Monday Bolts: 04.20.20
Hoops Hype checked in with some NBA agents to get their thoughts on the suspended season. “AGENT 1: ‘One of my relatives is a doctor and he contracted the coronavirus. He’s in his 50s and he’s doing okay right now, but it’s very, very serious. Very serious. I’m not judging anybody when I say this, but anybody who is worried about the Collective Bargaining Agreement or free agency or anything like that right now, their priorities are messed up. We just need to stay patient and stay safe for now. There’s nothing else we can do.'”
The NBA is no closer to making a determination on the fate of the season, says NBA Commissioner, Adam Silver. “Commissioner Adam Silver said the NBA remains committed to resuming the season but that there is still no timetable for a possible return or even a deadline for canceling the 2019-20 suspended season. Following the NBA’s board of governors meeting held via video conference Friday, Silver said the league is still not in position to make any decisions. ‘Based on the reports that we got from varied outside officials, current public health officials … we are not in a position to make any decisions,’ Silver said in a conference call with reporters. And it’s unclear when we will be.'”
An agreement between the NBA and the NBA Player’s Association will reduce player checks by 25% beginning May 15. “Players could lose 23-26% of their season salary — based on how many games their teams have already played — if games don’t resume. The NBA and NBPA will spread out the salary deductions into the first four pay periods, through November and December, of the 2020-21 season, sources said.”
Chris Paul, as President of the NBA Player’s Association, echoed the sentiments, calling the situation a “wait and see” game. “If there is any way possible that we can play games for our fans without putting anyone’s health at risk, that is what everybody’s option is. Not only are we ready to get back and play, the fans are ready to see sports. But everybody understands health comes first before any of that.”
Paul spoke more to Mark Medina (USA Today) about the fateful night the NBA was suspended and the unfolding Covid-19 pandemic. “Meanwhile, Paul was dealing with his own restlessness. He could not wait to return to his home in Encino, Calif. to be with his wife (Jada), 10-year-old son (Chris) and 7-year-old daughter (Camryn). He had spent most of his first season in Oklahoma City away from his family. So this moment crystalized why he missed them. ‘This is the most we’ve all been able to be together,’ Paul said. ‘That’s the case for a lot of families at home. It’s one of those things where you learn new things and learn not to take some things for granted.'”
Andre Roberson was on the Catch Up with the Family Podcast (a podcast for the University of Colorado) and spoke about his rehab. “I’m kinda past the rehab stage. I’m almost to the point where — I should be playing, honestly. But I’m still taking it a day at a time until I get back into our medical staff’s hands and get reevaluated. Just staying patient through it all and knowing that the light is right there at the end of the tunnel.”
Cam Wolf (GQ) checked in on fashion icon Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. “So, after the NBA season was postponed, Gilgeous-Alexander knew he had to keep getting dressed, at the very least to keep himself sharp. ‘Fashion is a big part of what I love, a big passion of mine.’ he told me over Zoom this week. “And, obviously, with the season in quarantine getting in the way of that, I just tried to keep the momentum a little bit.” Without an NBA tunnel to showcase his outfits, Gilgeous-Alexander started posting what he dubbed #quarantinefits. Now, with plenty of time on his hands and his brother available to serve as his photographer, Gilgeous-Alexander can broadcast his outfits how they were meant to be seen and appreciated.”
Ethan Sherwood Strauss’s new book on the Warriors, The Victory Machine: The Making and Unmaking of the Warriors Dynasty, has turned heads with his stories about Kevin Durant. But a new tidbit about CP3, Steph Curry, and Klay Thomson has been making the rounds. “[T]the Warriors attempted to trade Steph Curry and Klay Thompson for Chris Paul in 2011. It was far from the only time Curry was shopped, but in this instance, the deal was very close to completion. Myers made the offer and Hornets GM Dell Demps was receptive. The catch was Chris Paul, who wanted out of New Orleans but had no intention of playing for the woebegone Warriors. Paul told the Warriors they could do this trade, but he wouldn’t be staying when his contract was up at season’s end.”
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