Monday afternoon, Clippers starting center Ivica Zubac confirmed he had coronavirus in early July. Zubac made the announcement when speaking to reporters following the Clippers’ 106-102 loss to the Sacramento Kings in their final pre-season “scrimmage” game.

Zubac was initially among the Clippers who did not travel to Orlando three weeks ago, and while the lack of word led many to suspect he had tested positive for COVID, no reports of his status were made. He finally arrived in Orlando over the weekend after clearing the NBA’s protocol of a 14-day at-home quarantine, 2 negative tests, and clearance by a physician. Then, he completed the mandatory 2-day entry quarantine at Disney World before making his debut this afternoon against the Kings.

Here is what Zu told reporters after the game:

I feel good, man. I know no one has said it, but I had the virus. I tested positive the week before fourth of July. I didn’t have any symptoms. I felt a little tired for two or three days, but other than that I was good. I was getting tested daily, and I was waiting to clear all the protocols to join the team in Orlando, but it was tough because I didn’t have any — I couldn’t get in a gym. I couldn’t stay in shape. I mean, I did some stuff, but it’s hard to replace the practices and these games. I did as much as I could, but I wish I was with the team from the start.

Transcription by Clippers PR

Due to potential long-term damage the virus can cause to the lungs and hearts of those who get sick, the NBA has enforced relatively strict guidelines preventing players who test positive from working out. As a result, players who are joining their teams late after recovering from a positive test, such as Zubac and his teammate Landry Shamet, are both behind the curve from a conditioning standpoint and missed a number of practices.

After Ivica Zubac confirmed he had coronavirus, one of the lingering mysteries of the Clippers’ quarantine is answered. For fans, Zu, and the rest of the team, the good news is he’s safe, healthy, and ready to help the Clippers fight for a championship in Orlando.

Ivica Zubac confirmed he had coronavirus
Lucas Hann

Two days ago, Woj broke the news that a member of the Clippers traveling party had tested positive for COVID19, forcing the closure of the Clippers’ practice facility. Not great, certainly.

Today, Shams Charania of The Athletic broke the news that Clippers guard Landry Shamet has tested positive for COVID-19, and won’t be traveling with the Clippers to Orlando this upcoming week.

First and foremost, we hope that Landry Shamet is doing well, and that he will make a complete recovery from this terrible illness. Second, hopefully he’s been careful in his interactions with others (Clippers-adjacent or otherwise), and has not spread the disease further.

As for how this will effect the Clippers – we really have no idea at this stage. The standard quarantine period for COVID-19 is two weeks, so assuming that Shamet tested positive today or yesterday, he will presumably be in isolation in Los Angeles until July 18 or so. That means he will miss most of the Clippers training camp in Orlando, at the very minimum. Depending on his recovery, and at what point he consistently tests negative for the disease, he might miss some of the Clippers’ early scrimmages as well.

Most NBA players who have tested positive for Coronavirus have shaken off the disease easily enough, but it’s an awful infection that has long-lasting consequences. Providing that Shamet does recover in time for Orlando, it’s still possible that his lung capacity or reduced, or that he will have lost weight and strength in the interim. Therefore, he might not be quite himself in Orlando, again presuming he does recover in time to play at all (which he should). If Landry does miss games, or is limited in minutes, that will probably open the door for Rodney McGruder to get more playing time than he might have otherwise.

Again, our best wishes to Landry Shamet on a swift and complete recovery from COVID-19. We will continue to update on this story as it develops in the coming days and weeks.

Landry Shamet Has Tested Positive for COVID-19, Per Shams
Robert Flom

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, a member of the Clippers’ Orlando travel party has tested positive for coronavirus. As a result, the Clippers have closed their practice facility to prevent potential spread.

The Clippers are scheduled to travel to Orlando next Wednesday, July 8th. Each NBA team is allowed to bring a 37-member travel party, including 17 players, their coaching staff, support staff, and any additional staff up to the 37-person limit.

The phrasing of Woj’s tweet suggests that the positive test could be for a non-player, but could also be the result of the organization leaking intentionally vague information so as to protect the privacy of their players and employees.

Hopefully, further contact tracing and testing among the Clippers will show this to be an isolated case, and the person affected can make a speedy and full recovery. In the meantime, the Clippers made the right move in shutting down their practice facility until they have a full grasp on the situation and can ensure the safety of players and staff moving forward.

Report: A member of the Clippers’ Orlando travel party has tested positive for coronavirus
Lucas Hann

Rob and Shap are back with a new episode of The Lob The Jam The Podcast with special guest Joey Linn, of 213Hoops and Twitter fame. The guys discuss the situation in the country right now and how that might impact both their enjoyment of the NBA and the mentality of players at the moment before diving into the imminent return of NBA basketball. The gang go over the Clippers schedule, debate the merits of the new playoff format, and revisit their overall thoughts on the Clippers and their chances of winning the title. All that and more on the new episode of TLTJTP!

Check out the podcast (and our new pod hosting platform) here!

The Lob The Jam the Pod: The Return of the NBA and the Clippers
Robert Flom

Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN and Shams Charania of the Athletic today broke the news of the NBA’s plan of return to action. Essentially, 22 teams will resume play sometime in late July in Orlando after training camps earlier in the month, with each team playing eight regular season games before the playoffs begin. These 22 will comprise 13 teams from the Western Conference and 9 from the Eastern, with the Blazers, Spurs, Pelicans, Kings, Suns, and Wizards joining the 16 teams currently in the playoffs.

Once those eight games have been played, the playoffs will unfold as usual, with one exception. If the 8 seed is less than four games ahead of the 9 seed, those two teams will enter a play-in for the 8seed, with the 9 seed facing single-elimination and the 8 seed facing double-elimination. The other 14 top teams, however, will go into the playoffs as usual, with the regular conference format in alignment.

The Clippers, of course, are snugly in the top half of the Western Conference, and if the schedule remains aligned with what the regular season would have been, they should have a fairly easy road of it going forward. Therefore, they shouldn’t have to worry about the new playoff rules at all. As long as they don’t collapse during the last eight games, they should have “homecourt” in the first round of the playoffs at least.

Homecourt, of course, will be tricky, as all games will be played at the same facilities at Disney in Orlando. Various ideas have been floated regarding homecourt advantage (shipping floors up, extra coaching challenges, possessions to start the 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th quarters), but it remains unclear how the NBA will handle it. More details will come out tomorrow when the NBA actually votes on this position, but right now, this general plan seems to be what will happen. Stay tuned for more information on Twitter and on 213Hoops tomorrow.

The NBA Season Will Return in Late July with 22 Teams
Robert Flom

As NBA teams around the country, including the Clippers and their L.A. neighbors, the Lakers, have re-opened their practice facilities and welcomed players back for individual, socially-distanced workouts, it’s become clear that the league is gearing up for a return to play this summer. While the risks posed to the health of players, staff, and their families are real, the league believes it can mitigate those risks through a variety of logistical measures, including daily testing for players. Perhaps more importantly, none of the parties involved seem ready to accept losing the opportunity to crown a 2020 NBA Champion–and losing over a billion dollars in television revenue losses.

While the momentum has been slowly building over recent weeks, we haven’t come close to hearing concrete plans from the league, largely because they haven’t decided yet. Throughout this crisis, commissioner Adam Silver has consistently said that the league is considering contingencies for every possible situation, so while a likely plan may be beginning to take shape, officials are hesitant to commit to a schedule while conditions surrounding the virus and testing availability are in flux.

Still, for NBA fans eager to see play resume, the most exciting tidbit yet came in a tweet from Brooklyn Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie yesterday, who said he had heard that “bubble” regular season games could begin July 15th.

The “last 5 games” that Dinwiddie refers to are likely the conclusion to a shortened regular season. Most teams need to reach 70 games in order to receive the full amount of their local television deal with their respective regional sports networks. So, while many hypothetical proposals have simply cut off the regular season in early March and moved directly into the playoffs, it seems likely at this point that all thirty NBA franchise will return for a handful of regular season games to fulfill their local TV deals and maximize revenue. These games would likely occur at “bubble sites” in Orlando and/or Las Vegas, where all teams would play in empty stadiums in the same city to minimize travel and exposure.

What remains to be seen is how the league would handle the standings. For the most part, the playoff picture in each conference is relatively set, but in situations where there are close margins or ties, it will be tricky to balance strength of schedule and tiebreakers. In the West, from 3rd to 6th, Denver, Utah, Oklahoma City, and Houston are only separated by 2 losses. It will be up to schedulers to determine how to ensure that these teams have relatively even schedules that are consistent with their remaining strength of schedule during the full season, and to decide in what instances to keep, add, or remove head-to-head match-ups between teams close to each other in the standings. These games, without any warm-up games or exhibitions preceding them, also leave room for complaint from a team that is rusty.

There are still a lot of details for the league to sort out between now and an eventual return to play–teams haven’t even progressed to group workouts or practices yet. But, for now, we can look forward to seeing NBA action on July 15th.

Spencer Dinwiddie Suggests NBA Games Could Resume July 15
Lucas Hann

Just two days after I wrote about the Clippers not opening their practice facility, they have re-opened their practice facility! First credit for breaking the news goes to Andrew Greif, of the LA Times.

As expected, the facilities will only be open on a limited basis. The workouts are not mandatory, and the activities will be more along the lines of physical wellness and exercise than true basketball workouts (though certainly some shooting and dribbling will happen).

Only four players are allowed in the facility at once, and no head coaches or assistant coaches can participate. This helps to limit the contact, and should keep the players safe from getting or spreading COVID-19. There might be a few players who choose not to participate, but after being stuck at home for two months, and with little or no access to basketball since, I’d guess that almost all of the players partake within the coming days.

This is a good sign, not just because the Clippers feel that this measure has a required amount of safety, but as the first start to getting the Clippers (and NBA) back in our lives at some point this summer. Hopefully the players can get some much-needed basketball activities, work their way back into shape, and improve their mental health while remaining safe.

The Clippers Are Opening Their Practice Facility Today
Robert Flom

Many NBA teams are gradually returning to practice facilities (still voluntarily, and following social distancing guidelines), but per ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk, the Clippers are not among them.

This makes sense. By all accounts, the Clippers have been taking especial caution during the COVID-19 pandemic, and are unlikely to let up now, when cases and deaths from the virus remain high. They will probably come back to practice at some point, and it might even be soon-ish, but with the return of the NBA still nowhere in sight, there’s truly no hurry.

The Clippers have been keeping connected with frequent Zoom calls and other communication, so there’s no need to worry about a disconnect on that more personal end. And, even if they return to the practice facility a bit later than other teams, nobody is practicing as a unit, so the team chemistry won’t be more notably set back than any other roster.

When the Clippers do return to the practice facility, we will keep you posted on who practices, and what that means for the players and team going forward. For now, keep on staying safe!

The Clippers Have Not Yet Opened Their Practice Facility
Robert Flom

The NBA season might still be on hiatus, but The Lob the Jam the Pod is back with special guest Lucas Hann. The fellas discuss what they think the NBA might do to respond to the Coronavirus crisis, and how that response might effect the Clippers season. They also chat about what they will remember about this Clippers team if the season is cancelled, as well as whether their thoughts on any of the Clippers big moves have changed in the intervening weeks. All this, your Twitter questions, and more on this episode of TLTJTP!

Check out the episode here!

TLTJTP: What Happens Next in the 2020 NBA Season, and How Does it Effect the Clippers
Robert Flom

The Clippers are airing games from this past season to keep fans entertained, a smart move considering how distant the 2020 NBA season feels at this point. Tonight, at 4:00 PM Pacific Time, they will air the Clippers-Knicks game originally played on January 5, 2020. This is a bit of an odd choice, as the Clippers barely escaped with a win against an awful Knicks team, but the game was close, and some history was made in the process.

As Lucas mentioned in his post running through all the re-aired games, Paul George, Lou Williams, and Montrezl Harrell all scored 30 or more points in this game, the first trio in Clippers history to do so. That’s incredibly impressive, and a testament to the sheer amount of scoring power that the Clippers have (had?) this season. Even without Kawhi Leonard playing, the Clippers put up 135 points, which is a lot against anyone, even the woeful Knicks.

This game was also notable because Marcus Morris Sr. went off for 38 points on 13-19 shooting, torching the Clips from start to finish. The Clippers had been rumored to have interested in Morris for months, and were close to signing him over the summer, but him having an impressive game against the Clips certainly didn’t harm the Clippers’ interest in him. The Clippers traded for him weeks later, and his career performance was possibly at least a small reason why.

Of course, their own scoring barrage aside, the Clippers gave up 132 points in this one, and while they escaped with a win, it was one of those games in the middle of the season that gave fans concern due to the seeming lack of effort and fire, especially defensively. The Knicks came out and barraged the Clippers in the first quarter, scoring on seemingly every possession and doing so with ease. A Sunday afternoon game, the Clippers looked asleep at the wheel, and while they did rally for the win, it was a close affair.

Check out the game tonight at 4:00 PM PT on Fox Sports Prime Ticket!

The Coronavirus Clippers Rewatch: A January Struggle Against the Knicks
Robert Flom