The NBA is still a year away from Christmas, but the fear of an impending cancellation has been spreading in recent weeks. Doomsayers are pointing to several factors that might trigger the cancelation: The All-Star game being on Christmas Day, the ease with which teams have waived players this season, and finally there’s also talk about how Zion Williamson could go No. 1 overall instead of DeAndre Ayton if he enters next week as expected
The “omicron variant death rate” is a fear that has been spreading around the internet. The fear is that the NBA could cancel Christmas because of an omicron variant.
In the NBA, the Omicron version is already prevalent. The league and the NBPA have reached a new agreement on replacement players as a result of numerous clubs having multiple players under health and safety standards. It’s designed to cause a lot of swaying and rocking, according to ESPN expert Richard Jefferson, who thinks fans should be watching the G League instead.
Is the league’s biggest day on the calendar in peril with so many players out?
COVID-19 is wreaking havoc for many teams slated to play on Christmas Day, including the Brooklyn Nets, Boston Celtics, and Los Angeles Lakers. The possibility of the NBA scrapping the Christmas Day slate has sparked widespread skepticism.
More than 15% of NBA players are undergoing health and safety procedures.
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The NBA is exercising appropriate prudence ahead of Christmas Day, but some may argue that the league should have exercised similar caution weeks ago.
Five games were postponed by the league on Sunday, including three on Sunday and one each on Monday and Tuesday. According to The Athletic, nearly 15% of the NBA’s 450 players are undergoing health and safety procedures.
Players are beginning to question whether or not it is appropriate to play on Christmas. Michele Roberts, the long-serving Executive Director of the NBPA, said her phone is ringing off the hook.
“All day, our players have been calling me asking, ‘Michele, are they going to cancel Christmas (games)?’” According to The Athletic, Roberts said on Sunday.
“People are apprehensive about who will be available to play in the end.” And the answer is, I’m not sure… it’s definitely alarming.”
If top players are unable to participate, Roberts believes the league will have to reconsider if NBA Christmas Day is still a viable draw. As a result, Omicron may be forced to cancel numerous top performers’ Christmas plans.
Kevin Durant, Trae Young, and others may be unable to play on Christmas Day in the NBA.
For its jam-packed Christmas Day schedule, the NBA might be without a lot of star power.
Kevin Durant of the Brooklyn Nets and Kyrie Irving of the Cleveland Cavaliers are both under health and safety procedures. As of Dec. 20, eight other Nets players were still in health and safety processes. The Lakers, Brooklyn’s Christmas Day opponent, will be without five players.
Trae Young, who had been looking forward to a playoff rematch with the New York Knicks since the league first issued the schedule in August, will likely miss that game after testing positive for the virus, as will other Knicks players. Furthermore, the health and safety of ten players in a Milwaukee Bucks-Boston Celtics matchup jeopardizes the game’s legitimacy.
NBA Christmas Day seems to be up for grabs, despite the league’s efforts to safeguard its players and provide the greatest product for fans.
Is the NBA considering putting the season on hold?
Vaughn Ridley/Getty ImagesChristmas logo on the basketball stanchion before to an NBA game between the Boston Celtics and the Toronto Raptors on December 25, 2019 |
For a while, forget about NBA Christmas Day. Is it possible that the league will put the 2021-22 season on hold?
Despite the fact that the NBA is modifying its testing protocols, USA TODAY’s Jeff Zillgitt wrote on Friday that the league has no plans to temporarily halt the schedule. Furthermore, it does not seem that another “bubble” setting will enter the scene.
However, if the number of incidents continues to climb, the NBA may be forced to act. It’s only possible to account for so much by enacting additional rules for temporary participants. At some point, player safety and the season’s integrity must take precedence in terms of priority.
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The “omicron vaccine” is a variation of the influenza virus that has been spreading fear across the United States. The NBA could potentially cancel Christmas because of this variant, but it seems unlikely.
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