Hornets’ COVID-19 pause about more than games; LaMelo Ball in All-Star skills?
The Charlotte Hornets won’t play another game before Saturday and won’t practice again until at least Friday.
Coach James Borrego hopes this unexpected break heals some bodies and rests some minds.
“This is a good little reset for us. I think that is a positive in some ways,” Borrego said. “The downside is not being together as a team.”
The NBA has postponed the Hornets’ home games Wednesday against the Chicago Bulls and Friday against the Denver Nuggets. That was in response to the San Antonio Spurs -- who played the Hornets Sunday at Spectrum Center -- having four players test positive for COVID-19. The Spurs stayed in Charlotte Monday, as those diagnoses started, and their next three games have been postponed.
The Hornets’ home game against the Golden State Warriors on Saturday has not yet been postponed. After that, the Hornets are scheduled to leave on a six-game trip through the Western Conference.
The Hornets already had three players (P.J. Washington and Cody and Caleb Martin) out under COVID-19 protocols unrelated to the Spurs game. While additional testing and contact tracing goes on, the Hornets have been told by the NBA not to hold team practices before at least Friday.
Each player can work out individually with a coach, but access to Spectrum Center is limited and in-person meetings aren’t permitted. It’s similar to the six months the Hornets spent without team activities after last season was abruptly ended by the pandemic in March.
“I’ll find ways to get creative — we’ve done this before,” Borrego said in a media conference call. “I think the (teaching) stuff between now and Friday will be done through Zoom (video calls) — watching some film with small groups — plus individual stuff (on-court), as far as shots and conditioning.”
Gordon Hayward, Devonte Graham injuries
If the Hornets had to go through a season pause, then this might be a good time for a break. By the second half of Sunday’s loss to the Spurs, they were missing three starters — power forward Washington (health and safety protocols), small forward Gordon Hayward (lower-back discomfort) and guard Devonte Graham (left knee patella femoral discomfort).
Borrego didn’t provide player updates Tuesday, and the Hornets aren’t required to issue an injury report until the day before their next game — Friday at the earliest.
It’s significant that the Hornets were down to eight available players by the end of the Spurs game, and that included a second-round rookie, Nick Richards, who didn’t play. The Hornets recalled forward Jalen McDaniels from the G-League bubble, and McDaniels played 25 minutes against the Spurs.
Under NBA rules, a team must have a minimum of eight available players at the start of a game for that game to be played. The Hornets would cut that margin close right now, based on how they finished against San Antonio.
They have an open roster spot, and also have three rookies — Vernon Carey and two-way contracts Grant Riller and Nate Darling — assigned to the Greensboro Swarm in the G-League bubble outside Orlando, Fla.
Borrego said he’s unaware of any discussion right now of recalling another player from the Swarm. That’s complicated since there are at least two days of protocols to make a player available to the Hornets and a longer process to make them available again within the G-League bubble.
LaMelo Ball at All-Star weekend?
The NBA is considering having a 3-point contest, a dunk contest and a skills competition as part of a scaled-down All-Star Game on March 7 in Atlanta. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski recently reported the league would like to have Charlotte’s LaMelo Ball, the frontrunner for rookie of the year, in that skills competition.
Some players — including LeBron James — have questioned whether there should be an All-Star Game during this pandemic. Including other contests would bring another dozen or more players to Atlanta for the event.
Would it concern Borrego if Ball participated in All-Star weekend this season?
“Anytime (Hornets) are recognized, that’s a very positive thing for everybody,” Borrego said. “As far as this year, I trust the league and I’m going to defer to the league. If they feel like it’s safe and we can make the game and those festivities go off, I’m gonna trust the league on that.”
This story was originally published February 16, 2021 at 11:12 AM with the headline "Hornets’ COVID-19 pause about more than games; LaMelo Ball in All-Star skills?."
