DOC Rivers of the Philadelphia 76ers and Michael Malone of the Denver Nuggets on Thursday Joined the list of coaches sidelined because of the league’s health and safety protocols.
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Seven head coaches are currently out of action as the NBA battles on. Already using a record 560 players this pandemic- hit season. DOC Rivers of the Philadelphia 76ers and Michael Malone of the Denver Nuggets on Thursday Joined the Los Angeles Lakers’ Franck Vogel, Chicago’s Billy Donovan, Phoenix’s Monty Williams, Portland’s Chauncey Billups and Oklahoma City’s Mark Daigneault as coaches sidelined because of the league’s health and safety protocols.
It came as Golden State’s game at Denver was postponed because the Nuggets didn’t have eight players available for the match due to injuries and outbreak of Coronavirus. According to the NBA’s rules, a minimum eight players need to be available to start a contest. That was the 11th game pushed so far this season.
Tonight’s game against the Denver Nuggets has been postponed.
The Nuggets do not have the league-required eight available players to proceed with the game. pic.twitter.com/YweJfia1Vn
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) December 30, 2021
Also in protocols: around 123 players, along with an untold number of other staffers from around the league, including assistant coaches, broadcasters, referees, media relations personnel, public-address announcers, stat crew members, athletic trainers and more.
“This is mentally exhausting,” said Portland assistant Scott Brooks, who is filling in for Billups during his protocols stint.
Meanwhile for some teams there was some good news on Thursday. Totonto, who have been decimated by the virus in recent weeks, had most of their players back for practice. Toronto guard Fred VanVleet was among the Raptors back on the floor, after recovering from COVID-19 for a second time.
“This was different, different experience, different symptoms, different severity,” VanVleet said. “Obviously, it’ll probably take some time for me to work myself back, but it feels much more doable than it did last year.
“I can’t speak for anybody else but it wasn’t too bad this time around.”
Through Saturday, the NBA has seen 560 players take the court this season. It’s a new record for a single season. Largely because teams have had to sign dozens of replacements to hardship contracts just to get through the periods of roster depletion caused by the time missed with the virus. The number is likely to keep rising.
“It’s mindboggling,” Brooks said. “There’s so many good players in the world. It’s just tough to make it. … They’re making an impact. They play hard and they know how to play. They’re going to be NBA players. They just have to find the right spot.”
The Nuggets-Warriors game was the second to be postponed by the NBA in as many days because of the COVID-19- related reasons, the other being on Wednesday when Miami didn’t have the league-mandated sight players available for its scheduled game at San Antonio. The Heat have used 15 players this season and right now, no more than five of those are available to play.
The League has said 97 per cent of players are vaccinated and 65 per cent of players have received booster shot. Every NBA head coach is also fully vaccinated.
