New Orleans Pelicans: The Results are in and it’s not good for the NBA

The New Orleans Pelicans and the rest of the NBA have taken their tests and the results are not what the NBA was hoping for.

There will be a lot at stake when the New Orleans Pelicans take the floor in Orlando. They have a shot at the playoffs and a tantalizing first round matchup with the Lakers that is being hyped like Michael Jordan taking on the 1986 Celtics.

Unfortunately, there are much more important things at stake.

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, 16 players have tested positive for COVID-19 out of the 302 players tested.

This is on the back of the news that several players, including Avery Bradley, Davis Bertans, Willie Cauley-Stein, Trevor Ariza and Courtney Lee will not participate in the re-start in Orlando for various personal reasons.

It’s hard to blame them.

This pandemic is far from over, especially in Florida, which had its second highest number of reported cases….yesterday.

New Orleans Pelicans: Safety is Still an Issue at NBA Disney

Players will be living in a “bubble” but Disney employees will be free to come and go, which has many questioning how the NBA plans to keep players safe in a state in the midst of a full-blown outbreak.

Some will say that sixteen players is nothing, it’s just over five percent, and nothing to get worried about, right?

Wrong.

The long-term health effects of COVID-19 are yet to be determined, so it’s not just a matter of getting a cold, beating it and getting back to work.

There is evidence that COVID-19 can have long-term effects on the lungs, brain and central nervous system. While these effects vary and are generally worse for those who are older or who have underlying health issues, the data is still incomplete and research is ongoing.

If even one player, team employee or Disney employee were to die or suffer long-term, irreversible health effects, would it be worth it for a few basketball games?

This re-start has been problematic from the beginning and the positive test results just make it more so. The NBA still has a lot of questions to answer about how they plan to keep people safe.