At All-Star Game, no break from virus reality
Sixers teammates Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons were ruled out of Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game after being flagged by COVID-19 contact tracing, prompting some players to question again why the exhibition was being played during a pandemic.
The 76ers and the NBA learned of the situation with Embiid and Simmons — which stemmed from getting haircuts — on Saturday night and made the decision Sunday morning that neither could play about nine hours before the scheduled tipoff.
The game in Atlanta went forward as scheduled but ended too late for this edition.
“It’s just an unfortunate time in the world where our health and safety should be at the front of the helm,” All-Star Paul George of the Clippers said Sunday from Atlanta. “I personally didn’t agree with the game but, you know, it is what it is.”
Embiid and Simmons both tested negative for COVID-19, and their barber tested positive for it. Both players saw the barber a day or two before before flying to Atlanta.
“It’s messed up,” Wizards All-Star Bradley Beal said. “Unfortunate.”
Embiid would have been a starter for Team Durant, which was coached by the 76ers’ Doc Rivers. Simmons would have been a reserve for Team LeBron. The Pelicans’ Zion Williamson started in Embiid’s place.
A number of players — All-Star captain LeBron James of the Lakers among them — openly wondered in recent weeks why the game was being played. And Sunday’s news provided a reminder of why those concerns seemed valid.
“I love our league and playing at the highest level,” James said before the game. “But I think, under the circumstances and what we’re going through still with the pandemic and everything with the season, I thought we could have looked at it a little bit differently . ... And I hate that Joel and Ben will not be able to play.”
The league and the National Basketball Players Association went ahead with plans for the game for multiple reasons, including because it paid tribute to historically Black institutions and generated at least $3 million for scholarship funds that aid Black students.
“Throughout this pandemic, we’ve sought to find the right balance between the health and safety of our players, the community that’s involved in producing NBA basketball, and of course our fans, along with the economic interests as well of our community,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Saturday in his annual All-Star address. “Add into that social justice issues . ... Again, we feel we’ve struck the appropriate balance here, looking out for the interests of everyone involved.”
The collective bargaining agreement between the league and its players also stipulated that the game be played, and Silver has said multiple times in recent weeks that millions of fans around the globe want to see the game happen.
There have been NBA 31 games this season postponed because at least one team wouldn’t have enough players eligible to play due to virus-related reasons, including positive tests and contact tracing situations.
Q1: Neither vulnerable, as South, you hold:
♠ 1095 ♥ KQ875 ♦ AJ63
♣ 8
WEST NORTH EAST SOUTH 2♦ Dbl Pass ?
What call would you make?
A: This is too good for just an invitation. Bid 4H.
Q2: North-South vulnerable, as South, you hold:
♠ A86 ♥ J8 ♦ AK63 ♣ J875 WESTNORTH EAST SOUTH 2♠ Dbl Pass ?
What call would you make?
A: A conventional agreement, such as Lebensohl, might affect your sequence of bids. The point is to force to 3NT.
For most of us, simply bid 3NT. Q3: East-West vulnerable, as South, you hold:
Void AK985 87643 974
NORTH EAST SOUTH WEST
1♠ Pass 1NT
2♣ Pass 2♥
3♥ Pass ?
What call would you make? A: Partner has three hearts, shortness in diamonds, and extra values. Let’s go for the game bonus. Bid 4H.
ACROSS
1 Talk on and
on 4 Compete in
a bee
9 Pro Bowl
stats 12 Martian
mover 13 Quarrel 14 Like sashimi 15 Octagonal
warnings 17 Italian article 18 Enzyme
suffix 19 Refuse
receptacle 21 Supermarket sections 24 Castle 25 Rockies
hrs. 26 NASCAR
advertiser 28 Egg holders 31 Sleep like — 33 R-V link 35 Doc’s
“Now!” 36 Drink
eagerly 38 Mornings
(Abbr.) 40 Mine yield 41 Villain’s
blemish 43 Eye slyly 45 Source of
gum arabic 47 Hoosier St. 48 Long.
crosser 49 Diamond
position 54 Curved line 55 Lawn
trimmer 56 Colorful
card game 57 Ultimate 58 Run-down 59 Jury
enclosure
DOWN 1 Gloomy
guy 2 Sternward 3 Ghostly
greeting 4 Mouths off
to 5 Clergymen 6 Ovum 7 Moonrelated 8 Textbook
chapter 9 Highway
meal locale
Both vulnerable, as South, you hold:
J AQ43 KQ1076
J75
SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST 1♦ Pass 1♥ Pass What call would you make?
A: Partner will love this dummy when you put it down, but it is not good enough for a jump raise. Bid 2H. 10 Comic
Carvey 11 Cygnet’s
parent 16 Bud 20 Tackles
weeds 21 Lawyer
Clooney 22 Madonna’s “La — Bonita” 23 Track timer 27 School org. 29 Skater
Lipinski 30 Editor’s
“keep it” 32 Avocado dip, for short 34 Officiated at Yankee Stadium 37 Spectrum
creators 39 Gate
tender 42 Western resort lake 44 Mag. staff 45 Country singer Jackson 46 Shopper’s
aid 50 Have bills 51 Vat 52 Yoko from
Tokyo 53 Curse
NEW YORK — Paramount+ debuted last week as the latest streaming option from major media company ViacomCBS. It’s betting that consumers are willing to add another paid streaming service in an increasingly crowded field.
Its backers hope a smorgasbord of offerings — live sports and news, reboots of properties such as “Frasier” and “Rugrats,” original shows like “Star Trek: Discovery” and the ViacomCBS library — will entice viewers. But its relatively late entrance to a competitive landscape and a $4 price increase compared with predecessor, CBS All Access, could make it a challenging sell.
“Paramount+ has a mountain of challenges,” said Tim Hanlon, CEO of Vertere Group, playing off the Paramount+ tagline, “A mountain of entertainment.”
Over the last year and a half, more streaming services have debuted to challenge the reigning triumvirate of Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime. Disney+ kicked things off in late 2019, followed by WarnerMedia’s HBO Max, NBC-Universal’s Peacock and Discovery+.
ViacomCBS is a pioneer; CBS, then a separate company, debuted CBS
All Access in 2014. The new service rebrands All Access and adds other Viacom channels including Comedy Central, BET, MTV and Nickelodeon.
But Paramount+ could have a brand awareness problem, Hanlon said. Most people associate the name Paramount with the mountainous title card that appears before movies. “Most consumers have very little understanding that Viacom, Paramount and CBS have the same parent,” he said.
Second, the pricing may leave some scratching their heads. The ad-free tier launching Thursday is $10 a month. That’s $4 more than CBS All Access, although the new service will offer a lot more material. A $5 monthly ad-supported version will launch in June, but it won’t include the live local CBS stations. Showtime and BET+, both owned by ViacomCBS, will remain separate.
Still, the service also has some potential advantages over others. CBS All Access, Showtime and BET+ now have nearly 30 million subscribers, some of whom will shift to Paramount+. ViacomCBS projects those services will reach 65 million subscribers by 2024.
ViacomCBS plans to increase its investment in streaming, from $1 billion a year to at least $5 billion annually by 2024. It will introduce 36 original shows in 2021, including a spinoff of “60 Minutes” called “60 Minutes+,” a reboot of MTV’s “The Real World” that reunites the original New York cast and series based on movies including “Fatal Attraction” and “Flashdance.”
“Viacom has all assets they need to have a thriving business,” said Brian Wieser, GroupM global president of business intelligence. “An investment in original programming attracts people. And a deep library causes people to stay. Put those together and you could have a viable successful service.”