As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, some of the alliance's new faces — and some familiar names — are proving their strong sense of belonging to the alliance.
After two seasons of isolation on the park, and a season of playing in empty stadiums without fans, the NBA should have returned to normal in 2021-22. Instead, LeBron James took to the court with Darren Collison and Stanley Johnson at Christmas, while Joe Johnson, 40, made a stop-and-go jump shot in his first game against the Celtics since 2002.
Why? In December, as the highly potent Olmikeron strain spread across the country, hundreds of NBA players triggered a "health and safety protocol." According to Fansure Sports, more than 280 players — more than half of the league — have spent some time in the agreement restrictions this season, and more than 2,000 players attending The Day have been affected by the coronavirus.
To keep the game going and minimize delays, the NBA has enacted a particularly difficult exception to offset the impact of the pandemic. Teams that have lost players due to COVID-19 are asked to add a 10-day short contract to their team roster to ensure the game can continue. This creates opportunities for new faces and familiar names, some of whom may end up staying in the team. Here's their story.
I'm here because I belong here. ’
Earlier this season, Chandy Brown II's job with the Lakers was bittersweet. On Dec. 19, he scored his first NBA goal (after childhood hero LeBron James gave him a pass), the first foul penalty of his NBA career. He watched the video with his long-favorite player, Rajon Rondo, and absorbed russell Westbrook's tactical advice, who constantly reminded him to raise his hand when defending the always cunning DeMar DeRozan so that the referee could see them. Then, in the blink of an eye, his two-way contract was snatched away.
On Dec. 21, the Lakers let Brown know they were going to part ways; while he hadn't really had a chance to show off his abilities yet, they preferred a more experienced player to take his place. The news was hard for Brown to digest.
"I was under a lot of pressure," said Brown, who had played five preseason games for the Lakers and played six games for their G-League affiliates before making his NBA debut on Dec. 17. "I don't know what I did wrong."
Soon after, Brown flew to Florida to spend Christmas with his family. Considering he was only there for two days, the 23-year-old brought only a few T-shirts and shorts. But at 9 a.m. the next morning, his agent called to tell him that the Hawks, who had auditioned for Brown before the 2021 draft, wanted to sign him to a 10-day contract.
The next night, Brown played 30 minutes, starting with Trae Young, Bogdan Pogdanovic, Clint Capela and Cam Redish. The next day, Pogdanovic and Gorgy Gion and Hawks forward John Collins triggered the epidemic deal, reinforcing Brown's temporary role on the team. In atlanta's next game on Dec. 29, he scored a career-high 16 points in 32 minutes.
Young later told reporters he didn't know who his new teammate was, but by New Year's Eve, Brown already knew where he was on offense in Atalanta, where he took cover as the number four of a small-ball lineup, picking up a space along the outside line, where he scored two three-pointers in the fourth quarter.
Brown's future is the same as that of most other signatories to special hardship conditions: completely unknown, out of his control. Two hours after the Eagles plane landed in Portland on Saturday afternoon, Brown was so mentally focused on every moment of the trip that he forgot what day it was. He wore a mask everywhere he went, washed his hands constantly, and did his best to avoid testing positive for nucleic acid. Brown knew his days in the league might end before he was mentally prepared. But, he said, "it's also like a blessing because I fought so hard to be here, and now I'm actually at this moment, literally playing with some of the best players in the world."
"I always try to imply on the court that it's just a basketball game. I told myself that I had come here because I belonged here. ”
A memorable Christmas gift
When Quindari Weatherspoon signed a short 10-day contract with the Warriors on Dec. 23, he wasn't sure if or when he would see the court. But Christmas came just in time for Weatherspoon, as the Golden State Warriors sent him out during a Dec. 25 game against the Suns.
Weathererspoon's appearance was so unexpected that he didn't even tell his family he could play against Phoenix. (Luckily, they happened to be watching the game at the time.) Weathererspoon played 14 minutes, scored six points on all three shots, including a block, a steal, a rebound, a turnover and four fouls. His mission was to pinch Devon Booker and keep an eye on Chris Paul from 94 feet from the basket.
"Christmas was my first game on the pitch; it was really a special moment," Weatherspoon said. "I did everything I could to play."
The match against Paul is particularly memorable for the 25-year-old defender, who has been attending CP3 basketball camp since he was a child. After honing his skills under the guidance of the "point guard god," Weathererspoon spent four years at Mississippi State University, where he was named to the Southeast Division First Team during his senior season. The Spurs selected Weatherspoon with the 49th pick in the 2019 draft. But he played just 31 games in his two seasons at San Antonio, spending most of his time in the G-League on a two-way contract.
The Warriors poached Weatherspoon in October and signed him to their own G-League affiliate. This proved to be very fortunate for Weatherspoon, who spent part of his time in Santa Cruz battling Klay Thompson, who was recovering from an injury with a torn Achilles tendon.
"Clay and I got very close," Weatherspoon said. "I just want to embarrass him as much as I can in training, try to help him get back to form and put him up against the kind of defence he's about to feel again. I just do my duty. "
The "friendly competition" between Weatherspoon and Thompson helped raise the profile of the former. According to Weatherspoon, Thompson even relayed to the Warriors' coaching staff how playing against himself in the G-League helped him get back to form. After the Christmas game against the Suns, Weatherspoon won praise from Stephen Curry and Little Otto Porter. On January 3, the Warriors signed him to a two-way contract, which was a big improvement over his treatment in the G League.
"It relieves a lot of the pressure," said Weathererspoon, referring to the transition from a short 10-day contract to a two-way contract. "Playing in the G-League, everyone is trying to be able to get ahead. There is a two-way contract and it helps me a lot in mental space. I can work with the team on what I need to improve. "
We haven't seen much movement on Weatherspoon since the game against the Suns, but he's the latest of many role players to thrive next to Curry and Draymond Green. The Warriors are clearly willing to give the young players some chances, as they offered Gary Payton II and Jonathan Cuminga. Now, Weatherspoon is happy to be a cog in this big machine.
"Everybody knows their role, everybody knows what they're supposed to do every day, and that's what makes the team better," Weathererspoon said. "It's going to be easier to play around great players. Everyone is talking about Clay and Stephen and their scoring abilities, but these minutiae are also important at times. "
Kyle Guy wanted the entire league to know that reinforcements were available with just a phone call. Cary Edmondson / USA Today sports section
How the Heat found their guy , Guy
Shortly before he was heading to Las Vegas for the G-League launch, Kyle Guy tested positive for a nucleic acid. The next day, four interested teams contacted him in the hope of signing a 10-day contract, but of course, he had to turn down all the teams. When he came out of the quarantine, the initial interested people had already filled their squad list, so the 24-year-old had no choice but to wait by his phone while his season with the Cleveland Stormtroopers was forced to pause.
On the face of it, the timing of his nucleic acid test positivity could not have been worse. Then Guy got a call from his agent at 11 p.m. asking if he could catch his flight to Texas the next morning. The Heat wanted to use a difficult exception of theirs on him. The news was so sudden that Guy couldn't pack his own sneakers on the training ground (he bought a new pair of shoes after the plane landed).
Guy said, "God gives you a good chance to run." "I think the Heat probably need me a little bit more than those other teams. And the fact that I have so much playing time proves it. I don't feel sick about my [COVID-19] anymore. "
His fit with the team has always been high. Before entering the 10-day short contract, Gay's stat sheet was 34 NBA games and 13 three-pointers. In the Heat's three games, he shot eight three-pointers in just 16 shots, winning Eric Spollstra's attention after the first game. "I strictly follow the requirements of the coaching staff to play," he said. "If they ask me to never shoot, just pass, I'll do the same. And I'll do my best to do it. But luckily, they asked me to do what I was best at. "
Guy has embraced the intensity of his new coach and how Spoelstra has constantly reminded the team in their training that they have everything they need to win in their dressing room. He also said the team's culture reminded him of the weak mentality he had as a national champion at the University of Virginia. Guy said: "Kyle Lowry has to say this before every game. It doesn't matter how many 10-day short contract players we have or if we only have four players left. The Heat were born to win. "
To prepare for such moments and to help stay in shape during such a highly stressful time, Guy, who struggled with anxiety, spent offseason learning the breathing practice and meditation methods of Wim-Hove with his trainers in the offseason. Despite his good play, Guy knows the Heat are a championship-winning team and they have a deep roster. He admits he may not be able to spend the entire season at the team. But he believes the experience has allowed him to present everything he can show at the highest level of league.
"Ten days is a test for the other 29 teams and a test for the future of the Heat," Guy said. "I don't want to go anywhere I don't want to be. I've had to deal with this in the league. ... I know what I deserve, what kind of player I am. "
From the 2010 lotto show to a weather-beaten veteran, Greg Monroe is thankful to be back in the NBA. Jordan Johnson/NBAE/Getty Pictures
The former lotto show is always ready
Greg Monroe has not played in the NBA since his then-76ers were defeated by the Raptors in the 2019 Eastern Conference semifinals G7. When Kawhi Leonard's bottom corner three-pointer finally bounced into the basket on the rebound, the only thought left in Monroe's mind was that his career might be on thin ice. However, he considers himself a skilled big player in his mid-30s, with nearly a decade of NBA experience and a lot of things to offer to the team he plays for.
Instead, Monroe spent the next two and a half years playing in overseas leagues and G-Leagues. It wasn't until last week that he got the news he had been waiting for. One day after Christmas, Monroe walked out of the training ground for the Washington Go-Go team after training and received a call from his agent. The Timberwolves are interested in signing him to a 10-day contract.
The 6-foot-11-inch center immediately drove home, packed his bags, and boarded a 7 a.m. plane to Minneapolis the next morning. When he landed in Minnesota, he took part in a nucleic acid test and arrived at the Target Center around 4 p.m. Hours later, he had 11 points, six assists and nine rebounds in 25 minutes of playing time.
Monroe, 31, credits him to his 12 G-League games this season, helping him stay prepared and regain his lost rhythm. "We come every day, we try to get better, we try to do what we need to do," he said. "We're trying to win games, you know, so I wouldn't be back here if I hadn't been through that. Who knows? I'll probably come back there with them (G-League) [soon]. But it's all part of the NBA journey. I am grateful for this experience. "
Aside from getting familiar with some new names and faces, it's not too difficult to re-adapt to this larger stage. In Minnesota's system, Monroe's only concern is to ensure he doesn't disrupt the tempo in a league where he usually demands more space than he last played in the league. But in many ways, it's like riding a bicycle. "There's more room to play, and so on," he said. "For me, it's more about creating opportunities for others and cutting points off from others. You know, it's still dominated by blocking and dismantling. It's still an old trick. "
Given his limitations defensively and inability to stretch out on the court, it's not easy to be an efficient player in the NBA, but that doesn't mean he can't deliver a positive on-court role. Monroe is a secret weapon, a gracious picture of the experience of big players, and young Timberwolves teammates such as Nathan Knight have taken advantage of it very well. Monroe came back for the first three games to face three elite blockers. Robert Williams III, Mitchell Robinson and Rudy Gobert. In these duels, he revealed some tricks to Knight to fend off their aggressiveness and help make it easier to finish the finishing job under the basket.
But in Monroe's mind, as someone who has just arrived in the locker room with several players testing positive, he knows that the limitations of health and safety protocols could mean the end of his NBA career. Before signing another 10-day contract with the Wizards on Wednesday, Monroe stayed at a hotel in Minneapolis and didn't stay outside the room or hotel gym when he wasn't on the team.
"I definitely've been trying to stay safe and not do anything that has to be done other than basketball." "So far, it's been a bit useful, so I've been doing it."
History within 180 seconds
On December 30, despite Jaime-Echenick's first NBA game of his career, he had zero scoring, rebounding, assists, blocks, steals, fouls and turnovers in three minutes. He also made history. Echenick, who signed a 10-day contract with the Wizards that day, became the first Colombian-born player to play in the regular season against the Cavaliers.
"You have a dream, and when it comes true, I don't know how to explain it," Echenick said of his first step into the NBA. "It's a magical feeling, you can't describe it. But obviously I'm not content with that. I want more. "
Echenick was born in Barranquilla, Colombia, and did not move to the United States until 2016. He said he hadn't seen even one full NBA game before moving to the U.S. He played for two years at Trinity Valley Community College in Texas before moving to Wichita State University to play his final two seasons of college basketball. Initially, Echenick couldn't speak a word of English and could only communicate with his teammates through what he called "basketball English."
Echenick's parents are happy to see their son on his way to his dreams, but for them it's more important to secure his education before his basketball career.
"My parents came from a fairly poor socioeconomic environment," Echenik said. "For them, success is going to school, graduating from college, and all of that. They wanted me to be a well-educated person. I suggested to them a different way and they were a little [resistant] to it because they didn't know anything about sports. ”
"When I graduated from Wichita State University, they said, 'Now you can do whatever you want.'"
Echenick returned to Texas for a trial, facing stars such as James Harden and Russell Westbrook, who admitted it excites him as a fan at the same time. He then spent a year living abroad in Spain, where his awe was replaced by his sense of need to compete with other adults. After joining the Wizards' Summer League in August and shining on the Washington G-League affiliate in December (12.6 points and 9.2 rebounds per night), Echenick was finally called up to the NBA. After signing a short 10-day contract, he sat in a car parked in the Wizards' training ground and cried.
The 24-year-old Echenick, despite being a player with good prospects, is still a bit rusty, considering he has only played basketball since he was 13 years old. He said he has received a lot of encouragement from his new Wizards teammates, including Bradley Beal and Kyle Kuzma, who are working hard to ensure he can fully develop his potential.
While Echenick certainly wanted more, he had overcome obstacles that all those from the same country as him had previously been unable to cross.
"Brother, as a Latino, as a Colombian, as an immigrant, people will question your abilities. People will wonder what you can bring," Echenick said. "Obstacles have always existed in my life. This means a lot to the community. "
Darwin Reid has signed three 10-day contracts with the Nuggets C. Morgan Ngill/Getty Pictures
From Taiwan to Denver
By the fall of 2020, Darwin Reid would have played essentially during garbage time in 31 games during both sun and pacers seasons. He even spent a year in the G League, signing with the Heat's affiliate, Sioux Falls Sky Power, in 2019 and, despite playing some impressive stats, was never called up to the Heat in the upper league. So when Reed's agent introduced him to the opportunity to play in Taiwan in the 20-21 season, he was excited about the opportunity to play in a place he could rely on.
"It's really a gift because I'm finally able to get back to having the ball in my hands," Reid said. The former Miami defender lives a 20-minute drive from Taipei (adding that he was impressed with the restaurant options in the area as he is an aquatist). Playing in Taiwan gave me a chance to regain my confidence. I found my on-field feel again on the offensive end. "
With confidence rekindled, Reid explored various avenues to return to the NBA. In July, he competed in the Category V Basketball Tournament with miami alumni before joining the Nuggets for the summer league and training camp. Although he was not on the team roster at the time, Denver coach Michael Malone said at the time that Reid had the level of the NBA.
He didn't take long to get a call from the Nuggets. Due to injuries and COVID-19 in Denver, the Nuggets signed Reid on a 10-day contract on Dec. 4. He proved to play in the next six games and helped the exhausted Nuggets to a 4-2 record. On December 19, Reid signed his second 10-day contract. On December 30, he signed a third. And there's been word that Denver will sign Reid for the rest of the season.
In 11 games, Reid averaged 17.7 minutes per game, scoring 4.6 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. He started twice in multiple games and played a key role in the fourth quarter. His three-point shooting (36.8 percent shooting percentage so far) has shown good prospects, and his outside defense is strong. Despite relishing his role on the court in his last job, Reid knows that his success in the NBA will depend on whether he can adapt to this environment.
"I'm here to make the team win, and at the end of the day, I can handle very well whatever my team needs me to do in order to win," Reid said, while coaches everywhere nodded in agreement. "I'm still figuring out and learning where to shoot and when to play more aggressively. But I've always been willing to play the role that makes the sacrifice. As long as we can win and I contribute on the pitch, whether it's scoring, defending, assisting others, I think it's all good. "
Reid, 26, said he's still adjusting to a steady playing time in the NBA that he has never had before three consecutive 10-day short contracts. He's doing it by playing next to defending MVP Nikola Jokic, who he describes as one of the strongest basketball players he's ever played on the court. We can't guarantee reed will finish the season in Denver, but at the very least, he's recorded a game of value enough to keep himself attractive to any of the other 29 teams in the league.
"My life has always been a story of people who have been looked down upon. Everyone is always late to seize their chances," Reid said. "And my whole career has been like this.
"I'm eager to prove what I can do because it's just getting started."