The Clippers were originally scheduled to face the Pistons tonight in Detroit. With games on hold for now, we take a look at how both teams match up when it comes to recent news from around the NBA.
Christian Wood cleared from coronavirus
Chalk up a big win for the Pistons here as their emerging star forward has been cleared of coronavirus after a period of self-isolation and care from the team medical staff. Wood was having a breakout campaign for the Pistons in his third NBA season, averaging 13.1 points and 6.3 rebounds per game for the year. His numbers improved greatly since seeing more playing time in recent months with monthly per-game averages of 19.1 points and 9 rebounds in February and 26.2 points and 9.4 rebounds in the shortened month of March. The emergent star became the third known player in the NBA to test positive for the virus, but says he is now “feeling great” after making a full recovery.
The Ballmer Group has pledged more than $25M to help with COVID-19 relief
Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and his wife Connie have pledged over $25 million to help Seattle, southeast Michigan, and Los Angeles with coronavirus relief. The money, through the Ballmer Group, includes $10 million to the University of Washington Medicine’s Emergency Response Fund to speed up testing for a vaccine. This is, obviously, a tremendous win for the Clippers, seeing their owner step up to help in a time of crisis (while other teams may not be faring as well from a PR standpoint). A nice chunk of change from a man who also just spent $400 million in cash to buy The Forum. Way to go, Ballmers!
College players begin declaring for NBA Draft
NBA Draft fever is starting a little early this year as top college players have started declaring themselves eligible for the 2020 NBA Draft. As things currently stand, Detroit would be looking to make a top-five selection this year, while the Clippers don’t hold a pick until late in the second round. A slight edge for the Pistons here, as they’ll be able to begin thinking about how they may want to handle that potential top pick now, and the talent that may be available on the board.
However…
Decreased travel and delays could have negative affect on draft scouting
NBA teams are preparing for how the possibility of a delayed 2020 NBA Draft will affect the pre-draft process. With travel already restricted, teams are limited in their recruiting options; they won’t be able to see as many prospects in person. This provides a small win for the Clippers, and since they don’t have a top-five pick (or any first round pick) they aren’t as negatively affected by the limitations on scouting top-tier 2020 prospects.
Today’s Winner: The Pistons had a much easier time winning the battle of today’s news than they would have had with the Clippers in an actual basketball match up. We’re all glad to hear Christian Wood is feeling better, and hope that delays don’t throw teams off too badly in their planning and scouting for the 2020-21 NBA season.
Up Next: The Clippers were scheduled to play the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday, March 28. We’ll be back tomorrow with another round-up of recent stories from around the NBA, how they impact each team, and name a winner for the day.