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Report: Rift exists between Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert - NBCSports.com

Rudy Gobert tested positive for coronavirus. Donovan Mitchell then tested positive for coronavirus. Jazz players are reportedly upset with Gobert for – before his diagnosis – going out of his way to touch them and their belongings. Mitchell’s first public remarks since his diagnosis appeared to include a shot at Gobert.

Connect the dots.

  • Scott Van Pelt on ESPN: “It doesn’t seem that this is great between Gobert and Mitchell. I mean, is that an astute observation?”
  • Adrian Wojnarowski: “That is an astute observation, Scott. And the Jazz are fortunate that they don’t have to get back together and start playing games again right now. There is a lot of work to do to repair relationships – not just between Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert, but others in the locker room. There’s a lot of frustration with Gobert.”

Gobert was reckless, and he displayed that beyond the Jazz locker room. His behavior made him both more likely to contract coronavirus and spread it.

I wonder: How much did Gobert’s mischief bother Utah players, including Mitchell, before Gobert tested positive? It was just as reckless. But it obviously carried a different stigma once it became known he had coronavirus.

Heck, it’s possible Gobert got coronavirus from Mitchell. Again, Gobert’s actions didn’t just make him more likely to spread coronavirus. They made him more likely to get it, too.

Regardless, Mitchell’s resentment is COMPLETELY understandable. Gobert is the one who showed irresponsibility.

As he’s sick and isolated, Mitchell probably isn’t in the mood to concern himself with the complexities of the situation. Everyone else is blaming Gobert. That probably comes easiest for Mitchell.

Gobert has apologized and pledged to lead coronavirus education. At this point, that’s about all he can do.

That and wait.

Time heals most wounds. I suspect that’ll include this one.

By the time this season resumes, as the Jazz attempt to gear up for a playoff run? That’s another question.

Rudy Gobert was careless, and even reckless, jokingly not taking the coronavirus pandemic seriously on a personal level before testing positive and becoming the NBA’s patient zero. He owned that mistake in his statement on Instagram and apologized for it.

View this post on Instagram

I want to thank everyone for the outpouring of concern and support over the last 24 hours. I have gone through so many emotions since learning of my diagnosis…mostly fear, anxiety, and embarrassment. The first and most important thing is I would like to publicly apologize to the people that I may have endangered. At the time, I had no idea I was even infected. I was careless and make no excuse. I hope my story serves as a warning and causes everyone to take this seriously. I will do whatever I can to support using my experience as way to educate others and prevent the spread of this virus . I am under great care and will fully recover. Thank you again for all your support. I encourage everyone to take all of the steps to stay safe and healthy. Love.

A post shared by Rudy Gobert (@rudygobert27) on

Carlessness, however, is not something the league should punish people for — and it will not in this case. The NBA will not fine or suspend Gobert for his actions, something first reported by Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.

It was the positive test for Gobert that changed the NBA’s course of action on this disease — and with it, changed the direction of other sports leagues and the perception of how this should be handled.  Here was an elite athlete — the NBA’s two-time Defensive Player of the Year and an All-Star — testing positive in the middle of a season, and if he could come down with the disease it seemed to hit home for a lot of people that anyone can get it.

The NBA’s actions were on the front end of a wave of moves around the nation to postpone public gatherings from concerts and political rallies down to middle school soccer games.

Gobert was wrong and careless, but that’s different from a punishable offense, and in the end his actions may have helped the shift in this nation to take the pandemic more seriously.

With two players so far testing positive for the coronavirus, the NBA is taking 30 days off, then it will reassess the situation.

If that one month off is all that is needed — something nobody knows right now — it would have the NBA returning right about when the playoffs were scheduled to start. That led to a lot of speculation the league may just scrap the final month of games, lock in the standings where they are, and start with the playoffs when everyone returns.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, however, suggested while on TNT this Thursday the league may try to play out most of the rest of the season, then have the full playoffs, and push the Finals back into July.

“Even if we’re out for a month, even if we’re out for six weeks, we can still restart the season. It might mean that the Finals take place in July or late July…” Siver said on Inside the NBA. “It was way premature to suggest that we lost the season.”

Players have been told this option is on the table, too. The Lakers players had a conference call with team management and came away thinking the league may try to play the season and full playoffs.

Logistically, that is difficult. The arenas where these teams play are booked with other events in the off-season that may not be able to be moved, making it hard to schedule games. Does the NBA Draft get pushed back past June? Free agency certainly can’t start with games still going on, does that get pushed back into August? What about Summer League?

This July also features the Tokyo Olympics, something a number of the game’s top players have said they want to be a part of. USA Basketball had planned to open training camp for the Olympics before July 4 in Las Vegas, play a series of scrimmages around the globe, with the Olympics themselves starting July 24. Could the players on the best teams in the league miss out on being there because of an extended season? (Will as many players want to go in the wake of a delayed season and the coronavirus?)

If the NBA plays into July — then followed by Summer League and the Olympics — will the NBA still open training camps in September for next season? For players there would be a reduced summer break, for teams and fans there would be almost none.

The other side of this coin is money. As difficult as it might be to play into July, the NBA and its teams are losing a lot of cash with this hiatus, and they would love to recoup some of that.

If history has shown us anything, it’s that in the end the NBA will do what is best for the NBA. It’s not going to worry about the other entities, if it can find a way to essentially un-pause the season in 30 days, the league may go that route.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has been at the center of the storm for the past 48 hours. He was on a multi-hour phone call with team owners on Wednesday looking at options to keep the league going, on Wednesday night he made the call to suspend the league after Rudy Gobert tested positive, and he was in the middle of the process to decide this break will be reviewed in 30 days.

Silver also believes in transparency, and on Thursday night he appeared on TNT’s Inside the NBA, then released this open letter to fans.

The key takeaways from this:

• The “hiatus” will last at least 30 days and then be reviewed.
• The intent is to resume the season if it is safe.
• Tickets for postponed games will be honored for the game when re-scheduled.
• If the game is not played — or is played in an empty arena — ticket holders will get credit for a future game or a refund.

It’s an honest assessment of where the league is right now. The real question will be where will it be — and where will be as a nation in dealing with this virus — in 30 days.

On Feb. 1, the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) suspended play due to the coronavirus. That nation has seen more than 80,000 cases and more 3,000 deaths from the disease.

Since then, China seemingly has gotten control of the outbreak, with decreasing numbers of new cases. Manufacturing and other industries have started up again, people are returning to restaurants and coffee houses, and reportedly life is starting to return to normal.

That means the CBA wants to start up again; it has requested players under contract to return to China.

American players have been resistant to the idea of coming back, to put it kindly. ESPN’s Jonathan Givony wrote about this:

The Chinese Basketball Association has told American players to plan to return as early as this weekend and prepare for the league to resume in early April. But it’s not clear if the players will comply…

American players have been informed that they will be required to spend 14 days in quarantine upon return to China, sources told ESPN, although details remain sparse regarding where and how that process would be conducted…

Conversations with players and representatives for around half of the Americans in the league revealed a significant amount of trepidation for how to proceed, with many players flatly stating at the moment that they do not plan on getting on a plane to China anytime in the near future due to safety concerns, at least not without significantly more information in hand.

Sources I spoke with about this topic said it was far more clear cut — players did not want to return. Since they were sent home in February they have not been paid, and now they are being asked to return what they see as a dangerous situation. They note that the U.S. Department of State has not lifted its travel advisory to China. Also, there is a clause in every professional contract that says a player cannot be put in a position that could lead to harm that would be a threat to their livelihood, and they believe this qualifies.

It’s possible this could end up with officials at FIBA having to make a decision.

There are about 40 American players with CBA contracts this season including Jeremy Lin, Lance Stephenson, and Ty Lawson.  Stephenson has been in talks with the Pacers about signing with them, however, that is up in the air (at best) considering the suspension of play in the NBA.

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https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiYWh0dHBzOi8vbmJhLm5iY3Nwb3J0cy5jb20vMjAyMC8wMy8xMy9yZXBvcnQtcmlmdC1leGlzdHMtYmV0d2Vlbi1kb25vdmFuLW1pdGNoZWxsLWFuZC1ydWR5LWdvYmVydC_SAWVodHRwczovL25iYS5uYmNzcG9ydHMuY29tLzIwMjAvMDMvMTMvcmVwb3J0LXJpZnQtZXhpc3RzLWJldHdlZW4tZG9ub3Zhbi1taXRjaGVsbC1hbmQtcnVkeS1nb2JlcnQvYW1wLw?oc=5

2020-03-13 15:18:00Z
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