Bradley Beal said the Washington Wizards are “fighting the league” to play against the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday, with only eight players available and six Wizards excluded by the NBA’s health and safety protocol.
After a nine-day hiatus due to a coronavirus outbreak in the team that led to the postponement of five games, the Wizards were finally cleared to practice again Wednesday night. According to coach Scott Brooks, the team had only eight players available and basically shot light.
“We could not get into a gym for a week,” said Beal, whose team has not played against the Phoenix Suns since Jan. 11. “It changes guys’ rhythm, shape – it’s just like a recipe for injury, honestly. I think we’m fighting the league over that.”
With a lack of healthy bodies and little conditioning, Beal said he and Russell Westbrook plan to talk to Michele Roberts, executive director of the National Basketball Players Association, about the Wizards’ options for staying safe.
Beal said that in addition to the Wizards wanting to stay injury-free, players in the league had ‘mixed feelings’ about wanting to keep playing and earn money, while also keeping themselves and their loved ones safe.
“We already have guys with an injury,” Beal said. “Now we have a large part of our team, like more than 50%, with the virus now … we hear from the league tonight, hear from them tomorrow and see what they want to do.”
The Wizards, who want to start a four-game series in Milwaukee on Friday, name Davis Bertans, Rui Hachimura, Deni Avdija, Troy Brown Jr., Ish Smith and Moritz Wagner for the game against the Bucks due to health and safety protocols.
Westbrook (four-wheeler) was revalued this week and stays out and Thomas Bryant (left ACL) is out for the season. Westbrook did light work on the court on Wednesday night and will travel with the team on the upcoming road trip. But Brooks said he is not sure when Westbrook will play.
The Wizards are expected to have Beal, Robin Lopez, Raul Neto, Garrison Mathews, Jerome Robinson, Isaac Bonga, Anthony Gill and Cassius Winston available to play.
Brooks said the team could only practice Wednesday night. The Wizards need to practice again on Thursday morning with about 15 to 16 hours between the two sessions before playing the Bucks.
“It’s going to put us in a very difficult position to have a game on Friday night,” Brooks said. “If they let us play the game, of course we have to play the game. I do not know how we are going to be able to play it, but we are going to do the best we can, regardless of the league we say we do. I believe in the league . ‘
The Memphis Grizzlies-Portland Trail Blazers game Wednesday night became the 16th game postponed this season by the NBA.
“[COVID-19] is all around, “Brooks said. This is not a joke. There are more than 400,000 Americans [who] died with this virus. And we take it seriously. You are obviously worried. ‘