Much like the rest of the world, the NBA is experiencing a massive COVID-19 outbreak as players enter health and safety protocols at a constant rate. The cases are rising around the Association, but the Hawks have seemingly been affected more than any other team.
While Atlanta has been fielding a roster with a majority of G-League players, other teams are having their games canceled because they don’t have enough players to take the court. It begs the question of whether the Hawks should do something more drastic to get Adam Silver’s attention. Nate McMillan thinks that the NBA needs to take a break and pause the season so teams can get healthy.
“I think that way, but it’s not up to me,” McMillan said Tuesday, via the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “The league is trying to keep this season going. Of course, it’s really frustrating for us and a lot of other teams. But there isn’t anything we can do other than follow the direction of the league. We are trying to bring in players to replace guys who go into protocol. It’s a real challenge, and the timing really couldn’t be any worse for us to start a six-game road trip with a number of our guys in protocol.”
The commissioner has made it clear there are no plans to pause or stop the season, even if the NHL did it earlier this season. There are five head coaches — Mark Daigneault, Monty Williams, Chauncey Billups, Frank Vogel, and Billy Donovan — that have been in protocols. In Atlanta, things are much worse. The Hawks fell to the Bulls 131-117 last Wednesday night, but they had 12 players in the protocols. At what point will the NBA give the Hawks a damn break?
“It’s just a sick feeling,” McMillan said, via the Journal-Constitution. “The timing is definitely bad to be losing guys when you are going on a six-game road trip. Every day you are just wondering what’s going to happen next. You walk into the office this morning knowing that you are already down players and you get the news that three of your players and a couple coaches go down. They have to go into protocol and we have to continue on.”
The NBA and NBPA agreed to a policy that allows players to return in just five days instead of 10 after testing positive, but there are clearly flaws in the plan. About 97% of the league is fully vaccinated, so if the infected player is asymptomatic, he should be able to return sooner. Regardless of the change, there needs to be one because these games will mean something to the Hawks come playoff time.
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