Austin Rivers rants on Covid depleted roster: Does it still make sense for NBA to continue games?
Austin Rivers is not hopeful the NBA season will continue
Austin Rivers went off on some of the current issues in the NBA during his Instagram Live. The Denver Nuggets player shared how it’s like playing against unknown opponents.
More players enter the NBA’s health and safety protocols
There’s a recent spike in team staff and players entering the Covid health and safety protocols. The league requires teams to have at least eight available players. Anything less than that could result in the postponement of games.
As the Nuggets faced the Brooklyn Nets, the predicted lineups featured virtually unknown players on both sides. Due to health and safety protocols, the Nets are without James Harden, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Durant. In their place, the team had to field in Patty Mills, Cameron Thomas, David Duke Jr., Kessler Edwards, and Blake Griffin. Aside from Mills, BG, and Cam Thomas, Rivers admitted he doesn’t know much.
"You should've seen the Nets team that we were playing tonight. Patty Mills, Blake Griffin, Cam Thomas were the only ones we knew."
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Austin also commented on lots of issues, such as LeBron James’ longevity, being Doc Rivers’ son, and the performance of the Golden State Warriors. But, with the way things are going, does it still make sense for the NBA to continue scheduling games?
Postponement of games inevitable
The league eventually postponed the Nets vs. Denver game and five other games. However, with the surge in players entering Covid monitoring, does it still make sense that the NBA continues to schedule games?
Halting the season and making a plan moving forward might be the best solution for now. Going into the bubble would make more sense if the NBA hopes to finish the season. Instead of postponing games, Adam Silver should talk to the stakeholders about navigating the present challenges. However, things are easier said than done.
Moving into a bubble-type setup would mean financial loss for the league and the sponsors. The last bubble in Orlando reportedly needed $150 million for three months. Also, players and team staff complained of mental health struggles while inside the bubble.
NBA executives must decide soon whether to splurge on another bubble so that the season can continue as planned or continue scheduling and postponing games at the expense of the players and the fans. Featuring half-strength teams affect the team’s playoff chances and also robs the fans of the experience of seeing their favorite players live. These things can’t be helped at the moment, but Silver needs to decide soon.
