OKC Thunder: Baby Schroder at least 2-weeks away

OKC Thunder guard Dennis Schroder has two more weeks until baby number two arrives and return quarantine could mean he’ll miss playoff games.

With the OKC Thunder playing their final scrimmage and the last day of those preseason type games the Disney bubble is holding steady.

There have been some minor issues but those were nipped in the bud. OKC Thunder big man  Nerlens Noel joined peers Kristaps Porzingis and Paul Millsap having to spend a single day in quarantine after failing to get his daily COVID-19 test.

Early on, Bruno Caboclo and Richaun Holmes learned the punishment for not heeding the rules carried a hefty punishment of ten days of quarantine. Caboclo left his room during the initial quarantine while Holmes crossed a defined line to pick up food delivery.

Likewise, Lou Williams will spend the full ten days of quarantining after returning from an approved absence to attend a family funeral. LouWill took a side trip following a hankering for lemon wings at his favorite gentleman’s club in Atlanta.

Williams’ teammates Patrick Beverley and Montrezl Harrell will quarantine four days upon their return. That’s assuming they produce daily negative results while away and don’t get tempted to make side trips the NBA would consider risky. Others such as Zion Williamson has also undergone the four-day quarantine after an excused absence.

Decisions on quarantine will affect Schroder:

Notably, there are no set rules despite the four and ten-day quarantine benchmarks used to date. There has been a discussion on whether the number of days could be fewer. That’s important for the OKC Thunder since Dennis Schroder will have to leave the bubble for the birth of his second child. His wife posted yesterday in her Instagram story “two more weeks”.

The season resumption begins on July 30th with the OKC Thunder playing their first match on August 1st (Utah Jazz) and their eighth and final regular-season game on August 14th (LA Clippers).

Depending on whether a play-in will occur those games will be conducted on the 15th and 16th with the first round of the playoffs starting on August 17th.

That timeline is precariously close to when Schroder would be away with his wife Ellen if she is close to the two-week timeframe noted on Monday. The concern clearly being how long Schroder would need to quarantine upon his return to the bubble.

Schroder isn’t the only player in the bubble who’ll exit to join their partner for childbirth. Marcus Morris and Gordon Hayward are also expecting children. Since all three players will be essential to their teams and the deliveries will likely occur during the playoffs the decision on these matters could mean the difference in them missing two or more games if the league enforces the four-day quarantine.

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It’s a bit of a slippery slope because the league wants to stay true to their strict guidelines. However, if the trio of fathers is careful, produces consistent daily negative results, and is only at the hospital perhaps exceptions can be made.

All in all, things are moving along in the manner the NBA and NBPA had hoped when they invested in making this bubble as safe as possible.

In fact, as the teams clear three weeks at the Disney/ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex this experiment couldn’t be running more smoothly. Especially in comparison to Major League Baseball. The Miami Marlins squad announced 17 positive tests (15 players, 2 coaches) on Monday, highlighting precisely how infectious the coronavirus is and how quickly it can spread through a team.

For now, the belief is Schroder would have to quarantine for four days upon return. For a team like the OKC Thunder who isn’t particularly deep, that’s concerning. Schroder captains the reserve unit and is an essential member of the three point guard killer clutch lineup.

Luguentz Dort, Darius Bazley, and Andre Roberson have been bright spots through the three scrimmages but undoubtedly the Thunder would be better served by having Schroder available.

We’ll have to wait and see when the time arises and the clear priority being the delivery of a healthy baby Schroder.