Covid Outbreak with Chicago Bulls and League not doing anything? (Update: The league did something - pg 10)

[cool007]

Please merge this if it needs to be but I just wanted to get this out and also this should be discussed more as this does not only affect Bulls but whoever they play against and it could outbreak onto other teams/players/and more.

I am not sure if people are aware but there is a Covid outbreak going on with Chicago Bulls and just see - other than Lavine/Lonzo/Vuc - they are going to have to play the players that were not in the rotation or bring in g-leaguers to fill in the roster.

Bulls have Coby White, Demar Derozan, Javonte Green, Matt Thomas, Derrick Jones Jr, and now Ayo Dosunmu - all in there top 8 rotation guys except Matt Thomas. Not to mention Patrick Williams is out and Caruso is out with bad hammy.

What I want to discuss is why the league is not postponing their games (like they did last year)?? This could not only affect Bulls but whoever they play in their games next. If I am the other team that;s playing Bulls next, I would be very worried. This could mean other teams players can get Covid and be out for a while and so on.

[seanbig]

Last years raptors says hello

[floppymoose]

ish happens. Westbrook got traded to LA and they still have to play their games.

[BigDan245]

The NBA has given them exceptions to add players to their roster. They aren't postponing games unless there aren't enough players to compete.

[Dominator83]

Us Bulls fans need to stop crying about this and put our big boy pants on. Especially tonight. The Heat are missing their best players too. Next man up.

[bisme37]

Reminder that we are welcome to talk about this topic and the impact on the Bulls and the league. We can also give thoughts on the protocol itself, since that's the topic.

But please don't get into thoughts about COVID-19 or the vaccines. Don't make dubious statements about science and medicine that will only get people riled up and get the thread locked. The General NBA Board is for NBA basketball discussion. Derailment will result in warnings and strikes.

Thank you!

[Catchall]

Are players still being tested before games? At this point, the Bulls' staff and players should all be tested.

[bisme37]

I thought there was a minimum number of players that had to be available for a team, or the game was postponed. I'm forgetting what that number is but I'm guessing the Bulls are not quite at that threshold. Maybe a couple guys need to roll an ankle and become unavailable? Haha.

In any case yeah, sorry Bulls fans, you guys are getting hammered right now.

P.S. just to put it out there, a player going into the protocol doesn't automatically mean they have the virus. It often just means they were in contact with someone who has it. So they have to submit two negative test results before they are cleared to play.

[Hipster Doofus]

Last month's Sixers say hi.

[xdrta+]

Are players still being tested before games? At this point, the Bulls' staff and players should all be tested.

According to Donovan the team is back to testing multiple times per day. Players are masked for team activities. “The league has put some things on us that we can and cannot do as a group, so it’s definitely been somewhat challenging,” Donovan said. Practices and shootarounds are inhibited.

[eyeatoma]

The league unfortunately is more concerned about the money from the TV deals, and cancelled games. They'd rather team field a bare bones team, than cancel games. Also, the Sixers had an even bigger outbreak, and the league did absolute squat.

[eyeatoma]

Are players still being tested before games? At this point, the Bulls' staff and players should all be tested.

No, if you're vaccinated you're not being tested before the game I believe. That's the problem. With break throughs they need to change their policy. Problem is, the league used that as an incentive to get vaccinated in the first place, so they'll look like idiots if they walk that back, and it could impact future players from getting the vaccine.

[azcatz11]

That’s the risk of doing business. They can forfeit the games if they don’t have enough players. The league isn’t going to make accommodations and risk losing money

[Lalouie]

Please merge this if it needs to be but I just wanted to get this out and also this should be discussed more as this does not only affect Bulls but whoever they play against and it could outbreak onto other teams/players/and more.

I am not sure if people are aware but there is a Covid outbreak going on with Chicago Bulls and just see - other than Lavine/Lonzo/Vuc - they are going to have to play the players that were not in the rotation or bring in g-leaguers to fill in the roster.

Bulls have Coby White, Demar Derozan, Javonte Green, Matt Thomas, Derrick Jones Jr, and now Ayo Dosunmu - all in there top 8 rotation guys except Matt Thomas. Not to mention Patrick Williams is out and Caruso is out with bad hammy.

What I want to discuss is why the league is not postponing their games (like they did last year)?? This could not only affect Bulls but whoever they play in their games next. If I am the other team that;s playing Bulls next, I would be very worried. This could mean other teams players can get Covid and be out for a while and so on.

because of omicron which is a weak varient but very very transmissable coming around the corner,,,if the nba
postpones games itll never finish the season

[MPM]

Cry me a river. The Hornets won last night without 7 rotation players (melo, ish, plumlee, washington, rozier, richards, mcdaniels), and competed admirably in the previous two despite being down 5 players.

[KembaWalker]

We've been dealing with, why can't the Bulls?

[kodo]

I think it's telling that our hardship exception player signed to replace players with covid, has covid and now needs his own hardship exception.

I think at this point the management should just trot out the Windy City Bulls before risking the other half of the team going into protocol.

We've been dealing with, why can't the Bulls?

Hornets "only" have 5 players in protocol can field a team (although barely).
Bulls have 7 in protocol + 2 injured, so 9 players out. You can't field a team with 9 players out.

That being said Benny the Bull is a very good half court shot maker, they should give him a try.

[Bruin]

COVID doing damage this week. Several teams are getting effected now it’s crazy

Reports of Obi Toppin now too. Considering the Raptors just played the Knicks last night, I won’t be surprised if it spread to our team now too (we also had Masai just test positive so that’s another chance to spread to the team)

[jordanwilliams6]

Are players still being tested before games? At this point, the Bulls' staff and players should all be tested.

No, if you're vaccinated you're not being tested before the game I believe. That's the problem. With break throughs they need to change their policy. Problem is, the league used that as an incentive to get vaccinated in the first place, so they'll look like idiots if they walk that back, and it could impact future players from getting the vaccine.

I don’t think that’s true for the Bulls at all. From all reports they’re being tested multiple times every single day.

[G R E Y]

Yeah it's not that unusual. Last season the Spurs were five or six games over .500 when a Covid outbreak derailed the rest of the season. We had, I think, five players out for Covid, and then DeMar wasn't available for a while because his dad passed away and he had to tend to that.

So the games that were canceled as a result meant that they got pushed into an already condensed season and we didn't have more than one day off between games the rest of the season which was brutal. At least the Bulls don't have to reschedule games into another part of the schedule that forces less rest. It's just something players and teams still have to be very careful about. But the consequences aren't what they were last season with an already shorter schedule.