Things are getting messy in the NBA because of COVID restrictions and Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green isn’t having it.
The forward, who is currently restricted from playing due to coronavirus health and safety protocols, sent out a series of angry tweets after the league decided to postpone the Warriors-Nuggets game just hours before tip-off.
That game was supposed to be another matchup between the Warriors and Nuggets, who had just played against each other on Tuesday with Denver defeating Golden State, 89-86.
Due to injuries and COVID illnesses, the Nuggets had fallen below the league-mandated eight required players for a game.
Green’s dismay at the way the league is handling a slew of COVID cases just highlights how disruptive the virus is being for this season.
Green’s Complaint
Green took to Twitter to let his feelings be known after the game’s delay:
How do you continue to cancel games when you’ve implemented rules to prevent this from happening? Is that not a competitive advantage for other teams? The guys we didn’t have due to the protocol list played no role in Tuesdays loss? Pick a side but don’t straddle the fence.
— Draymond Green (@Money23Green) December 30, 2021
But Green didn’t stop there and his tweets kept flying.
He also complained that the COVID rules are preventing teams from performing at full strength while allowing certain squads to “sneak a win” when others aren’t playing with a full roster.
So when the game is rescheduled(which will probably take a day away from our “break”), we wil play them at full strength… But they got to sneak a win when we weren’t at full strength, only two days ago??? Let’s make it make some sense here.
— Draymond Green (@Money23Green) December 30, 2021
Green’s objections make a lot of sense and prove that the way the NBA is currently handling the COVID situation isn’t working and isn’t completely fair.
The multiple postponements and countless benchings because of COVID restrictions are leading teams to play with depleted rosters against other teams that are at full strength.
Green is right when he says this is creating a competitive advantage.
But what is the NBA supposed to do?
They could put a pause on the NBA season and allow players to get healthy, stadiums to get clean, and the virus to hopefully work its way out of the league.
Additionally, they could lessen restrictions and tweak rules, allowing asymptomatic players to participate in games as long as they feel up to it, which would keep rosters full but would also invite the virus to spread like wildfire throughout the league.
Of course, league officials could choose to do nothing and keep things the way they are.
More To Come?
If the NBA doesn’t make a change, you can expect many more complaints like Green’s.
There are multiple sides of this debate – those calling for a pause on the season, those demanding the restrictions be lifted, and those crying out for them to be changed – and they all want their way.
Right now, it seems like the NBA is planning to do something, we just don’t know what.
Already, the NBA has made slight alterations to COVID protocols and there is a strong chance they will create more as the virus continues to wreak havoc on nearly every team.
The NBA is nearing an agreement with the NBPA to lessen the quarantine period for Covid-positive players, sources tell ESPN. In some testing cases, the current 10-day quarantine protocol could be shortened to clear players for return. This a similar model to the NFL’s new plan.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) December 23, 2021
As the season continues to heat up and the postseason gets closer, the league will attempt to do something to quiet the calls of unfairness.
They are doing what they think is best in a really bad situation but it’s obvious that something has to change.
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