Jordan and Dinwiddie test positive for COVID-19
While most fans and players alike are excited for the National Basketball Association to return to action and conclude the 2019-20 campaign in Orlando, Florida next month, there have still been several concerns raised. On Monday, a few of those concerns became reality when Brooklyn Nets’ guard DeAndre Jordan and forward Spencer Dinwiddie confirmed that they have both tested positive for COVID-19.
Dinwiddie revealed to The Athletic that while he has tested positive, he has yet to decide on how it will impact his next steps and whether he will report to Orlando for the NBA re-start. However, Jordan has alright made up his mind and announced on Twitter that he has opted against finishing out the season in Florida with his teammates.
“Found out last night and confirmed again today that I’ve tested positive for COVID while being back in market,” the guard told his followers. “As a result of this, I will not be in Orlando for the resumption of the season.”
While Jordan certainly cannot be blamed for his decision based on his positive result, it leaves the Nets rather thin to say the least. On Sunday, forward Wilson Chandler told ESPN that he would not be in Orlando because of family reasons. The team is also already missing superstars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving who have both been ruled out for the remainder of the season.
The Nets currently occupy the seventh spot in the Eastern Conference – despite a less than impressive 30-34 record – and are not considered a contender to compete for a championship without the likes of Durant and Irving in the lineup. The fact that the Nets will struggle to win many games in Orlando certainly helps players decide not to participate if they don’t have to.
The Nets aren’t the only organization to have players opt out of returning though, with the Los Angeles Lakers suffering a massive blow in losing Avery Bradley. Trevor Ariza of the Portland Trailblazers, Davis Bertans of the Washington Wizards and Willie Cauley-Stein have also all elected to sit out of the NBA re-start for various reasons.
As the NBA inches closer to the end of July and moving teams and players into their bubble in Orlando, more players and staff members will likely decide against leaving their families for weeks and months in order to finish the current campaign. The NBA and NBAPA are both confident though that the vast majority of players do want to return to the court and crown an NBA champion.
The Toronto Raptors are the defending champions and are expected to have a full squad in Orlando when the league does re-start play. As they are the league’s only Canadian team, the club has organized that the players report to Fort Meyers, Florida, to avoid any mandatory 14-day quarantine periods.
Brooklyn is scheduled to play their first game back on Friday July 31st, in a matinee affair against the Orlando Magic. They take on the Washington Wizards on August 2nd in their second game in yet another matinee affair.