NBA is Working Out Replacement Plans for Sick & Injured Players

The NBA (National Basketball Association) is working out plans for the replacement of players who will be tested positive for COVID-19 and the ones who suffer serious injuries during the game. According to the sources, there would not be any limit on the number of replacements — both, in eight-additional regular-season games or during training camp.

This plan is also going to define the eligibility criterion for these replacements. Only those players can be added who have either played in the League this season of NBA or have been signed as a part of the training camp contract. No International players or a veteran who has not been in the league throughout the season would be allowed. With the beginning of the postseason, the teams will only have permission to call up their two-way players ending up the roaster flexibility.

As per the sources, the league is contemplating if players can return after they have recovered the injury or coronavirus infection. The league is looking forward to designing a plan that the players who get injured or infected with coronavirus would be ineligible for the entire season including the playoffs. According to standard plans, these players who test positive with coronavirus would be quarantined for a week or two maybe.

The league has not been in favor of the idea of bringing two-way players to Orlando from the beginning. But, the teams are in the hope of the league considering this stance. Owners have quoted those players who are going to play as replacements whenever there is an injury or coronavirus infection as the insurance policies. The league is not in the favor of including the two-way players by expanding the roster to 17. They want to shrink the bubble as much possible by including fewer players.

The league has said that players would be undergoing tests every night with results to be available the next morning. The three Disney complex will accommodate all the players from 22 teams. There would be a brief window of around a week from June 22 to July 1. This window will give time to teams for placing the two-way players to the 15-man roster by converting them to standard contracts. During the first week of July, teams will be taken to Orlando on a staggered schedule after getting training in their home markets. This is going to be an important consideration both for players as well for the league.