DECEMBER 25: The Rockets, who are scheduled to travel to Portland on Friday night for Saturday’s game, are currently on course to have the mandated minimum of eight players available for that contest, reports Marc Stein of The New York Times (Twitter link). Houston could have as many as nine players available, Stein adds (via Twitter).
DECEMBER 24: A Rockets staff member has tested positive for the novel coronavirus COVID-19. As a result, contact tracing is being conducted for guard Eric Gordon and other Houston personnel, according to Shams Charania of the Athletic (via Twitter).
Meanwhile, Charania adds (Twitter link) that “several” of Gordon’s Rockets teammates – including DeMarcus Cousins, John Wall and possibly others – are facing a week-long quarantine period for a separate possible exposure. As we relayed earlier this week, Jae’Sean Tate and Mason Jones were also sent home along with Cousins and Wall to quarantine under the league’s contact tracing protocol.
Three Rockets players have recently returned positive or inconclusive COVID-19 tests, among them KJ Martin and Ben McLemore. The identity of the third player has not been disclosed, but apparently All-Star guard James Harden remains negative for the coronavirus and will most likely be available for the Rockets’ next game after being fined $50,000 for violating league protocols regarding COVID-19.
What this means for the Rockets’ upcoming game against the Trail Blazers, scheduled for Saturday, has yet to be divulged. The Rockets’ first scheduled game of the season yesterday was postponed when it was determined that, between injuries and coronavirus protocols, the club would not have enough healthy players available.
It appeared that Houston would be able to activate at least eight players on Saturday, even if the rest of the players besides Harden who were unavailable on Wednesday had yet to be cleared. But if Gordon and others are now required to self-isolate, that may no longer be the case.
Everyone must be loving this. This team always has the worst luck.
First Chris Paul getting hurt in the WCF, then everything went wrong in the Orlando bubble (Westbrook’s injury and House being thrown out), and now this season has begun in the worst possible way. Enjoy the schadenfreude folks, you always do.
And I wish a Merry X-mas to everyone here amused by the fact that I won’t.
You’re the one that enjoys bashing the Lakers every chance you get. Now you wanna play the victim and act like you’re being unfairly singled out? Lmao dude, get a clue
Yeah it’s pretty weak.
Hes not the only one, screw the Lakers.
You reap what you sow
Merry Xmas to you too. I hope you don’t take the negativity on here too personal.
merry christmas to you too houmvp. i catch alot of grief for westbrook being my guy back here at home, so just keep being you.
siggers of course it’s personal. hater(m establishes his targets based on corporate affiliation then unloads on the hated every time his name comes up. It’s not about harden or houston but about any Net, Thunder, or Califotnia player.
illowa’s little appreciation for RW from out of state is not a comparison, unless you take it out on the players on about six other teams.
houston(m’s targeting of Durant and Wiseman is the immediate repudiation. It’s a tiny mind.
Nah I’m happy when the Rockets lose or experience stupid things like the strip club incident. I’m never happy about a medical issue. I hope everyone has a quick recovery. At the end of the day it’s just sports.
Merry Christmas dude. I know a lot of people clown on you, and while I don’t 100% agree with you all the time, I definitely don’t think you deserve the all the hate.
He definitely makes the comment section livelier and I think most of the clowning is in good spirit. Merry Christmas and happy holidays.
He brings it on himself. Regardless, it isn’t bad luck with the Rockets. Even with Paul’s injury in the WCF, the Rockets had a significant lead and lost because Harden choked and couldn’t hit a shot. As for the rest, it is mainly due to bad decisions off the court and failure to produce on it. One doesn’t get to regularly post homer nonsense then whine when things don’t go his way.
Ah, the age old excuse of “my bad behavior is okay because he is bad too.” Always fun to see some form of that old chestnut brought out. It doesn’t matter who you do it to, your behavior is on you. I’m not judging because I can be just as guilty of it, but at least own it and don’t try to justify it away.
If Harden never shows up to practice/locker room, how these folks bein sick? Lol catch 22 yall. Harden WB MVP merry Christmas brah go rockets them an pelis my late game teams f the suns
Covid is no laughing matter. Rockets losing on the court is maybe the biggest laughing matter.
House wasn’t gonna put them over the top against the Lakers lmao.
The Lakers flat-out rolled over the Rockets.
“And I wish a Merry X-mas to everyone here amused by the fact that I won’t.” You need to get out more brah.
Maybe he’s not allowed to get out. Streets to cross and such.
Merry Christmas bro. It’s just the internet don’t take it personal. If these clowns on here do that’s their own problem
How can the Harden apologist even show his face around here after what has happened. We all remember the trash you talked when Westbrook got to town. Saying this as a Kings fan, enjoy the rebuild.
Rockets season starts in 2021 and ends in 2021
Harden tested negative
Staffer tested positive
Staffer brought the virus to the players
Or one of the positive players brought it to the other players and the staffer. Eric Gordon is being contact-traced, so possibly it is him. No idea how you immediately blame the staffer. It actually sounds like the staffer tested positive *after* several of the players did.
I hope the Rockets don’t ruin the NBA season. How do you break protocol. And infect the team. These guys are worse than teenagers. Sad situation from Harden to team. Just keeps getting worse. Gotta feeling a trade is coming. It’s the Only way they fix this season.
Harden going to come out every day adding more teams to his trade list until it’s all other 29 teams, what a troll…
At that point he can tell himself he got what he wanted if he gets traded.
Gotta say though, Warriors actually don’t have a shooter outside of Curry, Harden is actually a good fit for this season. Not when Klay comes back, but in the interim Wiseman, Steph and Harden could get a chip, then trade Harden for KD when the team Kyrie Irving is on inevitably self destructs and he wants out.
Man, your Christmas Day hangover will likely be significant.
Lol he can drink til santa comes but dec 25 he still gonna be marty mcrae…dang
haha there’s so much insanity here but the straight-up Harden-for-KD trade might be the craziest.
…when in Houston
#FreeTheBeard
I mean, he’s free to quit basketball if he doesn’t want to earn nearly $600,000 a game this year.
Chubby James is at it again! The Rockets are in tatters. I said a few weeks ago that they should just get rid of him because his negativity will infect the whole franchise. Didn’t have to wait long before my prediction came true. Houston should just grab some young players for the future while they can get it
infect. nice choice.
Tim MacMahon: The Rockets list DeMarcus Cousins, Eric Gordon, John Wall and two-way player Mason Jones as out for tomorrow’s game in Portland due to health and safety protocols. Ben McLemore and Kenyon Martin Jr., who both tested positive for COVID-19, are also out. – via Twitter espn_macmahon
That’s five Rockets out for gm on Saturday. Not how you want to start a new season. The #Har enVirus continues…….