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Davis Bertans Responds to Evan Fournier's Twitter Shade over Sitting out Restart
June 23, 2020
Washington Wizards forward Davis Bertans took exception to a few comments indirectly thrown his way by Orlando Magic swingman Evan Fournier.
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Tim Bontemps reported Bertans plans to sit out when the NBA resumes the 2019-20 season in Orlando, Florida. Fournier reacted to the news on Twitter:
Bertans responded Tuesday:
The COVID-19 pandemic looms large as the NBA plans to move its operations to Walt Disney World resort. Florida recently became the seventh state to register 100,000 positive coronavirus cases and last Saturday saw a single-day high (4,049).
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Tuesday that "teams are bracing for significant numbers of positive tests" as they prepare for training camp.
In addition to the wider public health situation, some wonder whether players will be at an increased risk of suffering a major injury since their training regimens have been disrupted so much.
Wojnarowski reported a group of younger players spoke with officials from the National Basketball Players Association "about the possibility of league-financed insurance policies to protect against career-threatening injuries in the bubble restart in Orlando."
The issue is pressing for Bertans as well since he's set to be an unrestricted free agent. He enjoyed a career year, averaging 15.4 points and 4.5 rebounds while shooting 42.4 percent from three-point range. He'll also turn 28 in November.
Bertans isn't a marquee star, so getting injured in Orlando might have ruined the best shot he'll have at collecting a relatively big contract.