Nearly all consequential people around the NBA next year need to be vaccinated before October’s preseason openers. Except the two most important groups, players and team governors.
ESPN reported that 85% of the players in the league got the vaccine, and the NBA established policies separating the unvaccinated from their teammates in dining, travel and locker room environments to try to close the gap. New York and San Francisco ordinances mandated that the Knicks, Nets and Warriors receive shots to enter their arenas, though puzzlingly exempting visitors. It all may add up to us not noticing the impact of COVID on basketball, at least compared to January's string of postponements.
Yet when players across the league get asked about their vaccination status in two weeks at various media days, some questions will likely elicit responses we’ve come to expect. It’s private.
After a season marked by COVID-19 absences and postponed games amidst the ongoing pandemic, the NBA and its players had the chance to avoid almost all virus-related disturbances while setting an example, and declined out of convenience. That may not differentiate it from other leagues, but the NBA should’ve wanted to separate itself. To again send a wake-up call to the country, as it did when it shut down in March, 2020. The league could become among the first fully vaccinated American institutions. Instead, it declined.
The league’s referees agreed to fully vaccinate themselves. Anyone in close contact with players, from security to medical staff, will need to be vaccinated.
It’s understandable that some players may not want to put their bodies at risk as their main source of income. There is also no credible reason to believe taking the vaccine would hinder one's athletic abilities or cause harm outside of extremely rare cases. As Jayson Tatum showed last year, there is plenty of risk in contracting COVID-19 while unvaccinated toward an athletic career. Even for a young, otherwise healthy individual.
The league’s figures haven’t inspired widespread public confidence in COVID vaccines, one of which is now FDA-approved, the way other celebrities inspired distrust. The NBA, to its credit, ran advertisements with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Russell, Julius Erving to advocate vaccination, along with some contemporary stars like Klay Thompson and Tyler Herro. LeBron James, by comparison, called his vaccination status private.
“They all have different reasons as to why they didn’t want to get it,” Danny Ainge told 98.5 The Sports Hub when some Celtics declined the vaccine this April. “Some didn’t feel like we have enough information. Some feel like they just don’t do any vaccinations. They don’t do flu shots, they don’t believe in putting the poison in their bodies, and they just don’t feel comfortable doing it. And the same person doesn’t really take anti-inflammatories or aspirin or anything either.”
If the NBA reached a certain vaccination threshold, there would be minimal need to miss time in the face of potential breakthrough cases. Regardless of how you feel on the topic, everyone can agree that the NBA needs its best players on the court as much as possible.
John Wall to sit out for the Rockets as team seeks trade
John Wall, one of the league's former top stars with one of the most expensive contracts, will reportedly not play again for the Houston Rockets. The team will focus on the development of young prospects like Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr. after finishing with the NBA's worst record with Wall and company last season. He's due $43.3-million this season, with a player option due for $47.4-million next year, after averaging 20.6 points per game on 40.4% shooting. He missed 2019-20 with an Achilles tear.
That makes Wall extremely difficult to move, as he'll likely become the latest among veterans to recently be seated while losing teams attempt to offload them. Al Horford went home for the final stretch of the Thunder's season in 2020-21. Blake Griffin missed 10 games with the Pistons before they released him and he signed with the Nets in March. Andre Iguodala and the Grizzlies agreed to not play him after a 2019 trade from the Warriors and he missed the first 52 games of the season before getting dealt to the Heat. Memphis' players rallied, in part over his departure, and reached the play-in tournament.
The Heat made the Finals, Griffin and the Nets likely would have healthy as buyouts create something of a feeder system for winners. LaMarcus Aldridge made his way to Brooklyn in a similar manner.
While not stars in production anymore, players like Wall help some of the league's lackluster franchises compete or at least draw interest. It's understandable that Houston wants to focus on development over winning, and Wall already proved to contribute little to wins on that Rockets team. It's now possible Wall misses close to the entire season as the Rockets seek a trade with few available though.
Could Wall still play limited minutes, come off the bench and be a mentor for the team's young guards as he tried to do last year? It's an odd trend among rebuilding teams to do this, and it doesn't help the league's effort to make the regular season feel like it matters. Some fans still want to watch John Wall, especially with how little we've seen him in recent seasons.
League still eyeing midseason tournament
It's likely the NBA is seeking feedback over its long-rumored idea to attempt a soccer-style midseason tournament, which would reportedly offer $1-million in prize money for its winners. It's unclear the full details, whether it would supplement or replace all-star weekend, how the league's calendar would be impacted along with responses from the top stars required to compete. The plan aims to expand regular season interest.
Players on rookie deals, veterans and mid-level contributors may be wowed by the prize money. It's a tiny percentage of earnings for players like Kevin Durant and LeBron, who already have their eyes on the bigger prize while attempting to maintain their health.
A tournament that doesn't impact seeding, lacks inherent value and puts more miles on their legs? It's hard to imagine the personalities that would draw eyeballs toward this idea being excited about it. Then again, the NBA all-stars love playing, so those who do could give middling teams something to get excited about, while the top contenders receive a chance to rest midway through the schedule.
Pascal Siakam spoke to the New York Times
The Raptors champion and star met turmoil, including an argument with head coach Nike Nurse that cost Pascal Siakam $50,000, during a losing season where he heard his name in trade conversations consistently. Siakam disappeared in Toronto's seven-game loss to the Celtics in the playoffs two seasons ago, watching his scoring average fall slightly into 2020-21 and losing all-star status.
Now, he's leading a young Raptors squad in the wake of Kawhi Leonard and Kyle Lowry departures that sunk the franchise out of the playoffs last year. They're set to return to Toronto after spending last year in Tampa due to Canadian COVID-19 restrictions.
"I think for me, just seeing the negativity and all the slanders about me, it just made me feel some type of way, obviously, to be honest. It was just kind of disappointing," Siakam told the NYT. "I never really heard anything from the Raptors. Even all the news I was seeing it was never like: “Oh. The Raptors wanted to give up Siakam for this.” It was always like, “The Warriors like Pascal,” or it was always, “The Kings like Pascal,” or this. There was never nothing where it was like, 'The Raptors wanted to give away Pascal.'"