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It’s been a day.
NBA season has been suspended. pic.twitter.com/6tsfnM7JLu
— Frank Isola (@TheFrankIsola) March 12, 2020
In case you’ve been living under a rock, congratulations! You’re not one of the millions of people across the globe dealing with the current pandemic known as COVID-19, or colloquially as “coronavirus.” In a scheduled game tonight between the Utah Jazz and Oklahoma City Thunder, Jazz center Rudy Gobert (who is about to become notorious for this little stunt) was listed as questionable will “illness,” and instead is the NBA’s Patient Zero, leading to the suspension of the season, until further notice.
The NBA has suspended its season.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 12, 2020
The Milwaukee Bucks last played a game in Denver, and their injury report did not include anyone dealing with an illness. Thankfully for them, they have not had any recent interactions with the Jazz (last game was in November) or the Thunder (last game was February 28). However, their most recent opponent (the Denver Nuggets) did play a team right beforehand (the Cleveland Cavaliers) that recently crossed paths with Utah, so going into basketball quarantine isn’t a bad move for them...or for anybody, for that matter.
The Milwaukee Bucks’ regular season and playoff aspirations is a story that will hopefully continue, but right now it needs to be placed on the back burner. The Bucks (and their players, coaches, and staff) were all off tonight after returning from their road trip, and hopefully each and every member of the franchise is able to hole up safely somewhere with their families. You all should too, because even if you don’t contract an illness yourself, it can still be carried and affect someone else without anybody knowing it.
Things are getting a little crazy right now. Be good to yourselves, and each other. Brew Hoop will continue to serve as a basketball forum...but if you need to have conversations about other topics, we understand.
UPDATE: Additional analysis from the Journal Sentinel's Matt Velazquez:
Bucks haven't played the Jazz since Nov 25, but Rudy Gobert played in the All-Star Game with Giannis Antetokounmpo & Khris Middleton less than a month ago. Not to mention the ripple effect of potential transmission by common opponents, etc. Hence why the NBA suspended operations.
— Matt Velazquez (@Matt_Velazquez) March 12, 2020
UPDATE 2: The Jazz released a statement:
Statement from the @utahjazz pic.twitter.com/0rYK9lVFvp
— Howard Beck (@HowardBeck) March 12, 2020
UPDATE 3: The Sacramento Kings and New Orleans Pelicans were scheduled to play tonight at 9:30pm central time...and instead is being postponed at literally the last second.
Fans are being asked to leave. Crazy scene in Sacramento.
— James Ham (@James_HamNBCS) March 12, 2020
The Kings-Pelicans game tonight has been officially postponed pic.twitter.com/wLCO3iB2OD
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) March 12, 2020
UPDATE 4: A member of Bucks PR spoke with reporters tonight:
Statement from Barry Baum, Chief Communications Officer, Milwaukee Bucks and Fiserv Forum: https://t.co/MaVb8ZtlDp
— Eric Nehm (@eric_nehm) March 12, 2020
UPDATE 5: ...Rudy, you big, big dummy...
Jazz star Donovan Mitchell has tested positive for the coronavirus, league sources tell ESPN. Jazz players privately say that Rudy Gobert had been careless in the locker room touching other players and their belongings. Now a Jazz teammate has tested positive.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 12, 2020
If you want to visit SLC Dunk to learn more about Donovan Mitchell’s diagnosis, please do so respectfully. Imagine if Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton were the ones who came down with this illness.