The chances of two Nigerian-born lads clashing this week in USA’s National Basketball Association (NBA) league, have been knocked out, thereby stopping Bam Adebayo from featuring for Miami Heat against Semi Ojeleye’s Boston Celtics.
Megasportsaena.com gathered that, while Adebayo and Ojeleye looked good to but get some minutes under their boots for their respective teams, the reverse turned out to be the case, as the NBA was forced to postpone at least one game for the third day in a row.
Ojeleye’s hope of eventually seeing action this season with The Celtics was, however, dashed when the Boston-based side announced that their game against Orlando Magic on Wednesday had been postponed, while Adebayo was also put on hold with a similar development at Miami.
This came just three days after Adebayo’s game against Celtics had been postponed on Sunday because his side did not have the required number of players due to contact tracing, while Ojeleye’s team were also one player away from being in the same position.
Consequently, The Celtics’ games on Tuesday and Wednesday were postponed because they did not have the required number of players available, and they could have a fourth straight game postponed, as ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that their Friday game against Orlando is also in jeopardy.
Adebayo and Ojeleye’s teams were also scheduled to play Wednesday and Friday in Boston, but The Magic could not travel because of the ravaging effects of COVID-19 in their team’s camp, even as several other teams are struggling with the same issue.
The report out of God’s Own Country added that many clubs’ rosters are thin due to contact tracing, injuries are piling up and health officials are overwhelmed, while worry is rife that things will get tougher if adjustments to the NBA’s medical and safety protocols are not made.
Out of five games the NBA has postponed, Ojeleye’s club have been involved in three of them, even as league officials and leaders of the players’ association (NBPA) are reportedly considering adjustments to protocols, with focus largely on discussing a two-week period with heightened restrictions.
All these are threatening the opportunity of Ojeleye making his mark with The Celtics, after the Boston-based club’s coach, Brad Stevens admitted he had to make alterations to his selections, though he had earlier trotted out a two-big starting lineup for much of the season in large part because the team’s best health was at the center position.
His options, though, had to change, after The Celtics announced that three frontcourt players — Robert Williams, Grant Williams, and Tristan Thompson — are out due to health and safety protocols related to COVID-19.
With Kemba Walker and Romeo Langford also sidelined, it appeared Ojeleye’s time in the dark was over, as the team dealt with a roster glut and examined potential sign-and-trade options with Gordon Hayward.
Ojeleye’s non-guaranteed contract left his spot tenuous, even after The Celtics wisely elected to keep him on their roster after Hayward took Charlotte’s payday; and the Nigerian-born lad was all glee, as he made himself a valuable rotation presence for the current season.
He is now shooting 42.9 percent beyond the three-point arc, while logging a career-high 16.1 minutes per night and playing his typical sturdy brand of defense, but his high hopes and zeal of consolidating on it all received a blow due to worries over COVID-19.
