bubble restart successful Orlando, to past twelvemonth navigating a COVID season, and this year, it’s inactive ever-changing. There’s nary script, there’s nary playbook for it. I think, arsenic overmuch arsenic possible, we’re trying to beryllium arsenic proactive arsenic imaginable and amended everyone connected our team.”

The National Basketball Players’ Association indicates vaccination rates of 97% and booster rates higher than 60%. But immoderate of the caller cases, including Morant and Ujiri, person travel from radical who person received the booster changeable arsenic well.

Teams person met with players to propulsion getting booster shots, and each the precautions that person travel to specify the past 2 years – masks, manus washing, etc – are inactive successful place. Beyond those measures, Lakers manager Frank Vogel said, it’s hard to cognize what other to do.

“How acrophobic americium I? Just benignant of hold and see,” helium said. “You anticipation for the best. Hopefully it doesn’t travel to our group. Ask our guys to beryllium arsenic liable arsenic possible.”

ARIZA COULD PRACTICE WITH G LEAGUE SQUAD

Trevor Ariza is connected the roadworthy travel with the Lakers, continuing his caller signifier of pre-game warmups, but the seasoned guardant is not acceptable for instauration into games. While the Lakers proceed to tout the 36-year-old arsenic a cardinal portion of their lineup, he’s missed each crippled of the play truthful acold aft his preseason ankle surgery.

The Lakers had a unrecorded signifier with Ariza connected Monday, but person not been capable to signifier since then. Vogel said 1 enactment is to springiness Ariza a G League signifier with the South Bay Lakers, who are coached by his erstwhile adjunct Miles Simon, to springiness him much unrecorded repetitions adjacent week.

Ariza’s wellness is 1 of the reasons wherefore Vogel says helium hasn’t settled connected definitive rotations and lineups truthful acold this season. He’ll proceed to experimentation with assorted looks, helium said.

“We’re going to proceed to look astatine immoderate lineups are going to enactment and immoderate benignant – A.D. astatine the four, A.D. astatine the five, which shooting defender we’re going to propulsion successful determination to complement those guys,” helium said. “It’s thing that we’ll proceed to measure until we find thing that we consciousness bully about. Obviously, Trevor coming backmost erstwhile helium gets steadfast volition beryllium a large portion of that.”

Veteran defender Rajon Rondo was the different notable scratch for Thursday’s game, retired with a lawsuit of gastroenteritis.