The Toronto Raptors will have enough players to return to the track on Wednesday after two games earlier this week were postponed due to virus-related problems.
But the Raptors will be seriously understaffed when they host the Detroit Pistons in Tampa, Florida, with starters Fred VanVleet, Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby, all discarded according to the league’s health and safety protocols, along with striker Malachi Flynn and guard Patrick McCaw.
Still out: coach Nick Nurse, who joined the protocols last week along with five other members of his team. Assistant coach Sergio Scariolo, who led Toronto to victory in their last game on Friday, will remain as interim coach on Wednesday.
“We will try to do our best for the boys who will not be able to be with us tomorrow,” said Scariolo, who has been in contact with the Nurse regularly throughout this process.
The Raptors were able to do some work in court on Tuesday, but had “several days without new cases,” said general manager Bobby Webster.
“Those were tough days,” said Webster. “To get here and be able to practice, we had to overcome a series of obstacles.”
Toronto has two games left before the All-Star break, with Wednesday’s game against Detroit followed by a Thursday clash in Boston. Webster indicated that the players who will be excluded on Wednesday are not expected on Thursday.
The Raptors’ games against Chicago on Sunday and Detroit on Tuesday were postponed, bringing the total number of league games moved because at least one team would not have enough players to play this season to 31. Wednesday’s game between Toronto and Detroit is a makeup for Tuesday’s contest.
“It’s what you can imagine,” said Webster. “It is the emotional stress of having colleagues who potentially, obviously, may be sick. The enormous amount of stress that everyone feels, everyone is stepping on eggs here in the locker room and you can’t necessarily be so friendly. … basketball will continue, we will play the games, but just maintaining everyone’s belonging and familiarity is very important. “
The NBA released its schedule for the second half last week, and this is the first time that a team has had games postponed since it did, reinforcing even more a schedule that will already see teams trying to play, in some cases, 40 games in 67 days.
Webster, however, said the discussions with the league focused only on the health and safety of the Raptors and their players, not on trying to force games on the calendar because of the future restrictions the league is facing.
“No,” said Webster, when asked if programming had a role in this week’s games. “I think this was the first type of test, so they were completely open and know the options for the second half. But no, all of our conversations with them are about health and safety.
“I mean, we are still sitting here today, I don’t know what time it is, 7, 8 pm, we are practicing and this is obviously because they want all the protocols in force today to even have an evening workout. So, that always it was the first and the most important. “
The hits on the Raptors’ player list are significant. VanVleet and Siakam are tied at the head of the Toronto team with 20.1 points per game, and Anunoby has an average of 13.8 points. VanVleet was also the only Toronto player to start all 34 of the team’s games this season.
The Raptors summoned a pair of reinforcements from their Raptors 905 team at the League G bubble near Lake Buena Vista, Fla. – bringing Jalen Harris and Donta Hall to Wednesday.
Tim Bontemps and ESPN’s Associated Press contributed to this report.