Wiseman and Paschall out due to COVID issues
Warriors center James Wiseman and forward Eric Paschall were ruled out Wednesday night in Houston because of coronavirusrelated contact tracing, a team source confirmed with the Bay Area News Group.
In addition to Wiseman and Paschall, several Warriors assistant coaches have entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols. The news was first reported by The Athletic.
These absences come at an unfortunate time for the Warriors, who begin a threegame stretch of winnable games on the road (Houston, Memphis twice) after their blowout loss to the Lakers on Monday saw them slip to 20-20. Golden State has lost five of its past six games.
It’s unclear when Wiseman and Paschall will be allowed to return. The NBA generally dictates that players quarantine for seven days, which would sideline the two players for the next four games starting with Wednesday’s win over the Rockets. However, the Warriors are awaiting word from the league.
Wiseman, the talented rookie selected second overall in November’s draft, is trying to settle into a role as the backup center that anchors the second unit. Wiseman is averaging 11.8 points on 52.6% shooting, 6.0 rebounds and 0.6 assists in 20.8 minutes per game.
Paschall, a consistent contributor for the Warriors this season, is averaging 9.5 points on 49.3% shooting, 3.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 17.4 minutes per game. On Wednesday, the NBA announced that of the 490 players tested for COVID-19 since March 10, three new players have returned confirmed positive tests. Players who have returned a positive test or have come into contact with an infected person must quarantine until cleared by the league.
LIN WAITING ON NBA CALL >>
Jeremy Lin proved to himself he’s still an NBA-caliber player while playing for the Santa Cruz Warriors in the G League’s bubble. He’s just waiting for an NBA team to agree with him.
While waiting for a point guard job in the league, Lin’s been fulfilling the role of a point man for Asian Americans, who have been targets of violent attacks as well as other forms of racism and bigotry. Just last night, eight people were shot and killed — most of them Asian — at massage parlors in Atlanta. Police are investigating whether or not race was the suspect’s motive.
Lin himself was targeted with vitriol when an opponent called him “coronavirus” during a game. So Lin spoke out.
“With everything happening recently, I feel like I needed to say something. The hate, the racism and the attacks on the Asian-American community are obviously wrong, so that needs to be stated and that’s part of my role,” he said.
The 32-year-old Lin hasn’t had a role in the NBA in nearly two years, yet he’s confident his nearly twomonth run with the Warriors’ G League team at the Disney Sports Complex near Orlando, Fla., has shown he’s even better than his “Linsanity” days.
“I know I’m an NBA player,” Lin said during an interview with the New York Times’ Marc Stein. “I know I’m a better shooter. I know I’m a better defender. I know I’m more well-rounded as a basketball player. I know these things, but I just needed a chance to show it.”
Lin was impressive despite fighting off a nagging back injury in the bubble, showing his usual solid floor game while averaging 6.4 assists and 3.2 rebounds per game. He also showed off a strong shooting touch, finishing as the league’s seventhleading scorer at 19.8 points per game, thanks to shooting 51% from the field and nearly 43% on 3-pointers.
While it was the Warriors who gave the former Palo Alto High star a shot in the G League, it’s not likely they have room on their roster for a comeback. Nico Mannion and Jordan Poole, two of Lin’s teammates with Santa Cruz during this G League season, offer the kind of youth and potential Golden State’s backcourt needs.