Rockets All-Star James Harden arrived at the NBA’s Orlando restart campus on Tuesday evening, five days after most of the rest of his club touched down, per a video tweet from the team’s official Twitter account.
The 2018 NBA MVP did not travel with the rest of the Rockets for undisclosed reasons. Harden is averaging 34.4 PPG, 7.4 APG and 6.4 RPG in 61 games this season, his eighth All-Star campaign in Houston.
Tonight’s arrival is in line with the targeted mid-week estimate that Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni said the team had been aiming for as recently as Sunday, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. Before Harden can join his teammates at practice, he will have to quarantine within his hotel room. Next, Harden will have to test negative for COVID-19 over three straight days and undergo a physical conditioning test, per Rachel Nichols of ESPN (Twitter link) and Marc Stein of the New York Times (Twitter link).
Despite the arrival of Harden, the Rockets will continue to be without a few players for now. Harden’s fellow All-Star guard Russell Westbrook announced yesterday that he did not travel with the team because he tested positive for COVID-19. Westbrook hopes to join the Rockets once he recovers.
Forward Luc Mbah a Moute also did not travel with the Rockets last Thursday for undisclosed reasons. Additionally, after accidentally breaking the campus’s quarantine restrictions, Mbah a Moute’s fellow forward Bruno Caboclo has been forced to re-isolate for seven more days.
Now we can stop will all the ridiculous speculation. Shams was saying there was a chance that Harden considering waiting until Westbrook was ready to accompany him. So it looks like the team’s other MVP will be joining the rest of their teammates in Orlando in the near future as well.
Westbrook has to test negative twice, and after that self quarantine for 10 days in the bubble. He will not be back before play resumes and he will be rusty. Rockets are done in the first round.
He does have to test negative twice, but everything after that you said is completely wrong. But don’t worry, he will be back in time.
Holmes has to quarantine for 10 days just for stepping out of the bubble. But sure they won’t make Westbrook do the same while coming in after having the rona. Is the 8th time the charm for the Rockets???? Harden is like Charley Brown trying to kick the football in the postseason. You always think its gonna happen for him, but it never does.
It’s two days, not ten. Nice try though.
rockets getting bounced in the 1st round. even if by some luck they manage to advance they’re not beating the clippers or the lakers so have fun with 4th place in the west again.
The Harden/Westbrook hate is strong with these two….
Here we are 6 days later with Westbrook coming to Orlando, now all he has to do is pass two more tests at least 24 hours apart then he will be allowed to join his team, probably by Wednesday. He might miss the first exhibition game, but I doubt most of the starters will play more than a handful of minutes in that game anyway. But he will be back long before their first real game a week from Friday, and will probably shake off any rust by the 2nd or 3rd exhibition game (at the latest).
Makes sense. Without RW, James Harden wouldn’t probably go to Orlando. Why would he?
The Report almost led off with this, same letters, but deeper meaning:
“[Rockstar James Harden… ets All-] arrived at the NBA’s Orlando restart campus…”
It’s how I saw it at first glance! Also is true.
Dallas is 1 1/2 back. Rockets could be in battle for 7-5. At 7 they get Clippers. Bye Rockets. At 6 they get Nuggets. Without Russ it’s Bye Rockets. At 5 which I doubt they get. They aren’t beating Jazz without Russ. If all teams healthy. I give Rockets a shot with Jazz, Nuggets a small one. That’s it. Without Russ it’s not looking gd. I said from beginning. Healthy teams have best shots. No virus
More like 3-5, not 5-7. They’re 8-2 against Utah during the playoffs in recent years, and Russ will be 100% by then. They would have no problem at all against the Jazz, they win 4-1 or 4-0. Against the Nuggets it would be tougher, but still a win. The only one of those teams that give Houston any real difficulty would be the Clippers.
Another terrible prediction concerning the Rockets, as usual: “He (Westbrook) will not be back before play resumes and he will be rusty. Rockets are done in the first round.” Russ is expected at practice tomorrow, nine days before play resumes. At worst he will miss the first exhibition game, which will only be 40 minutes long anyway. He will be in mid-season form when play begins, just like his fellow MVP teammate.