Portland Trail Blazers COVID woes beginning anew

Editor’s Note: Shortly after the original publication of this piece, Jusuf Nurkic and Cody Zeller were also put into the NBA’s health and safety protocols. The Portland Trail Blazers responded by adding three new ten-day contracts: Jarron Cumberland, Brandon Williams, and Cameron McGriff.

The NBA has been hit hard by COVID in recent weeks, and the Portland Trail Blazers are no exception.

The Portland Trail Blazers COVID record was clean for exactly one year and 16 days. The still-unnamed Blazer who contracted the virus in December of last year recovered and was back in action before training camp ended.

But Dennis Smith, Jr. and Trendon Watford tested positive on Wednesday; and Robert Covington, Ben McLemore, and Keljin Blevins joined them in the league protocol as close contacts. The five will become the first Blazers to miss game time with the virus that is once again wreaking havoc with the league’s lineups and scheduling.

Portland had their first COVID-related cancellation of the season on Thursday, when the Nets list of eligible players fell below the required eight. That was the ninth game to be cancelled this season because of the virus, and will certainly not be the last.

There have been more than 50 players signed under the NBA’s hardship exception rule, which allows teams to sign players to ten-day contracts without clearing a roster spot in extreme circumstances.

As the easily-spread but perhaps less-deadly Omicron variant spreads throughout the country, it becomes likely that game cancellations won’t be the only impact COVID has on the 2021-22 season.

Even without any restrictions, NBA crowds are thinning as people choose safety over entertainment. And as the virus progresses, expect some cities to put measures in place that keep arenas empty — perhaps through the end of the season.

I’m not sure what else the league can do at this point aside from continue the rigorous testing and enforcement protocols that have put nearly a quarter of the league’s players — including almost every Celtic and Net — out at some point this season.

But at least 95 percent of the league’s players are vaccinated — as opposed to about 69 percent of the general American population — so preventive measures are not the problem. Maybe teams need to stop practicing and meeting and gather only for games.

Anything that lessens contact opportunities will help, and professionals at this level could probably adjust to a routine of virtual team meetings and individual at-home workouts.

Empty arenas won’t stop the spread of COVID through locker rooms and practice facilities, and shortening the season will be a non-starter for franchise governors — especially if they will be losing arena ticket sale revenues.

It seems inevitable that we are headed for a third straight asterisk-labeled NBA championship. We’re long past the point where competitive balance has been altered; let’s just hope we can hang on long enough to complete the season.

The way things are going right now, that’s no guarantee.