Postponements were going to be a part of the NBA norm this year, but for it to happen on the second night of the regular season was a slap-in-the-face reminder of what the league is trying to pull off outside of a bubble.
Or as Bulls coach Billy Donovan simply called it on Wednesday: “inevitable.’’
“It’s every day for us, and I know you wake up and you’re waiting for test results, and we’re testing all the time and talking to our guys about the safety of everyone, but a lot of this stuff is possibly inevitable,’’ Donovan said in a Zoom call. “I think from our standpoint you have to deal with what it is you’re dealing with, with people being out, but this is something that’s going to be going on for quite some time. And it makes it very, very challenging. I’ve said this before: It’s not just us, the whole league is dealing with this. You could have rotations one night and it’s totally different the next night. You could have guys available one game and they might not be available the next game, so that makes it hard.’’
In the case of the Rockets, they didn’t have enough players to field a team, whether it was positive tests or the bodies associated with those tests through contact tracing. Either way, the NBA was going to remain very strict with their preseason policy.
The Bulls have already found that out, as Garrett Temple tested positive and missed all of the preseason, and then Tomas Satoransky was also sidelined for several games, despite negative tests. The league determined he was close enough to Noah Vonleh in the locker room after Vonleh eventually tested positive. That earned Satoransky time in quarantine.
“It’s not even necessarily people testing positive,’’ Donovan said. “A lot of it is the contact tracing and someone that maybe exposed to someone that is infected.
“I’ve talked to our players about the safety part of it, but also too they have to keep themselves ready. You can have a guy that’s completely out of the rotation and then for the next two or three weeks can be completely in the rotation. I think we have to do a good job, players and coaches, of making sure we’re all staying ready.’’
Training room
The only major rotation player to miss the opener was veteran Thad Young. The forward was battling MRSA in his left leg, but felt like he was almost out of the woods and could return soon.
“I’m still lifting and doing certain things,’’ Young said. “The conditioning aspect and stamina aspect is the biggest part. But being physically fit, I think I’m fine. Just need a couple days to kind of just get myself worked back into it.’’
Silent nights
There may have been some empty AAU gyms that Williams played in growing up, but the 19-year-old thought those days were way behind him.
So to now sit in a huge NBA arena like the United Center and play a meaningful game in front of zero fans? Not what he envisioned at this time last year when he was playing for Florida State.
“It’s different for sure, but I think when you’re in a game you just lock in on the game plan and things like that,’’ Williams said. “So when I’m in a game, I really don’t notice it that much. I usually only notice it when I’m on the bench and I get a chance to look around or when it’s a time out and I get a chance to actually witness the silence.’’
